Moons are planets too
What makes a planet a planet? The answer turns out to be rather contentious. The official definition of a planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is that a planet must satisfy three conditions:.....»»
The combination of oxygen and methane could reveal the presence of life on another world
In searching for life in the universe, a field known as astrobiology, scientists rely on Earth as a template for biological and evolutionary processes. This includes searching for Earth analogs, rocky planets that orbit within their parent star's hab.....»»
Here"s how NASA"s Psyche mission could unveil the interior secrets of planets
It's unlikely to be a bad omen, but NASA's mission Psyche is currently due to launch on Friday 13 October. Lifting off at 10:19 EDT on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, it faces a perilous journey and isn't scheduled for arrival at its namesake asteroid,.....»»
What would signal life on another planet?
The James Webb Space Telescope may help us find the answer. Enlarge / Surveying the atmospheres of planets beyond the solar system, such as those in the TRAPPIST-1 system (artist’s concept of four of the system’s seven plane.....»»
New observations of flares from distant star could help in search for habitable planets
Astrophysicists have used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to take a close look at a volatile star......»»
Astronomers discover first step toward planet formation
Solving the mystery of how planets like Earth were formed is an important question for understanding the origin of life. Planets are thought to form when interstellar dust and gas collect in a protoplanetary disk surrounding a protostar, but it has b.....»»
Gravitational distortion of time helps tell modified gravity apart from a dark force
With his theory of General Relativity in 1915, Albert Einstein revolutionized how we think about our universe. Rather than the cosmos simply providing the room for the planets and stars to orbit each other, space and time themselves were now dynamica.....»»
Model of photosynthetic antenna suggests different types of plants may grow on Earth-like rocky planets
A small team of biologists, environmental scientists and chemists at Queen Mary University of London, U.K., has found via modeling, that it might be possible for different types of plants to grow on Earth-like rocky planets. In their paper published.....»»
A new planet-hunting instrument has been installed on the Very Large Telescope
Exoplanet studies have come a long way in a short time. To date, 5,523 exoplanets have been confirmed in 4,117 systems, with another 9,867 candidates awaiting confirmation. With all these planets available for study, exoplanet researchers have been s.....»»
Perseverance rover catches footage of a dust devil on Mars
Many weather events we experience on Earth can be found on other planets too, including whirlwinds, and the Perseverance rover recently captured footage of one......»»
Q&A: Searching for life where it shouldn"t exist
A team of Penn State scientists is working to solve one of the world's greatest unsolved mysteries: how life originated on Earth—and how it might have evolved on other planets......»»
Study sheds new light on strange lava worlds
Lava worlds, massive exoplanets home to sparkling skies and roiling volcanic seas called magma oceans, are distinctly unlike the planets in our solar system......»»
Gaia is now finding planets—could it find another Earth?
The ESA launched Gaia in 2013 with one overarching goal: to map more than one billion stars in the Milky Way. Its vast collection of data is frequently used in published research. Gaia is an ambitious mission, though it seldom makes headlines on its.....»»
Why build megastructures? Just move planets around to make habitable worlds
In 1960, Freeman Dyson proposed how advanced civilizations could create megastructures that enclosed their system, allowing them to harness all of their star's energy and multiplying the habitable space they could occupy. In 2015, the astronomical co.....»»
Did life exist on Mars? Other planets? With AI"s help, we may know soon
Scientists have discovered a simple and reliable test for signs of past or present life on other planets—"the holy grail of astrobiology.".....»»
Opinion: As space exploration and colonization expand, off-Earth resources will create a booming market
The drive to explore deeper into space and establish colonies on other planets has intensified over the last decade, and with it the importance of space resources extraction......»»
An ambitious new technology might be needed to see other Earths
The race is on to discover truly habitable Earth-like worlds. While we are starting to observe the atmospheres of large potentially habitable planets such as Hycean worlds with the telescopes we currently have, the most significant breakthroughs will.....»»
New recipes for origin of life may point way to distant, inhabited planets
Life on a faraway planet—if it's out there—might not look anything like life on Earth. But there are only so many chemical ingredients in the universe's pantry, and only so many ways to mix them. A team led by scientists at the University of Wisc.....»»
Whether Saturn"s rings are young or old, its moons may be as ancient as the planet itself
Saturn is best known for two things: its iconic ring structures and its large system of natural satellites. Currently, 146 moons and moonlets have been discovered orbiting the ringed giant, 24 of which are regular satellites. These include the seven.....»»
Scientists suggest use of data-driven approach to look for life on other planets
A large team of scientists with a wide variety of backgrounds has joined together to suggest that a data-driven approach to search for life elsewhere in the universe should replace methods now in use. In their paper posted on the arXiv preprint serve.....»»
What happened to Earth in Starfield?
There are thousands of planets to explore in Starfield, but what about home? Can you visit Earth in the game and discover what happened to the once -blue ball?.....»»