Does the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 b have an atmosphere after all?
TRAPPIST-1 b is one of seven rocky planets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1, located 40 light-years away. The planetary system is unique because it allows astronomers to study seven Earth-like planets from relatively close range, with three of them in th.....»»
Satellites capture dramatic increase in HFC-125, a potent greenhouse gas
HFC-125 is a greenhouse gas becoming a major contributor to global warming, and in the first study to use satellites to measure its concentration in the atmosphere, researchers found it has increased exponentially in the past 20 years......»»
NASA"s Lucy spacecraft prepares for second Earth gravity assist
On Dec. 12, at 11:15 p.m. EST, NASA's Lucy spacecraft, currently in a two-year orbit around the sun, will skim Earth's atmosphere, passing only about 220 miles (360 kilometers) above the surface. This close flyby will result in a "gravity assist," pu.....»»
Astronomers spot strange exoplanet with a tail 350,000 miles long
The exoplanet WASP-69 b has a long tail of gas, like a comet......»»
Warm Saturn-sized exoplanet discovered with TESS
Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has detected a new exoplanet orbiting a distant star. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-4994 b, is warm and slightly smaller than Saturn. The findi.....»»
Ultrafast electron imaging captures never-before-seen nuclear motions in hydrocarbon molecules excited by light
The interactions between light and nitroaromatic hydrocarbon molecules have important implications for chemical processes in our atmosphere that can lead to smog and pollution. However, changes in molecular geometry due to interactions with light can.....»»
A rare Venus solar transit helps unravel exoplanet atmospheres
In the next decade, researchers will start probing the atmosphere of planets as small as Earth and Venus orbiting nearby stars. But although these two solar system planets are similar in size and bulk density—so that some call them "twins"—their.....»»
The Amazon rainforest as a cloud machine: How thunderstorms and plant transpiration produce condensation nuclei
The rainforest in the Amazon basin transpires vast amounts of gaseous isoprene. Until now, it was assumed that this molecule is not transported far up into the atmosphere, as it rapidly declines when exposed to light conditions. The CAFE-Brazil measu.....»»
Warming oceans are changing marine habitats. A new study explores the impact on thousands of species
Every year, human activities release billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat from the Sun, making the Earth warmer than it would be without them. Over 90% of the extra heat from greenhouse gases gets absorbed b.....»»
New catalyst can convert methane into useful polymers
Although it is less abundant than carbon dioxide, methane gas contributes disproportionately to global warming because it traps more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, due to its molecular structure......»»
Five space mysteries Proba-3 will help solve
ESA's Proba-3 will be the first mission to create an artificial total solar eclipse by flying a pair of satellites 150 meters apart. For six hours at a time, it will be able to see the sun's faint atmosphere, the corona, in the hard-to-observe region.....»»
NEOWISE, the NASA mission that cataloged objects around Earth for over a decade, has come to an end
The NASA project NEOWISE, which has given astronomers a detailed view of near-Earth objects—some of which could strike the Earth—ended its mission and burned on reentering the atmosphere after over a decade......»»
Researchers find a possible solution to the cosmic ray muon puzzle
Scientists have a problem with cosmic rays—they produce too many muons at the Earth's surface. Cascades of muons are byproducts of high-energy cosmic rays as they collide with nuclei in the upper atmosphere, and scientists see more muons at Earth's.....»»
Plastic reduces krill"s ability to remove carbon in the deep ocean, marine ecologists find
New research shows that increased levels of plastic pollution in the Southern Ocean could reduce the ability of Antarctic krill, a tiny shrimp-like crustacean, to help take CO2 from the atmosphere. The results are published this month in the journal.....»»
Scientists discover a baby exoplanet ‘just’ 3 million years old
Scientists have discovered a nearby exoplanet that is just a baby by planetary standards, located 520 light-years away......»»
Could Ocean Engineering Pull Carbon from the Atmosphere as a Last Resort against Climate Change?
Changing the ocean’s chemical and biological makeup could force it to pull vast amounts of planet-warming carbon from the atmosphere. But is that a line we want to cross?.....»»
Statistical approach improves models of atmosphere on early Earth and exoplanets
As energy from the sun reaches Earth, some solar radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere, leading to chemical reactions like the formation of ozone and the breakup of gas molecules. A new approach for modeling these reactions, developed by a team led.....»»
Ytterbium thin-disk lasers pave the way for sensitive detection of atmospheric pollutants
Alongside carbon dioxide, methane is a key driver of global warming. To detect and monitor the climate pollutants in the atmosphere precisely, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have developed an advanced laser tech.....»»
Solar wind power likely governs Uranus" thermosphere temperature
Uranus's upper atmosphere has been cooling for decades—and now scientists have shown why. Observations from Earth have shown Uranus' upper atmosphere has been cooling for decades, with no clear explanation......»»
Scientists compile library for evaluating exoplanet water
By probing chemical processes observed in the Earth's hot mantle, Cornell scientists have started developing a library of basalt-based spectral signatures that not only will help reveal the composition of planets outside of our solar system but could.....»»
A trash compactor is going to the space station
Astronauts on the International Space Station generate their share of garbage, filling up cargo ships that then deorbit and burn up in the atmosphere. Now Sierra Space has won a contract to build a trash compactor for the space station. The device wi.....»»