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 …
Scientists searching for a planet like Earth said on Tuesday they have found the smallest planet ever detected outside the solar system, less than twice the size of our own. The exoplanet, a planet that orbits a star beyond the solar system, is called Gliese 581e after the star it …
An asteroid is hurtling toward the planet and threatens to destroy life as we know it. What can humankind do, other than cower? Tie the thing down, suggests aerospace engineer David French of North Carolina State University. He has proposed a way to divert asteroids and other threatening objects by …
Is the white stuff in the Martian soil ice or salt? That's the question bedeviling scientists in the three weeks since the Phoenix lander began digging into Mars' north pole region to study whether the arctic could be habitable. Shallow trenches excavated by the lander's backhoe-like robotic arm have turned …
salt on mars: Scientists using a Mars-orbiting camera, designed at Arizona State University's Mars Space Flight Facility, have discovered the first evidence for deposits of salt in numerous places on the planet Mars. These deposits, they say, show where water was once abundant. A team of scientists led by Mikki …
Smallest Planet Outside Solar System Found SPAIN: April 10, 2008 MADRID - The smallest planet discovered outside our solar system has been found by Spanish scientists. "I think we are very close, just a few years away, from detecting a planet like Earth," team leader Ignasi Ribas told a news …
Astronomers using robotic cameras said on Wednesday that they had found 10 new planets outside our solar system, while a second team said they had found the youngest planet yet. The findings add to a growing list of more than 270 so-called extrasolar planets, they told a meeting of astronomers …
Scientists recently presented fresh evidence of the possibility of water having once flowed on Mars. A nasa spacecraft currently orbiting Mars has captured photographs that depict equatorial ridges on Mars that could have been formed by running water. Geologists believe the ridges were created through chemical changes caused by the …
Scientists using data from the High Resolution Stereo Camera experiment onboard European Satellite Agency's Mars Express spacecraft have produced the first
"The match was declared closed at the loss of one planet.' This could well have been the closing statement of anyone doing a running commentary on the proceedings of the 26th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (iau). The meeting held at the Czech capital, Prague between August 14 …
freshness sensor: Grocers, florists and even pharmacists may soon have a better way to monitor the quality of products they get from suppliers: a sensor that will tell when a product spoils. A team of University of Florida (in the US) engineering students has designed and built a prototype of …
On March 13, 1930, the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, usa, announced the discovery of the ninth planet of the Solar system, bringing an end to an exactly 150-year old search. On March 13, 1781, the German-born English astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), more or less accidentally discovered Uranus using the biggest …
garlic safety: Researchers from UK's Liverpool John Moores University claim that a garlic supplement may reduce the risk of heart attacks in patients with coronary problems. Led by Khalid Rahman and Gordon Lowe, the scientists found aged garlic extract decreases the chances of formation of blood clots. The extract targets …
Further indication has been received about the existence of water on Mars, intensifying expectations of the possibility of finding life on the planet. The High Resolution Stereo Camera (hrsc) on board Mars Express, the European Space Agency (esa) probe exploring the planet, shows a giant patch of water ice nestled …
a team of us astronomers has found a planet that most closely resembles the Earth from among the 150 discovered so far outside our solar system. About 7.5 times as massive as the Earth, the new planet, possibly rocky, is located just 15 light years away from us. It travels …
lake on mars: Claims that life exists on Mars were boosted when scientists recently declared they saw the remains of a frozen sea on the planet's surface and speculated the ice may hold preserved organisms. Planetary geologists led by John Murray of Britain's Open University said the evidence comes from …
function illus() { var popurl="image/20050131/38-chart.jpg" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=600,height=400,scrollbars=yes") } After a 20-year lull, scientists are once again setting their sight on the moon. With past cruises to the moon throwing up new and perplexing questions rather than satisfactory answers, lunar scientists have an onerous task ahead. Among the questions to which they …
