What if Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn were as close as our moon? YouTube user Yeti Dynamics shows us just how these planets would look from Earth. In the video you're about to see, Mars, Venus, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and Saturn (in that order) replace the moon, which measures 1,738km in radius. Mars, for comparison, is about twice the size, with a radius of 1,080 miles (3,397km), and Uranus is about 25 times larger at 15,882 miles (25,559km) in radius. Continue reading for the clip and more information.
Scientists have discovered the oldest Earth-sized planet in the Milky Way, which hints at the possibility of ancient life elsewhere in our galaxy. Dr. Tiago Campante's, an Asteroseismology Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham (UK), research centered around five terrestrial-sized planets observed by the Kepler space telescope transiting the star KOI-3158, approximately 117-light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. Kepler observed the five Earth-sized planets transiting the larger primary star, KOI-3158, which according to Campante, is the closest and brightest multi-planet system detected so far by the telescope. Continue reading for a video and more information.
So, you've seen Obama's head and heard about the humans walking on Mars in 1979, now researcher Will Farrar has spotted what looks like a coffin of sorts on the Red Planet. He says, "This little box sure does look like a modern coffin concrete liner. As well as the stonework on the back part of the hill that looks like stairs or some left over stonework from some old civilizations constructions." Continue reading for a video going in-detail about the structure and more information.
Stuart Atkinson, an amateur astronomer from Kendal, UK, discovered this incredible cliff on Comet 67P while studying an image beamed back by the Rosetta probe. He found the location on notes by the European Space Agency, which said the picture - pieced together from four taken 12 miles from the comet on December 10 - measured 1.8 by 1.6 miles from end to end. Continue reading for more images and information.
NASA Researchers at the Langley facility have unveiled HAVOC (High Altitude Venus Operational Concept) as a way of exploring Earth's nearest planetary neighbor, Venus. This blimp-like craft holds two astronauts, and can be used to send them on a month-long mission to float around the planet's sulfuric acid-heavy atmosphere. There would be a floating habitat attached to HAVOC where the astronauts would live and work 50-kilometers above the Venusian surface. Click here to view the first image in this week's funny Facebook status updates gallery. Continue reading for a viral video of street musicians with unbelievable handmade guitars.
The Sun has a mass of 2*10^30 kg, which is about 300,000 times greater than the mass of the Earth. Mass depends on the amount of matter in an object. Weight on the other hand, varies with respect to local gravity, however the Sun is not sitting near any other planet's gravitational field. On a related note, since the radius of the moon is about 1,080 miles, approximately 64.3 million moons could fit inside the Sun if it were hollow. Continue reading for more interesting space facts.
Black holes of stellar mass are expected to form when very massive stars collapse at the end of their life cycle. After a black hole has formed, it can continue to grow by absorbing mass from its surroundings. By absorbing other stars and merging with other black holes, supermassive black holes of millions of solar masses may form. There is general consensus that supermassive black holes exist in the centers of most galaxies. Click here to view the first image in this week's funny work pictures gallery. Continue reading for a viral video of a dog who really knows how to get your attention on the phone.
Ron Miller, an illustrator and author, specializes in visualizations of other worlds. He recently rendered a series of images that show what our skies would look like with Saturn's beautiful rings. To keep things scientifically accurate, he added orange-pink shadows, which may result from sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere, and also shows the rings from a variety of latitudes and landscapes. Continue reading for more interesting images (and a bonus video) of our galaxy that might surprise you.
Ever wonder what the night sky would look like no light pollution? Photograhper Ben Coffman has just the images for you, as he spends his time capturing the majestic and starry skies of Oregon. Based in Portland, this photographer frequently makes stops at the famed Crater Lake and other to snap these awe-inspiring, long-exposure shots showcasing the Milky Way. He says his interest in astronomy stems from..."the collision between the natural and man-made worlds. Popular postcard destinations take on a strange new meaning at night, when crowds ebb, shadows form, and the sky becomes sprinkled with stars." Above, we see the Yaquina Head Lighthouse like never before. Continue reading for more images.
UFO researchers have spotted yet another face on Mars, but this time, they claim to have spotted Barack Obama's likeness on the Red Planet. Taken by the Spirit rover, this rock apparently bears uncanny semblance to the current President's head, and it could very well may be part of a statue. Scott Waring says, "From the way its standing up I would say that it is a full statue, but is buried from the shoulders down. Continue reading for a video and more information.
