A donut-shaped planet with zero tilt would have an extremely cold "hubward" side - that is, the side closest to the rotational axis - because this region would never get any light. On the other hand, one with an earth-like tilt of approximately 23 degrees would have amazing colors during its spring dawns and autumn twilights on the hubward side, due to the sun rising past the atmosphere of the other side of the planet. Continue reading for more.
While there are plenty of man-made crop circles out there, this one was found in the UK in 2002. Microwave radiation was found in this crop circles, which reveals an alien face as well as a coded message. The following statement was revealed: "Beware the bearers of false gifts and their broken promises. Much pain but still time. (damaged word). There is good out there. We oppose deception. Conduit closing. (bell sound)." Continue reading for more.
The starship-like object you see above is located 100 million miles from Earth,and may really be the aftermath of a hypervelocity collision between two asteroids. The object, called P/2010 A2, was first discovered by the LINEAR (Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research program) sky survey on January 6, 2010. Continue reading for more.
Astronomers have at last identified the distinct signatures of oxygen molecules in space, thanks to observations made with the Herschel Space Observatory, an ESA (European Space Agency) mission with important NASA contributions. The rarity of cosmic oxygen molecules - the very same molecules making up part of the air we breathe on Earth - is still a mystery, but the new observations provide clues about why they had gone missing. Continue reading for more.
Scientists have discovered 'primordial gravitational waves' - an echo of the big bang in which the universe came into existence 14bn years ago - for the first time. It's described as 'like a message from the dawn of time', and if confirmed, would change the face of physics and give scientists their first glimpse of how the universe was born. Continue reading for a video and more information.
Does the Milky Way Galaxy have a twin? Two-years-ago, astronomers discovered a galaxy that was almost exactly like ours, complete with two small satellite galaxies orbiting it, perfectly corresponding to our own Magellanic Clouds. For those who don't know, these are extremely rare occurrences, as only 3% of spiral galaxies have companion galaxies like that. Continue reading for more.
It's called HR 5171 A, and located 12,000 light-years from Earth in the center of a new image released March 12. The star is more than 1,300 times the diameter of the sun and much larger than scientists expected after earlier observations. According to ESO, "HR 5171 A is 50% larger than the red supergiant Betelgeuse, the star that makes up one of the constellation Orion's shoulders. Continue reading for a video and more information.
Scientists announced today that they have discovered a massive reservoir under the Earth's mantle which may contain more water than all the ocean's combined. According to Canadian researchers, analysis of a rare mineral points to the huge store of water deep in Earth's mantle, 400-600 kilometres (250-375 miles) beneath our feet. Continue reading for an Earth documentary and more information.
Although not the first space telescope, Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile, and is well known as both a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy. Hubble is the only telescope designed to be serviced in space by astronauts. The telescope is now expected to function until at least 2014, and possibly 2020. Its scientific successor, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is currently scheduled to be launched in 2018. Continue reading for more.
In 1962, John DeNike and Stanley Zahn published their idea of a sub-surface base located at the Sea of Tranquility. This base would house a crew of 21, in modules placed four meters below the surface, which was believed to provide radiation shielding on par with Earth's atmosphere. DeNike and Zahn favored nuclear reactors for energy production, because they were more efficient than solar panels, and would also overcome the problems with the long Lunar nights. For the life support system, an algae-based gas exchanger was proposed. Continue reading for more.
