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    Category Astronomy/Space

    Massive Martian Ice discovery opens a window into Red Planet’s history

    May 24, 2019, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    A vertically exaggerated view of Mars’ north polar cap. Researchers with The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Arizona estimate that if melted, the massive ice deposits discovered in this region would cover the planet in 1.5 meters (5 feet) of water. Credit: SA/DLR/FU Berlin; NASA MGS MOLA Science Team

    Newly discovered layers of ice buried a mile beneath Mars’ north pole are the remnants of ancient polar ice sheets and could be one of the largest water reservoirs on the planet, according to scientists. The layers of ice are a record of past climate on Mars in much the same way tree rings are a record of climate on Earth.

    The team made the discovery using measurements gathered by the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)...

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    Formation of the Moon brought Water to Earth

    May 21, 2019, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Earth seen from the moon (stock image; elements of this image are furnished by NASA).
    Credit: © Arvin / Adobe Stock

    Earth has a large amount of water and a relatively large moon, which stabilizes Earth’s axis. Both are essential for life to develop on our planet. Scientists have now been able to show that water came to Earth with the formation of the moon.

    Planetologists at the University of Münster (Germany) have now been able to show, for the first time, that water came to Earth with the formation of the Moon some 4.4 billion years ago. The Moon was formed when Earth was hit by a body about the size of Mars, also called Theia. Until now, scientists had assumed that Theia originated in the inner solar system near the Earth...

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    Gas Insulation could be Protecting an Ocean Inside Pluto

    May 21, 2019, Categories  Astronomy/Space


    The proposed interior structure of Pluto. A thin clathrate (gas) hydrate layer works as a thermal insulator between the subsurface ocean and the ice shell, keeping the ocean from freezing. (Kamata S. et al., Pluto’s ocean is capped and insulated by gas hydrates. Nature Geosciences, May 20, 2019)

    A gassy insulating layer beneath the icy surfaces of distant celestial objects could mean there are more oceans in the universe than previously thought. Computer simulations provide compelling evidence that an insulating layer of gas hydrates could keep a subsurface ocean from freezing beneath Pluto’s icy exterior, according to a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

    In July 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew through Pluto’s system, providing the first-ever close-up im...

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    Maunakea Observatories shed new light on Obscured Infant Solar System

    May 19, 2019, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    An expanded view of the central part of the cleared region around LkCa 15, showing a composite of two reconstructed images (blue: 2.1 microns, from November 2010; red: 3.7 microns) for LkCa 15. The location of the central star is also marked. Credit: Kraus & Ireland, 2011

    Astronomers using the combined power of two Hawaii telescopes have taken groundbreaking, sharp new images of a distant planetary system that likely resembles a baby version of our solar system.

    Using Subaru Telescope and W. M. Keck Observatory, the team obtained and analyzed data for an infant Sun-like star named LkCa 15. Previous studies using an advanced interferometry method had inferred that three infant planets were orbiting this star...

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