Category Astronomy/Space

Ramses M. Ramirez and Lisa Kaltenegger. A Volcanic Hydrogen Habitable Zone. Astrophysical Journal Letters, February 2017 DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa60c8

Hunting for habitable exoplanets now may be easier: Cornell University astronomers report that hydrogen pouring from volcanic sources on planets throughout the universe could improve the chances of locating life in the cosmos. Planets located great distances from stars freeze over. “On frozen planets, any potential life would be buried under layers of ice, which would make it really hard to spot with telescopes,” said Ramses Ramirez, Cornell’s Carl Sagan Institute. “But if the surface is warm enough – thanks to volcanic hydrogen and atmospheric warming – you could have life on the surface, generating a slew of detectable signatures.”

Combini...

This is a solidified lava flow over the side of a crater rim of Elysium. Credit: NASA HiRISE image, David Susko, LSU

New Mars research shows evidence of a complex mantle beneath the Elysium volcanic province. Mars’ mantle may be more complicated than previously thought. In a new study researchers at LSU found that the unusual chemistry of lava flows around Elysium is consistent with primary magmatic processes, eg. heterogeneous mantle beneath Mars’ surface or the weight of the overlying volcanic mountain causing different layers of mantle to melt at different temperatures as they rise to the surface.

Elysium is a giant volcanic complex on Mars, the second largest behind Olympic Mons. For scale, it rises to twice the height of Earth’s Mount Everest, or ~16 kilometers...

Annular eclipse: the sun crossed South America shortly after 1200 GMT, on course for Africa. Credit: Dale Cruikshank

Stargazers applauded as they were plunged into darkness Sunday when the moon passed in front of the sun in a spectacular “ring of fire” eclipse. Astronomers and enthusiasts in Argentina were among the first to see the so-called annular eclipse as it crossed South America shortly after 1200 GMT, on course for Africa. Staring up through special telescopes, protective glasses or homemade cardboard pinhole devices, they watched the Sun all but disappear briefly as the Moon crossed its path. The eclipse was to be most visible in a 100-kilometer (62-mile) band across Chile, Argentina, Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

More than 100 stargazers gathered on Sunday ...