Pluto’s atmosphere is cold and hazy. Recent observations have shown it to be much colder than predicted theoretically, suggesting an unknown cooling mechanism. Atmospheric gas molecules, particularly water vapour, have been proposed as a coolant; however, because Pluto’s thermal structure is expected to be in radiative–conductive equilibrium, the required water …
we on earth have always had a special fascination for the other planets of the solar system. But there is more to the planets than meets the telescopic eye. Studies on the planets have still not unravelled all the mysteries surrounding them. No Place like Earth throws light on some …
in spite of tremendous advancements in the technology of seismological tools, the deepest interior of the earth has remained inaccessible to geophysicists. So, when a team of seismologists led by Xiao Dong Song and Paul Richards of the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, New York, us , announced …
Two European experiments performed with helium 3 uphold the theory of defect formation during phase transition, and clear some of the fog over the genesis of our universe
cosmology is one of those sciences where experimentation is rare. The scientist observes the universe and draws his own conclusions. But this might change now with reports of two experiments on the dynamics of phase transition in the early universe. These pioneering experiments, performed in France and Finland, have confirmed …
when Roberta Score, a former staffer of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (nasa), picked up a little rock one morning in Allan Hills, Antarctica, she knew she was holding something unique in her hands. But it took all of 12 years to realise that she had found what could …
speculating on life in space has suddenly become everybody's favourite pastime. If it was Mars which hogged the headlines some days ago, it is now the Jovian planet that is having the benefit of astronomists' deliberations. Scientists have for sometime now, thought of Jupiter's satellite - Europa - as a …
WITH the new millennium just round the bend, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has dedicated several missions for a planet it did not care for much before - Earth. Dubbed 'The Planet Earth Enterprise', the project seeks to implement NASA's space-age technology for life on earth. An advance, …
THE Hubble space telescope has continued to puzzle astronomers ever since it soared off, by sending one intriguing information after another. The latest images from the telescope suggest that the Milky Way and other neighbouring galaxies are filled with 'rogue' planets, which were never observed before. These planets have escaped …
Human endeavours like the building of dams are now being held responsible for the planet spinning a wee bit faster. Benjamin Chao, a geophysicistat NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, US, says that the days are shortening by about O;2millionthsofa second per year. Chao's observations are based on …
Biologist Robert Wharton of the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada, US, is convinced that there once existed life on the Mars, planet. For the past 17 years, Wharton has been melting holes into the surface of Antarctic glacial lakes and diving below in search of life in any form. …
NEUTRON stars are among the most interesting candidates for observation in the universe. These are super-dense bodies, left behind after the occurence of a supernova explosion which results in the death of an extremely massive star. Some neutron stars can accrete (combine) material from other stars and thereby turn into …
The South Pole is given to changing its location every year, making the exact pinpointing ofits site, a difficult job. But, with the "advent of the Global Positioning System -the satellite based navigation system - the positioning of this southern- most point on the earth has been made easier (New …
THAT the earth's crust wasb~ing recycled was a suspicion held for long by earth scientists. They believed that the crust which disappeared below the subduc- tion zone, went into the molten rock layer -the mantle. This later reap- pearedtotally altered after undergoing changes due to high temperature and pressure conditions. …
IT IS the phosphorus element that holds the key to the oxygen feedback mechanism, according to Philippe Van Cappellen of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and Eltery Ingall of the University of Texas at Austin, us. Atmospheric oxygen is mostly produced by the photosynthetic algae floating on the …
IT WAS believed that about 500 million years ago in the Palaeozoic era, there were two major land masses - Gondwana and Laurentia. While the southern supercontinent of Gondwana comprised of present day Africa, Australia, Antarctica, South America and India, North America and most of Europe and Asia, excluding India, …
The Indian subcontinent and Australia are moving away from each other. This is the result of the cracking up of the massive Indo- Australian crustal plate just south of the equator beneath the Indian Ocean. The study carried out by scientists at Columbia University!s Lamont Doherty Earth observatory, New York, …
Opinions on Jupiter's evolution have undergone a revision, following the data sent by the Galileo probe. Previous measurements had suggested that Jupiter contained about 10 times more oxygen than the sun. The old theory says that young Jupiter, bombarded by comets containing carbon, nitrogen and oxygen, became much richer in …
THE plucky American spacecraft Galileo, which went into orbit around Jupiter after successfully delivering a 'suicide probe' in December last year, has gradually begun to unveil the mysteries surrounding the planet's atmosphere. , After a reasonably long wait, scientists at the us National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have now …
THE earth may not be the only planet capable of supporting life. Two new planets sighted recently can possibly do the same, as they show the ability to hold water and other building blocks of life. The exciting discovery was announced on January 17, 1996 at the winter meeting of …
HUMAN beings have always tried to probe the profound mysteries of the universe. Continuing the search, a powerful electromagnet is being used to detect subatomic particles known as Iaxions' at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in the us. It is hoped that ultimately the answer to the dark matter may be …
