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    Category Astronomy/Space

    Newly discovered form of Salty Ice could exist on Surface of Extraterrestrial Moons

    February 21, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Newly discovered form of salty ice could exist on surface of extraterrestrial moons
    Researchers discovered two new crystals made from water and table salt at low temperatures, below about minus 50°C. The known structure (left) has one salt molecule (yellow and green balls) to two water molecules (red and pink balls). X-ray imaging let researchers determine the position of individual atoms in the new structures. The center structure has two sodium chloride molecules for every 17 water molecules and stays stable even if pressure drops to near vacuum, as would exist on a lunar surface. The structure on the right has one sodium chloride molecule for every 13 water molecules, and is stable only at high pressure. Credit: Baptiste Journaux/University of Washington

    The red streaks crisscrossing the surface of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, are striking...

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    Astrophysics: Scientists observe High-speed Star Formation

    February 21, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    New observations have brought to light that stars can form through the dynamic interaction of gas within interstellar gas clouds. This process unfolds faster than previously assumed, research within the FEEDBACK programme on board the flying observatory SOFIA revealed.

    Even though SOFIA is no longer in operation, the data collected so far are essential for basic astronomical research because there is no longer an instrument that extensively maps the sky in this wavelength range (typically 60 to 200 micrometres). The now active James Webb Space Telescope observes in the infrared at shorter wavelengths and focuses on spatially small areas...

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    New Aurorae detected on Jupiter’s Four Largest Moons

    February 18, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Artist’s depiction of oxygen aurora on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, as observed from Maunakea on Hawaiʻi Island using the twin Keck Observatory telescopes. Credit: Julie Inglis

    Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea in Hawaiʻi have discovered that aurorae at visible wavelengths appear on all 4 major moons of Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

    Using Keck Observatory’s High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) as well as high-resolution spectrographs at the Large Binocular Telescope and Apache Point Observatory, a team led by Caltech and Boston University observed the moons in Jupiter’s shadow so that their faint aurorae, which are caused by the gas giant’s strong magnetic field, could be spotted without competition fr...

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    Four Classes of Planetary Systems

    February 16, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Artist impression of the four classes of planetary system architecture. A new architecture framework allows researchers to study an entire planetary system at the systems level. If the small planets within a system are close to the star and massive planets further away, such systems have ‘Ordered’ architecture. Conversely, if the mass of the planets in a system tends to decrease with distance to the star these systems are ‘Anti-Ordered’. If all planets in a system have similar masses, then the architecture of this system is ‘Similar’. ‘Mixed’ planetary systems are those in which the planetary masses show large variations. Research suggests that planetary systems which have the same architecture class have common formation pathways...
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