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    Category Astronomy/Space

    Discovery of Two Planetary Systems around Sun-like Stars

    December 18, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Discovery of two planetary systems around sun-like stars
    Figure 1: The small panel on the top left shows an illustration of NASA’s TESS space telescope, responsible for the first identification of the exoplanets TOI-2141b and TOI-1736b. The background image is a photo of the OHP observatory with the dome of the 1.93 m telescope, where the SOPHIE instrument is installed, responsible for the detection and characterization of the exoplanets TOI-2141b, TOI-1736b, and TOI-1736c. Credit: Eder Martioli.

    A study published today (Dec. 15) in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics reveals the discovery of two new planetary systems orbiting stars similar to our sun, also known as solar analogs.

    The study was led by Dr...

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    Unexpected Chemistry reveals Cosmic Star Factories´ Secrets

    December 17, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space, Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    Galaxy illustration with molecules
    Light from many different molecules reveals the secrets of distant star factories. This illustration shows the many molecules found in the quasar APM 08279+5255, together with a Hubble telescope image of a similar galaxy in the nearby universe, IC 5063, which also has an active supermassive black hole at its centre. Background image credits: NASA, ESA & W. P. Maksym (CfA); Jmol (molecules); R. Cumming (montage)Photographer: NASA, ESA & W. P. Maksym (CfA); Jmol (molecules); R. Cumming (montage)

    Two galaxies in the early universe, which contain extremely productive star factories, have been studied by a team of scientists led by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden...

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    14-inch Spacecraft delivers new Details about ‘Hot Jupiters’

    December 15, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) spacecraft is about the size of a cereal box. It has also recorded incredibly detailed measurements of the atmospheres of planets hundreds of light-years from Earth.

    A spacecraft the size of a cereal box has collected precise measurements of the atmospheres of large and puffy planets called “hot Jupiters.” The findings, led by a team from the University of Colorado Boulder, could help reveal how the atmospheres around these and a host of other worlds are escaping into space.

    The diminutive spacecraft, which measures just 14 inches in length, may be cute, but its scientific findings are anything but...

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    NASA’s Perseverance Rover Deciphers Ancient History of Martian Lake

    December 14, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This image of Jezero Crater on Mars, the landing site for NASA's Mars 2020 mission, was taken by instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
    This image of Mars’ Jezero Crater is overlaid with mineral data detected from orbit. The green color represents carbonates – minerals that form in watery environments with conditions that might be favorable for preserving signs of ancient life. NASA’s Perseverance is currently exploring the green area above Jezero’s fan (center).
     Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/JHU-APL 

    Marking its 1,000th Martian day on the Red Planet, NASA’s Perseverance rover recently completed its exploration of the ancient river delta that holds evidence of a lake that filled Jezero Crater billions of years ago. The six-wheeled scientist has to date collected a total of 23 samples, revealing the geologic history of this region of Mars in the process.

    One sample called “Lefroy Bay” contains a large quant...

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