January 2, 2023
Lots and lots and lots of space stories occurred in 2022.
From DART to Landsat, Sagittarius A* black hole to CAPSTONE, the Korean Pathfinder to SpaceX, and to the ISS, Moon, and Mars, here’s a summary of major space exploration projects last year.
Looking forward to 2023 and beyond!
December 11, 2022
Think of pizza dough flattening into an enlarging disk as it’s tossed. Because the cloud had an initial rotation, this same direction of spin has persisted…
https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/solar-system/a39729213/why-do-all-the-planets-orbit-in-the-same-direction/
So basically the answer is simply that that’s the way they all started out.
Some moons, however, do have retrograde orbits. I.e., they orbit in the opposite direction around their respective planets. Some small asteroids and comets also have retrograde orbits due to their small mass being easily affected by larger cosmic objects.
But I bet now you’re all thinking of pizza… 🍕
November 25, 2022
A new study shows that massive volcanic eruptions over an extended period of time may be responsible for changing the planet into what it is today. If there was simple life on ancient Venus, volcanism was its doom. The study also shows how powerful volcanic activity has played a role in shaping Earth’s habitability and how Earth only narrowly avoided the same fate as Venus.
https://www.universetoday.com/158696/volcanoes-are-the-worst-theyve-caused-extinctions-on-earth-and-probably-killed-venus/#more-158696
Venus is hot enough to melt lead, which is why no spaceship has ever survived to land on the surface.
And, no, there is nothing alive floating around in its toxic atmosphere.
But this is a neat article. Three future missions are planned for Venus (two by NASA – VERITAS and DAVINCI – and one by ESA – EnVision, which sounds more like a song and dance competition than a scientific probe).
Venus or bust!
January 3, 2022
…a study announced in December from a team of researchers in the journal Icarus now claims the IAU’s definition was based on astrology — a type of folklore, not science — and that it’s harming both scientific research and the popular understanding of the solar system.
I’m not sure I agree that moons of Jupiter and Saturn should be classified as “planets,” but frankly I see little difference between “dwarf planets” and “planets.”
Plus it wrecks the song I learned to remember the order…
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/pluto-planet-debate-rages-rcna8848
December 16, 2021
The original article title?
“Astronomers Detect Secret Water Reserves in The Largest Canyon in The Solar System”
Science isn’t quite as catchy. The hydrogen may indicate water in the form of permafrost 3 feet and more under the surface.
The high-hydrogen region is about the size of the Netherlands, and overlaps with Candor Chasma, one of the largest canyons in the Valles Marineris system.
Looks like there may be some competition for who gets to land near here first…
https://www.sciencealert.com/hidden-water-has-been-found-in-the-soil-of-mars-grand-canyon
July 28, 2021
Well, OK, technically it’s the mantle, not the crust.
But it is thick. Super thick. And no gradations like the Earth.
Extrapolating to the known surface geology of the rest of the planet, this suggests an average thickness of between 24km and 72km. By contrast, Earth’s average crustal thickness is 15-20km.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57935742
So what does this mean?
For one thing, it probably explains why there’s no breathable atmosphere on Mars.
Mars never developed a global magnetic field to block solar radiation. So it’s atmosphere was basically ripped right off.
And any terraforming attempts in the future would fail on a global scale. But maybe locally it might work…
February 5, 2021
Looks like Mars doesn’t spin perfectly on its axis. In fact, it wobbles.
And no one knows why.
This makes Mars only the second planet in our solar system to exhibit what’s called the “Chandler wobble.”
The other planet?
Why, Earth, of course.
(And, no, nobody knows why. Hmm. Chandler?)
February 4, 2021
There’s a reason I didn’t post a while ago about the supposed “there’s life in the clouds of Venus” finding.
It was just a big load of gas.
Sorry, folks. Venus is a big rotten egg. 🥚
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/signs-life-venus-might-just-be-ordinary-sulfur-gas-n1256739
January 24, 2020
January 20, 2020
File under “strange reasons to study Earth science in school” and “things to do when you have far too much free time.”
Love is in the words
A debunking of Daniel Cassidy's theories about the influence of the Irish language on English slang.
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