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Astronomers find water vapor in atmosphere of distant planet
But planet HR8799c unlikely to harbour life, as surface temperature exceeds 1,000C Astronomers have detected water vapour and carbon monoxide in the atmosphere of a planet 130 light years away from Earth. However, the planet, known only as HR8799c, is devoid of methane, a gas that can indicate life, the researchers…
Comet could collide with Mars in 2014
Astronomers say that a comet will make an close flyby next year, not of Earth, but of our neighbor planet, Mars. According to a Monday report on Discovery.com, the recently discovered comet, named C/2013 A1 will fly close to Mars on Oct. 19 of 2014. Comets are balls of ice…
How NASA gave us the images that shine new light on Earth – and beyond
It’s 50 years since the first interplanetary probe, and this year’s stunning pictures from across the solar system show how far space technology has come This image gives us an unprecedented view of Earth at night. Ribbons of light from cities stretch across the shadows of the world’s great land…
Voyager discovers ‘magnetic highway’ at edge of solar system
NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has encountered a “magnetic highway” at the edge of the solar system, a surprising discovery 35 years after its launch, the experts behind the pioneering craft said Monday. Earlier this year a surge in a key indicator fueled hopes that the craft was nearing the so-called…
Study: Moon water may come indirectly from the sun
Scientists on Sunday said they had found water molecules in samples of lunar soil, and their unusual signature points to the Sun as the indirect source. Samples returned to Earth by the Apollo missions carry molecules of water and a precursor of water called hydroxyl, according to their study, published…
NASA’s Voyager 1 set to leave our solar system and cross into interstellar space
It looks like a dustbin lid strapped to a cluster of fishing rods. Its computer is so puny it could not even start up your iPhone. And if E.T. wants to listen to the message it brings, he’ll need a gramophone to play it on. But in the history of…
Saturn’s moon Enceladus holds promise of alien life
Enceladus is little bigger than a lump of rock and has appeared, until recently, as a mere pinprick of light in astronomers’ telescopes. Yet Saturn’s tiny moon has suddenly become a major attraction for scientists. Many now believe it offers the best hope we have of discovering life on another…
Toasted planets give hint of solar system’s future
The remains of two planets closely orbiting a dying star some 3,900 light years away have given astronomers a glimpse of what may happen at the demise of our own solar system about five billion years from now. Named KOI 55.01 and KOI 55.02, the planets orbit a sun that…
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