Research On Planets
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Ants In House? Here's How They Get Everywhere, Even In Tall Buildings
Tropical Australia in particular is a global hotspot for ant diversity. Some researchers believe it could hold some of the richest ant biodiversity on the planet, with an estimated 5,000 species in the tropics alone.
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New Study Challenges Claims of Vast Underground Water on Mars
Mars’ water history remains a mystery as new research questions the claim that vast amounts of water are stored beneath its surface. A study led by Bruce Jakosky argues that previous estimates of Mars’ mid-crust being saturated with liquid water may be inaccurate. The findings challenge earlier interpretations of seismic data from NASA’s InSi...
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Alien Life May Survive on Planets Orbiting White Dwarfs, Study Finds
New research explores the possibility of alien life on planets orbiting white dwarfs. While these stellar remnants cool over time, their shrinking habitable zones may still allow biological processes like photosynthesis and UV-driven abiogenesis to occur. A model assessing a planet's energy reception over seven billion years indicates that life-sus...
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Mysterious Planetary-Mass Objects May Form in Young Star System Clashes
Recent research challenges traditional views on planetary-mass objects, suggesting they may form through violent interactions between young star systems rather than standard planetary or stellar processes. Simulations indicate these clashes create dense gas filaments that evolve into free-floating objects, often in binary pairs. This discovery expl...
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A Fourth 'Mysterious' Form Of Water That Could Form On Alien Planets Observed
Even the icy planets in our solar system such as Neptune, Uranus or Jupiter's moon Europa, might have harboured plastic ice VII.
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New Research Reveals Mars’ Red Colour Linked to Ancient Water Presence
A recent study suggests that Mars’ red hue originates from ferrihydrite, an iron oxide that forms in water-rich environments. Scientists recreated Martian dust in labs and found that the mineral remained stable despite the planet’s dry conditions. Data from orbiting spacecraft and rovers confirm this discovery, reshaping theories about Mars’ ...
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Scientists Observe Rare Plastic Ice, A Hybrid Form of Ice and Water, Under Extreme Pressure and Heat
Researchers have observed plastic ice, a phase where water molecules rotate while staying in a solid structure. The discovery, made under extreme pressure and heat, could provide new insights into the composition of icy exoplanets and moons. The findings suggest plastic ice VII may have existed in Europa and Titan's interiors and could influence nu...
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Exoplanet WASP-121 b’s Atmosphere Features Iron Rains, Jet Streams, and More
Astronomers have uncovered extreme weather patterns on WASP-121 b, a gas giant 900 light-years from Earth. The planet experiences iron rain, with metals vaporizing on its scorching dayside and condensing into liquid at night. Supersonic winds carry elements across its atmosphere, forming powerful jet streams. Using the Very Large Telescope, researc...
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Human-Like Lifeforms Beyond Earth? New Study Says It's More Likely Than We Thought
The research proposes that the emergence of humanity on Earth was not as improbable as previously thought, potentially increasing the likelihood of intelligent life existing on other planets.
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NASA’s Curiosity Rover Captures Stunning Feather-Shaped Iridescent Cloud on Mars
A remarkable feather-shaped iridescent cloud was spotted by NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars. Captured during a seasonal imaging campaign, this phenomenon provides valuable data on Martian weather patterns. Scientists believe such clouds help study particle sizes and atmospheric changes. The cloud, composed of either water ice or carbon dioxide ice...
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NASA SPHEREx Telescope to Map the Universe and Search for Life’s Ingredients
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 27, aims to explore the origins of the universe and the formation of galaxies. Using near-infrared light, the telescope will study over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars in the Milky Way. It will also search for water and organic molecules in regions where ...
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Interstellar Object Could Have Shifted Trajectories of Four Planets, New Research Shows
A recent study suggests that an interstellar object, possibly as massive as eight times Jupiter, may have passed through the solar system billions of years ago, significantly altering the orbits of its outer planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Using computer simulations, researchers found that in about 1% of the scenarios, such a close ...
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Alien Cosmic Visitor Might Have Completely Rearranged Our Solar System, Study Finds
The research, yet to be peer-reviewed, sheds light on what could have changed the orbits of several planets in the solar system.
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Ancient Ice Core from Antarctica May Reveal Climate Mysteries from 1.2 Million Years Ago
A team of scientists in Antarctica has extracted a 2.8-kilometre-long ice core from Little Dome C, believed to be 1.2 million years old. The ice core contains trapped air bubbles and volcanic ash, offering valuable data on climate shifts and the Mid-Pleistocene Transition. The research aims to uncover the cause behind significant climatic changes a...
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Ammonium Hydrosulfide Identified as Primary Component of Jupiter’s Clouds, Not Ammonia
Jupiter’s clouds, long believed to be made of ammonia ice, are now confirmed to consist primarily of ammonium hydrosulfide combined with photochemical materials. This groundbreaking discovery, achieved through collaboration between amateur and professional astronomers, has redefined our understanding of the planet's atmosphere. Using innovative m...
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Ants In House? Here's How They Get Everywhere, Even In Tall Buildings
Tropical Australia in particular is a global hotspot for ant diversity. Some researchers believe it could hold some of the richest ant biodiversity on the planet, with an estimated 5,000 species in the tropics alone.
-
New Study Challenges Claims of Vast Underground Water on Mars
Mars’ water history remains a mystery as new research questions the claim that vast amounts of water are stored beneath its surface. A study led by Bruce Jakosky argues that previous estimates of Mars’ mid-crust being saturated with liquid water may be inaccurate. The findings challenge earlier interpretations of seismic data from NASA’s InSi...
-
Alien Life May Survive on Planets Orbiting White Dwarfs, Study Finds
New research explores the possibility of alien life on planets orbiting white dwarfs. While these stellar remnants cool over time, their shrinking habitable zones may still allow biological processes like photosynthesis and UV-driven abiogenesis to occur. A model assessing a planet's energy reception over seven billion years indicates that life-sus...
-
Mysterious Planetary-Mass Objects May Form in Young Star System Clashes
Recent research challenges traditional views on planetary-mass objects, suggesting they may form through violent interactions between young star systems rather than standard planetary or stellar processes. Simulations indicate these clashes create dense gas filaments that evolve into free-floating objects, often in binary pairs. This discovery expl...
-
A Fourth 'Mysterious' Form Of Water That Could Form On Alien Planets Observed
Even the icy planets in our solar system such as Neptune, Uranus or Jupiter's moon Europa, might have harboured plastic ice VII.
-
New Research Reveals Mars’ Red Colour Linked to Ancient Water Presence
A recent study suggests that Mars’ red hue originates from ferrihydrite, an iron oxide that forms in water-rich environments. Scientists recreated Martian dust in labs and found that the mineral remained stable despite the planet’s dry conditions. Data from orbiting spacecraft and rovers confirm this discovery, reshaping theories about Mars’ ...
-
Scientists Observe Rare Plastic Ice, A Hybrid Form of Ice and Water, Under Extreme Pressure and Heat
Researchers have observed plastic ice, a phase where water molecules rotate while staying in a solid structure. The discovery, made under extreme pressure and heat, could provide new insights into the composition of icy exoplanets and moons. The findings suggest plastic ice VII may have existed in Europa and Titan's interiors and could influence nu...
-
Exoplanet WASP-121 b’s Atmosphere Features Iron Rains, Jet Streams, and More
Astronomers have uncovered extreme weather patterns on WASP-121 b, a gas giant 900 light-years from Earth. The planet experiences iron rain, with metals vaporizing on its scorching dayside and condensing into liquid at night. Supersonic winds carry elements across its atmosphere, forming powerful jet streams. Using the Very Large Telescope, researc...
-
Human-Like Lifeforms Beyond Earth? New Study Says It's More Likely Than We Thought
The research proposes that the emergence of humanity on Earth was not as improbable as previously thought, potentially increasing the likelihood of intelligent life existing on other planets.
-
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Captures Stunning Feather-Shaped Iridescent Cloud on Mars
A remarkable feather-shaped iridescent cloud was spotted by NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars. Captured during a seasonal imaging campaign, this phenomenon provides valuable data on Martian weather patterns. Scientists believe such clouds help study particle sizes and atmospheric changes. The cloud, composed of either water ice or carbon dioxide ice...
-
NASA SPHEREx Telescope to Map the Universe and Search for Life’s Ingredients
NASA’s SPHEREx mission, set to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 27, aims to explore the origins of the universe and the formation of galaxies. Using near-infrared light, the telescope will study over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars in the Milky Way. It will also search for water and organic molecules in regions where ...
-
Interstellar Object Could Have Shifted Trajectories of Four Planets, New Research Shows
A recent study suggests that an interstellar object, possibly as massive as eight times Jupiter, may have passed through the solar system billions of years ago, significantly altering the orbits of its outer planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Using computer simulations, researchers found that in about 1% of the scenarios, such a close ...
-
Alien Cosmic Visitor Might Have Completely Rearranged Our Solar System, Study Finds
The research, yet to be peer-reviewed, sheds light on what could have changed the orbits of several planets in the solar system.
-
Ancient Ice Core from Antarctica May Reveal Climate Mysteries from 1.2 Million Years Ago
A team of scientists in Antarctica has extracted a 2.8-kilometre-long ice core from Little Dome C, believed to be 1.2 million years old. The ice core contains trapped air bubbles and volcanic ash, offering valuable data on climate shifts and the Mid-Pleistocene Transition. The research aims to uncover the cause behind significant climatic changes a...
-
Ammonium Hydrosulfide Identified as Primary Component of Jupiter’s Clouds, Not Ammonia
Jupiter’s clouds, long believed to be made of ammonia ice, are now confirmed to consist primarily of ammonium hydrosulfide combined with photochemical materials. This groundbreaking discovery, achieved through collaboration between amateur and professional astronomers, has redefined our understanding of the planet's atmosphere. Using innovative m...
