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    Category Astronomy/Space

    Atmospheric Chemistry on Paper

    July 22, 2016, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    atmospherechemistry

    Plots of velocity perturbations (arrows) and h v (contours) for steady-state hydrodynamic systems in full spherical geometry for l = m = 1 in the rapidly rotating limit. All quantities are computed in terms of an arbitrary velocity normalization (v0). Bright and dark colors correspond to positive and negative height perturbations, respectively. (A color version of this figure is available in the online journal.)

    Normally computers speed up calculations. But with his new pen-and-paper formula Kevin Heng of the University of Bern, Switzerland, gets his results thousands of times faster than using conventional computer codes. The astrophysicist calculates the abundances of molecules (known as atmospheric chemistry) in exoplanetary atmospheres...

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    Asteroid that formed Moon’s Imbrium Basin may have been Protoplanet-sized

    July 21, 2016, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Grooves and gashes associated with the Imbrium Basin on the moon have long been puzzling. New research shows how some of these features were formed and uses them to estimate the size of the Imbrium impactor. The study suggests it was big enough to be considered a protoplanet. Credit: NASA/Northeast Planetary Data Center/Brown University

    Grooves and gashes associated with the Imbrium Basin on the moon have long been puzzling. New research shows how some of these features were formed and uses them to estimate the size of the Imbrium impactor. The study suggests it was big enough to be considered a protoplanet. Credit: NASA/Northeast Planetary Data Center/Brown University

    The asteroid that slammed into the moon 3.8 billion years ago creating the Imbrium Basin may have had a diameter of at least 150 miles, according to a new estimate. The work helps explain puzzling geological features on the moon’s near side, and has implications for understanding the evolution of the early solar system. This new size estimate suggests the impactor was 2X larger in diameter and 10X more massive than previous estimates.

    Previous estimates, Sc...

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    1st Atmospheric Study of Earth-sized Exoplanets points to possible Habitability

    July 21, 2016, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This artist's illustration shows two Earth-sized planets, TRAPPIST-1b and TRAPPIST-1c, passing in front of their parent red dwarf star, which is much smaller and cooler than our sun. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope looked for signs of atmospheres around these planets. Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/J. de Wit (MIT)

    This artist’s illustration shows two Earth-sized planets, TRAPPIST-1b and TRAPPIST-1c, passing in front of their parent red dwarf star, which is much smaller and cooler than our sun. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope looked for signs of atmospheres around these planets. Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/J. de Wit (MIT)

    Using Hubble, astronomers have conducted the first search for atmospheres around temperate, Earth-sized planets beyond our solar system and found indications that increase the chances of habitability on 2 exoplanets. Specifically, they discovered that TRAPPIST-1b and TRAPPIST-1c, ~40 light-years away, are unlikely to have puffy, hydrogen-dominated atmospheres usually found on gaseous worlds.

    “The lack of a smothering hydrogen-helium envelope increases the chances for habitability on these ...

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    2 Super-Earth-sized planets discovered Orbiting a Nearby Star

    July 20, 2016, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Two super-Earth-sized planets orbiting a nearby star discovered

    K2 light curve of HD 3167. Top: the full K2 light curve. Both the numerous, shallow transits of HD 3167 b and three deeper transits of HD 3167 c are evident in the light curve by eye. Bottom left: K2 light curve (grey dots) phase folded on the transits of HD 3167 b, and best-fit transit model (thick purple line). Bottom right: K2 light curve (grey dots) phase folded on the transits of HD 3167 c, and best-fit transit model (thick purple line). Credit: Vanderburg et al., 2016.

    NASA’s Kepler spacecraft continues its fruitful exoplanet hunt with the newest discovery of 2 super-Earth-sized alien worlds. The newly detected planets are orbiting a nearby sun-sized star HD 3167, 150 light years away...

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