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    Category Astronomy/Space

    Evidence of Changing Seasons, Rain on Saturn’s moon Titan’s North Pole

    January 20, 2019, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    New research provides evidence of rainfall on the north pole of Titan, the largest of Saturn’s moons, shown here. The rainfall would be the first indication of the start of a summer season in the moon’s northern hemisphere, according to the researchers.
    Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

    An image from the international Cassini spacecraft provides evidence of rainfall on the north pole of Titan, the largest of Saturn’s moons. The rainfall would be the first indication of the start of a summer season in the moon’s northern hemisphere.

    “The whole Titan community has been looking forward to seeing clouds and rains on Titan’s north pole, indicating the start of the northern summer, but despite what the climate models had predicted, we weren’t even seeing any clouds,” said Rajani Dh...

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    Scientists find increase in Asteroid Impacts on ancient Earth by studying the Moon

    January 20, 2019, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Image depicts the change in impact rate modeled in this paper. Some of the craters used in the study on both the moon and Earth are highlighted in the background.
    Credit: Data from NASA GSFC / LRO / Arizona State University; Artwork by Rebecca Ghent

    A team of scientists has determined the number of asteroid impacts on the Moon and Earth increased by two to three times starting around 290 million years ago. Previous theories held that there were fewer craters on both objects dating back to before that time because they had disappeared due to erosion. The new findings claim that there were simply fewer asteroid impacts during that earlier period.

    “Our research provides evidence for a dramatic change in the rate of asteroid impacts on both Earth and the Moon that occurred around the e...

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    Waves in Saturn’s rings give precise measurement of planet’s rotation rate

    January 20, 2019, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This image of Saturn’s rings was taken by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on Sept. 13, 2017. It is among the last images Cassini sent back to Earth.
    Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

    Saturn’s distinctive rings were observed in unprecedented detail by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, and scientists have now used those observations to probe the interior of the giant planet and obtain the first precise determination of its rotation rate. The length of a day on Saturn, according to their calculations, is 10 hours 33 minutes and 38 seconds.

    The researchers studied wave patterns created within Saturn’s rings by the planet’s internal vibrations. In effect, the rings act as an extremely sensitive seismograph by responding to vibrations within the planet itself.

    Similar to Earth’s vibrations...

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    Feathers: Better than Velcro?

    January 18, 2019, Categories  Physics, Astronomy/Space, Biology/Biotechnology

    You may have seen a kid play with a feather, or you may have played with one yourself: Running a hand along a feather’s barbs and watching as the feather unzips and zips, seeming to miraculously pull itself back together. That “magical” zipping mechanism could provide a model for new adhesives and new aerospace materials, according to engineers at the University of California San Diego.
    Credit: University of California San Diego

    Engineers detail bird feather properties that could lead to better adhesives (and aerospace materials). You may have seen a kid play with a feather, or you may have played with one yourself: Running a hand along a feather’s barbs and watching as the feather unzips and zips, seeming to miraculously pull itself back together.

    That “magical” zipping mechanism coul...

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