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Posted by Augusto Carballido on 2014/04/16 02:50 CDT | 9 comments
How did planets originate? This is a question that has puzzled scientists for centuries, but one which they have been able to tackle directly only in the last few decades, thanks to two major developments: breakthroughs in telescope technology and ever-increasing computing power.
Intro Astronomy Class 9: Titan, Uranus and Neptune Systems
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2014/04/11 02:31 CDT
Examine Saturn's moon Titan and explore the Uranian and Neptunian systems in this video of class 9 of Bruce Betts' Introduction to Planetary Science and Astronomy class.
Intro Astronomy 2014. Class 8: Icy Galilean Satellites, Saturn System
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2014/04/11 02:28 CDT
Explore the icy moons of the Jupiter System and tour the Saturnian system in this video of class 8 of Bruce Betts' Introduction to Planetary Science and Astronomy class.
Will We Finally Rove Mawrth Vallis?
Posted by J. Brian Balta on 2014/04/10 05:44 CDT | 3 comments
Mawrth Vallis was axed as a landing site for Curiosity, but will we get a chance to explore it with ESA's ExoMars rover?
Update on the search for planets in the Alpha Centauri system
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2014/04/04 10:29 CDT | 2 comments
Update from Debra Fischer and her team on the intriguing results of their observations of the main Alpha Centauri stars, as well as future plans.
More excitement in the outermost solar system: 2013 FY27, a new dwarf planet
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/04/02 10:49 CDT | 6 comments
On the heels of last weeks reports of a second Sedna and a ringed Centaur comes a third cool outer solar system discovery: A new, likely large member of the Kuiper belt. With an absolute magnitude of about 3.0, the new object currently known as 2013 FY27 is the tenth brightest object beyond Neptune .
LPSC 2014: The Curious Case of Active Volcanism on Venus
Posted by Constantine Tsang on 2014/04/01 12:10 CDT | 5 comments
She’s alive! She’s alive! Or is she? A little more than a week ago, at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2014, evidence was presented that Venus was geologically active, not in the recent past, like 100,000 years ago, but right now.
LPSC 2014: Titan's Land of Lakes
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/03/31 07:44 CDT | 2 comments
Report from a varied session on Titan's lakes at this year's Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
A Centaur’s shadow reveals bright rings
Posted by Alex Parker on 2014/03/27 09:28 CDT | 7 comments
Yesterday, a team of astronomers announced that they discovered a set of planet-like rings around Chariklo, an asteroid-like body that currently resides in the unstable region between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus.
A second Sedna! What does it mean?
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/03/26 04:28 CDT | 9 comments
2012 VP113 is a new world that has been discovered on a Sedna-like orbit. What does that mean? It could imply the existence of a planet X, but doesn't prove it. It does suggest that a lot more Sednas are waiting to be discovered.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/03/21 04:03 CDT | 3 comments
At the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Jennifer Scully discussed possible water-carved gullies in an unusual location: within craters on Vesta. Water-carved gullies on Mars I can accept; but on an airless lumpy body? I was intrigued.
Intro Astronomy Class 7: Near Earth Asteroids and the Jupiter System
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2014/03/21 02:10 CDT
Examine the threat of near Earth asteroids and begin exploring the Jupiter System in this video of class 7 of Bruce Betts' Introduction to Planetary Science and Astronomy class.
LPSC 2014: Plate tectonics on another world: Europa
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/03/19 01:28 CDT | 7 comments
Simon Kattenhorn and Louise Prockter may finally have found subduction zones on Europa, which would it the only other place in the solar system besides Earth that is known to have active plate tectonics.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/03/15 10:30 CDT | 7 comments
Since Seth MacFarlane tweeted that this weekend's episode of Cosmos was going to include a segment on lakes on Titan, I thought I'd write a post explaining the basics of Titan lakes.
Intro Astronomy Class 5: Venus (continued) and Mars
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2014/03/06 10:49 CST
Continue exploring Venus and begin looking at Mars in this video of class 5 of Bruce Betts' Introduction to Planetary Science and Astronomy class.
Intro Astronomy Class 4: Eclipses, Mercury, Venus-Earth-Mars Atmospheres, Venus
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2014/02/28 01:30 CST
This video of class 4 of Bruce Betts' Introduction to Planetary Science and Astronomy class discusses eclipses, Mercury, Venus, and a comparison of the atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars.
Pretty pictures of terraced craters on Mars
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/02/27 10:16 CST | 3 comments
Check out this unusual crater on Mars. It's not a very big one, less than 500 meters in diameter, and yet it has two rings. Most craters on Mars this size are simple bowl shapes. What's going on here?
Intro Astronomy Class 3: Telescopes, the Moon
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2014/02/21 04:35 CST
Explore optical, radio, and space telescopes and the Moon in the video of class 3 of Bruce Betts' Introduction to Planetary Science and Astronomy class.
Sand Waves in the Desert
or “Pet Peeves and Deciphering Climate Change in the Solar System”
Posted by Lori Fenton on 2014/02/21 03:19 CST | 1 comment
I have a pet peeve: the words dune and ripple are often used interchangeably, although they are quite distinct from one another. So what’s the difference between aeolian dunes and ripples? And why should anybody care?
Predicting Pluto's moons and moondust
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/02/19 01:39 CST | 2 comments
Why didn't we discover Pluto's moons until more than a decade after Hubble launched? Mark Showalter helps me answer this question.
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