Category Astronomy/Space

Meteorite accumulation at Victoria Crater. Credit: Image courtesy of University of Stirling

The lack of liquid water on the surface of Mars today has been demonstrated by new evidence in the form of meteorites on Mars.In a study led by the University of Stirling, an international team of researchers has found the lack of rust on the meteorites indicates that Mars is incredibly dry, and has been that way for millions of years.The discovery provides vital insight into the planet’s current environment and shows how difficult it would be for life to exist on Mars today.

Dr Christian Schröder, Lecturer in Environmental Science and Planetary Exploration at the University of Stirling and Science Team Collaborator for the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity mission, said: “Evidence shows that more ...

(Left) A graph charting the depth of the Hellas depression at different points, and a topographic map of the depression. (Right) A graph charting the depth of the Galaxias Fossae depression at different points, and a topographic map of the depression. Credit: Joseph Levy/NASA

A strangely shaped depression on Mars could be a new place to look for signs of life on the Red Planet, according to a University of Texas at Austin-led study. The depression was probably formed by a volcano beneath a glacier and could have been a warm, chemical-rich environment well suited for microbial life “We were drawn to this site because it looked like it could host some of the key ingredients for habitability – water, heat and nutrients,” said Joseph Levy, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics.

The depr...

The planet Saturn observed using the Wide Field Camera 3 of the Hubble Space Telescope on 30 June, 2015. The box shows the equatorial storm. Credit: Grupo Ciencias Planetarias UPV/UHU, Hubble Space Telescope, WFC3, NASA, ESA

The atmosphere of the planet Saturn, a gas giant 10X bigger than the Earth consisting mostly of hydrogen, has a wider, more intense jet stream than all the planets in the Solar System. Winds gusting at speeds of up to 1,650 km/h blow from West to East in the equatorial atmosphere, 13X the strength of the most destructive hurricane force winds that form on Earth”s equator. This huge jet stream also extends about 70,000 km from north to south, more than 5X the size of our planet...

Markarian 1018 is an “active galaxy” that has brightened and dimmed over about 30 years. The black hole at the center waS being deprived of enough fuel to illuminate its surroundings. Credit X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ of Sydney/R.McElroy et al, Optical: ESO/CARS Survey

Astronomers may have solved the mystery of the peculiar volatile behavior of a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy. Combined data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other observatories suggest the black hole is no longer being fed enough fuel to make its surroundings shine brightly. Many galaxies have an extremely bright core, or nucleus, powered by material falling toward a supermassive black hole. These “active galactic nuclei”, AGN, are some of the brightest objects in the Universe.

Astronomers classify AGN...