It’s Official: Astronomers and NASA Scientists Have Discovered Another Earth
stronomers have discovered a planet nearly the same size as Earth that orbits in its star’s habitable zone, where liquid water could exist on its surface, a new study said.
The presence of liquid water also indicates the planet could support life.
This newly found world, Kepler-1649c, is 300 light-years away from Earth and orbits a star that is about one-fourth the size of our sun.
What’s exciting is that out of all the 2,000 plus exoplanets that have been discovered using observations from the Kepler Space Telescope, this world is most similar to Earth both in size and estimated temperature, NASA said.
This exoplanet is...
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Tags: science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science, science, astronomy, NASA, UFOs, aliens, space, space science, science, breaking news, Earth, Earth science, science,
"This intriguing, distant world gives us even greater hope that a second Earth lies among the stars, waiting to be found," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s science mission directorate in Washington, D.C.
Although NASA said that there are other exoplanets estimated to be closer to Earth in size – and others may be closer to Earth in temperature – there is no other exoplanet that’s closer to Earth in both of these values that also lies in the habitable zone of its system.
This newly revealed world is only 1.06 times larger than our own planet. Also, the amount of starlight it receives from its host star is 75% of the amount of light Earth receives from our sun – meaning the exoplanet’s temperature may be similar to our planet’s, as well.
But unlike Earth, it orbits a red dwarf. Though none have been observed in this system, this type of star is known for stellar flare-ups that may make a planet’s environment challenging for any potential life.
Scientists discovered this planet when looking through old observations from the Kepler Space Telescope, which the agency retired in 2018. (Although NASA’s Kepler mission ended in 2018 when it ran out of fuel, scientists are still making discoveries as they continue to examine the information that Kepler sent back to Earth.)
"The more data we get, the more signs we see pointing to the notion that potentially habitable and Earth-size exoplanets are common around these kinds of stars," said study lead author Andrew Vanderburg, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin.
"With red dwarfs almost everywhere around our galaxy, and these small, potentially habitable and rocky planets around them, the chance one of them isn’t too different than our Earth looks a bit brighter," he said.
A group of scientists obtained a stunning image of a distant galaxy, reminding us all how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things.
This ‘monster galaxy’ is approximately 12 billion light-years from Earth and generates new stars 1,000 times faster than our own galaxy.
Scientists used Chile’s $1.5 billion ALMA Observatory to capture views of the galaxy with a resolution ten times higher than any previous attempt, dubbed ‘COSMOS-AzTEC-1.’
‘We found that there are two distinct large clouds several thousand light-years away from the center,’ said Ken-ichi Tadaki, of the National Astronomical Observatory in Tokyo, Japan which worked with the University of Massachusetts Amherst to make the observations.
That’s a significant achievement.
The is made up of a single, dense center with spiral arms extending outwards. COSMOS-AzTEC-1, on the other hand, has three cores – or two smaller cores with their own discs several light-years away from the central one.
‘In most distant starburst galaxies, stars are actively formed in the center. So it is surprising to find off-center clouds,’ Tadaki said.
This galaxy appears to be highly unstable in comparison to other galaxies.
According to the researchers, the massive cloud of gas in the galaxy exerts too much pressure on the core, which the outward spin cannot compensate for. In a typical galaxy, gravity pushing inwards and pressure pushing outwards are balanced. This one, on the other hand, is going through a massive gravitational collapse, which is most likely what is causing its rapid star formation.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which was launched last December, has been progressively powering up its instruments and unfurling its sun shield, and is now aligning its mirrors in preparation for operation. Within a few months, the most powerful space telescope ever built will set its sights on the stars. Astronomers hope that what JWST sees will change our understanding of the Universe, just as the Hubble Space Telescope did decades ago.
One enticing capability that JWST provides that Hubble does not is the ability to directly image planets orbiting distant stars and potentially detect signs of life.
The ability to detect biosignatures remotely has become a hot topic in recent years. The latest discovery of phosphine in ‘ atmosphere in our own solar system sparked speculation that the chemical was produced by a microbial life-form. Similarly, remote sensing experts have proposed that plant life, which generates energy through photosynthesis, could be detected in infrared wavelengths because chlorophyll absorbs visible light but shines brightly in infrared, giving planets covered in foliage a distinct "red edge." Based on the information stored in the wavelengths of light that reach the telescope lens, a single-pixel photo of a distant planet may just contain enough information to tell us if biological life exists there.
What about intelligent life, though? Could the detect civilizations like ours? How would we go about looking for them? Understanding what humanity’s presence on Earth looks like from space provides the best answers. We emit waste heat (from industry and homes, for example) and artificial light at night, but perhaps more importantly, we produce chemicals that fill our atmosphere with compounds that would not be present otherwise. These man-made atmospheric constituents could be the thing that alerts a distant alien species scanning the galaxy with their own powerful telescope.
A recent paper, , investigated the possibility of using JWST to search for industrial pollutants in the atmospheres of exoplanets. The paper concentrated on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are produced industrially on Earth as refrigerants and cleaning agents. CFCs were notorious for causing a massive hole in the Earth’s ozone layer in the 1980s, before an international ban on their use in 1987 helped reduce the level of CFCs to less harmful levels. If found elsewhere in the galaxy, these "potent greenhouse agents with long atmospheric residence times" are almost certainly the result of a civilization capable of rampant industrialization.
In other words, some of humanity’s worst byproducts—our pollution—might be the very thing that makes us detectable. And it implies that we may be able to find other species capable of treating their own planet’s atmosphere with the same disregard.
JWST’s CFC detection capabilities have some limitations. The signal will be drowned out if a planet’s star is too bright. The telescope will have the most success looking at M-class stars, which are dim, long-lived red dwarfs. TRAPPIST-1, a red dwarf 40 light-years away with several Earth-sized planets orbiting within its habitable zone, is a nearby example. JWST would be able to detect CFCs on TRAPPIST-1’s planets because the dim star would not drown out the CFC signature in the same way that our sun (a G-type star) would. A JWST-like telescope at TRAPPIST-1, on the other hand, would be unable to detect Earth’s CFCs because our sun is simply too bright.
If you had to pick Saturn out of a crowd, you’d most likely recognize it by its iconic rings. They are our solar system’s largest and brightest rings. Extending over 280,000 kilometers from the planet and wide enough to fit six Earths in a row. Saturn, on the other hand, will not always appear in this light. Because its rings are disappearing.
That’s right, Saturn is losing its rings! And fast. Much faster, even, than scientists had first thought. Saturn is currently receiving 10,000 kilograms of ring rain per second. Fast enough to fill an Olympic-sized pool in under 30 minutes.
This rain is made up of the shattered remains of Saturn’s rings. Saturn’s rings are mostly made up of ice and rock chunks. Which are constantly bombarded: some by UV radiation from the Sun, while others by tiny meteoroids.
When these collisions take place, the icy particles vaporize, forming charged water molecules that interact with Saturn’s magnetic field; ultimately, falling toward Saturn, where they burn up in the atmosphere.
Ring rain has been known since the 1980s, when NASA’s Voyager mission discovered mysterious, dark bands that turned out to be ring rain caught in Saturn’s magnetic fields. Researchers estimated that the rings would completely drain in 300 million years. But observations by NASA’s former Cassini spacecraft give a darker prognosis. Before its death dive into Saturn in 2017, Cassini managed to get a better look at the amount of ring-dust raining on Saturn’s equator.
The scientist discovered that it was raining more heavily than anticipated. They calculated that the rings had only 100 million years left to live based on these improved observations. It’s difficult to imagine Saturn without rings right now.
However, for the majority of its existence, the planet was as naked as Earth. While Saturn formed approximately 4.5 BILLION years ago, studies indicate that the rings are only 100-200 million years old at most. That makes them younger than some dinosaurs.
So when you think about it, we’re pretty lucky we happened to be around to see those magnificent rings. Really lucky, in fact. Because efforts to study those rings have led us to other discoveries.
With its incredible beauty, a time-lapse of Jupiter’s moons Europa and Io orbiting the gas giant has recently gone viral on the Internet. Because the time-lapse is so amazing, many users have claimed that it isn’t real.
While it’s important to be suspicious of photographs posted online, especially when fake images are circulated as real in exchange for clicks, we’re happy to report that the beautiful little movie is 100 % real. The fact check was also done by Snopes, which you can see here.
Kevin M.Gill is the creator of this incredible video. M.Gill is a NASA-JPL engineer who specializes in planetary image processing. He created this video by combining several photographs captured by the Cassini space probe during a visit to Jupiter in 2001. (Yes, none of these images or parts of the video were created with a computer.)
Kevin M.Gill explains: "The motion isn’t wholly accurate as I made it to look prettier than it was correct. It’s meant to portray the motion visible from a spacecraft that’s moving at a velocity faster than the moons are orbiting. So, from a stationary perspective, Io would move faster than Europa."
Because you’re looking at Europa from the perspective of a spacecraft traveling to the left, such as Cassini, it appears to be circling quicker than Io. Now that it is closer, Europa appears to be moving faster. This is a common illusion: objects appear to move slower as they get further away because they appear smaller and hence take longer to pass through our eyes.
Consider yourself on a freeway, looking across at the cars traveling in the opposite direction. A plane can be seen traveling in the same direction as the cars behind them. From your viewpoint, the autos look to be traveling faster than the plane, but they are not.
For the first time, scientists observed a star being swallowed up by a black hole, and then watched as some of the star’s matter was ejected back out as a flare of plasma moving at nearly the speed of light – a process likened to a cosmic ‘burp.’
Scientists have previously observed black holes swallowing stars and mysterious jets of matter blasting out, but until now, no one had been fast enough with their telescopes to link the two events, and they had never been able to witness them occurring in sequence.
"These events are extremely rare," said lead researcher Sjoert van Velzen from Johns Hopkins University. "It’s the first time we see everything from the stellar destruction followed by the launch of a conical outflow, also called a jet, and we watched it unfold over several months."
The unfortunate star that was devoured was roughly the size of our Sun, and the black hole in question was a relatively light one located at the center of a galaxy 300 million light-years away.
The first observation of the star being destroyed was made on Twitter in early December by a team from Ohio State University, who had spotted the event using an optical telescope in Hawaii.
Van Velzen and a group of international researchers jumped on the event right away, pointing a slew of radio telescopes in the direction of the galaxy in the hopes of catching the erupting plasma jet that they predicted would soon follow.
They arrived just in time to witness the event from a variety of satellites and telescopes, creating a picture of the event in X-ray, radio, and optical signals. Their findings were published in the journal Science.
The researchers ruled out the possibility that the light was coming from a ‘accretion disk,’ which forms when a black hole absorbs matter from the surrounding space, confirming the hypothesis that the jet was indeed coming from a sucked up star.
"The destruction of a star by a black hole is beautifully complicated, and far from understood," said van Velzen. "From our observations, we learn the streams of stellar debris can organize and make a jet rather quickly, which is valuable input for constructing a complete theory of these events."
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