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geysers erupt on Enceladus, the bright and shiny inner moon of Saturn. Shown in this false-color image, a backlit view of the moon's southern limb, the icy plumes were first discovered by instruments on the Cassini Spacecraft during close encounters with Enceladus in November of 2005. Eight source locations for these geysers have now been identified along substantial surface fractures in the moon's south polar region. Researchers suspect the geysers arise from near-surface pockets of liquid water with temperatures near 273 kelvins (0 degrees C). (NASA/ESA/ SSI/JPL/Cassini Imagine 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McGouldrick of the ... says the primary focus of his research is the nature and evolution of the clouds of Venus. The sulfuric acid clouds of Venus reside between about 50 and 70km above the surface of the planet, where temperatures and pressures resemble those at the surface of the Earth. Thttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/venus_topo_sinu-e1518041232411.jpgvenus_topo_sinuvenus topohttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/venera13-left-e1518040656518.jpgvenera13-leftSurface photographs from the former Soviet Union's Venera 13 spacecraft, which touched down in March 1982. Ten probes from the Venera series successfully landed on Venus and transmitted data from the surface of rhe planet between 1961 and 1984. In addition, thirteen Venera probes successfully transmitted data from the atmosphere of Venus.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/mgn_eistla_regio2-e1518039756213.jpgmgn_eistla_regio2 A portion of western Eistla Regio is displayed in this, three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus. Magellan synthetic aperture radar data is combined with radar altimetry to develop a three-dimensional map of the surface. Rays cast in a computer intersect the surface to create a three- dimensional perspective view. Simulated color and a digital elevation map developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, are used to enhance small-scale structure. The simulated hues are based on color images recorded by the Soviet Venera 13 and 14 spacecraft. The image was produced at the JPL Multimission Image Processing Laboratory and is a single frame from a video released at the March 5, 1991, JPL news conference. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20180113_uvi_20160506_201717_365_l2b_v10_prgb_f840-e1518038107301.jpg20180113_uvi_20160506_201717_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_f840Equatorial region of Venus from Akatsuki Images acquired during orbit number 13 of the Japanese probe Akatsuki show an incredible amount of detail on the equatorial, tropical, and extra-tropical clouds of the planet. Color changes indicate local variations in the amounts of the mysterious ultraviolet absorber and sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere. JAXA / ISAS / DARTS / Damia Bouic2018-07-05T09:28:11+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/02/19/the-northern-lights-the-magnetic-field-and-life/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/31483633503_1eb3d5d540_b-e1519038949946.jpg31483633503_1eb3d5d540_bThe underside of a gumboot chiton, with its teeth covered with magnetite.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/northern_lights_-_aurora_borealis_norway_ringvassc3b8ya_tromsc3b8-e1518990452222.jpgNorthern_Lights_-_Aurora_Borealis_Norway_Ringvassøya_TromsøNorthern Lights near Tromso Norway. Svein-Magne Tunli https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-18-at-12-53-28-pm-e1518976870127.jpgScreen Shot 2018-02-18 at 12.53.28 PMModels based on measuring solar flares, magnetic forceshttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/norway-svalbard-northern-lights-1-e1518956003460.jpgnorway-Svalbard-northern-lights-1Some of the world's best northern lights can be seen on the Norwegian island of Svalbard, far north of Iceland.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-11-at-6-57-08-am-1-e1518953922408.jpgScreen Shot 2018-02-11 at 6.57.08 AM (1)Graphic from Science Magazine.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/kirschvink_thmb.jpgkirschvink_thmbJoseph Kirschvink, a geobiologist with Caltech and ELSI (the Earth-Life Science Institute in Tokyo) has been studying for decades the ways in which creatures from bacteria to humans use magnetic forces in their lives (Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/27369184_1835336376476801_7526144776281635645_o-1-e1518952910352.jpg27369184_1835336376476801_7526144776281635645_o (1)Northern Lights over a frozen lake in Northern Norway, in the Arctic Circle near Alta. The displays can go on for hours, or can disappear for days or weeks. It all depends on solar flares. (Ongajok.no)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/16906364_376353309412593_5373535207246790656_n.jpg16906364_376353309412593_5373535207246790656_naltahttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/16906732_257708047987735_1813740370995970048_n.jpg16906732_257708047987735_1813740370995970048_nnorthern lights in northern norway, near alta. Sometimes dance for minutes, hours, an sometimes never come at all. All depends on solar flares.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/e91_1_medium-1.pnge91_1_medium-1Schematic of the Earth's magnetic fields. Notice the concentratoion at both poles, where the northern and southern lights are on display. NASA2018-07-05T09:27:19+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/03/05/the-northern-lights-part-two/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/aurora2_0-e1520192481122.jpgaurora2_0Aurora as seen from Talkeetna, Alaska, on Nov. 3, 2015. Copyright Dora Millerhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/azure_payload_prep.pngazure_payload_prepPersonnel from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia conduct payload tests for the AZURE mission at the Andøya Space Center in Norway. Credits: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facilityhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/getmapimg-1.jpggetmapimg (1)The Arctic Circle line can be seen half way up the map. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ongbridge-1-1-e1520171446858.jpgongbridge (1)Northern Lights at a latitude of about 70 degrees north, well within the Arctic Circle. These photos were taken about 30 miles from the town of Alta. (Lisa Braithwaite) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/getmapimg.jpggetmapimgAlta is above the Artic Circlehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ongspire-1-e1520091178603.jpgongspire (1)Arcs are a common feature of the lights, sometimes reaching across the sky. They form and then break up into smaller patches. (Lisa Braithwaite.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ongbridge-1-e1520091071821.jpgongbridge (1)brdigehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ongfull-1-e1520267483404.jpgongfull (1)At certain points in the night, large parts of the sky were lit up -- leaving us turning and craning our heads to see what might be happening in different regions. (Lisa Braithwaite)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ongbirch2-1-e1520180144966.jpgongbirch2 (1)birchhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ong9-e1520010306775.jpgong9green sky2018-07-05T09:26:27+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/05/30/joining-the-microscope-and-the-telescope-in-the-search-for-life-beyond-earth/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/niki-1-1-e1527631987541.jpgniki 1 (1)Mary Parenteau of NASA's Ames Research Center is a microbiologist working in the field of exoplanet and Mars biosignatures. She adds a laboratory biology approach to a field generally known for its astronomers, astrophysicists and planetary scientists. (Marisa Mayer, Stanford University.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/niki-3-2-e1527631804189.jpgniki 3 (2)Mary Parenteau of NASA's Ames Research Center is a microbiologist working in the field of exoplanet and Mars biosignatures. She adds a laboratory biology approach to a field generally known for its astronomers, astrophysicists and planetary scientists. (Marisa Mayer, Stanford University.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/me_jwst.jpgme_JWSTGiada Arney is an astronomer and astrobiologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/niki-3-1-e1527554139443.jpgniki 3 (1)Mary Parenteau of NASA's Ames Research Center is a microbiologist working in the field of exoplanet and Mars biosignatures. She adds a laboratory biology approach to a field generally known for its astronomers, astrophysicists and planetary scientists.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/niki-3-e1527553911339.jpgniki 3Mary Parenteau of NASA's Ames Research Center is a microbiologist working in the field of exoplanet and Mars biosignatures. She adds a laboratory biology approach to a field generally known for its astronomers, astrophysicists and planetary scientists.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/mats-illuminate-1-e1527552090609.jpgmats illuminatebiosignature work with microbial mats -- cyanobacteria as well as purple and green bacteria. What gases are emitted. (Mary Parenteau)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/screen-shot-2018-05-28-at-6-30-04-pm-e1527547291694.jpgScreen Shot 2018-05-28 at 6.30.04 PMThe 48 LEDs of the board created by Parenteau. Each one is independently controlled and can be used to simulate the amount of radiation arriving on a planetary surface taking into account the flux from the planet's sun and some aspects of its atmosphere.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/img_6561-e1527370242891.jpgIMG_6561Mary Parenteau with her LEDhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/img_6547-1-e1527287616120.jpgIMG_6547 (1)Mary Parenteau of NASA's Ames Research Center is a biologist working in the field of exoplanet biosignatures. She adds a laboratory biology approach to a field xxx with astronomers, astrophysicists and planetary scientists.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/img_6547-e1527287259921.jpgIMG_6547Mary Parenteau of NASA's Ames Research Center is a biologist working in the field of exoplanet biosignatures. She adds a laboratory biology approach to a field xxx with astronomers, astrophysicists and planetary scientists. 2018-06-28T21:01:15+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/04/18/nasas-planet-hunter-tess-has-just-been-launched-to-check-out-the-near-exoplanet-neighborhood/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tess_beauty_loop_800.gifTESS_Beauty_Loop_800Looping animated gif of the unique orbit TESS will fly. At 13.7 days, it is exactly half of the moon's orbit, which lets the moon stabilize it. During the part of the orbit marked with blue, TESS will observe the sky, collecting science data. During the orange part, when TESS is closest to Earth, it will transmit that data to the ground. (NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)" https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/4f0e96baa0ef4bfd8853132f678fdeb8-e1524095818128.jpg4f0e96baa0ef4bfd8853132f678fdeb8A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket transporting the TESS satellite lifts off from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The space telescope will survey almost the entire sky, staring at the brightest, closest stars in an effort to find any planets that might be encircling them. (AP Photo/John Raoux)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/636596750495625046-tess-launch1-2.jpg636596750495625046-tess-launch1 (2)Liftoff for the TESS exoplanet hunter, just before 7 pm ET on Wednesday. The launch at the Kennedy Space Center was on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. (Spacex)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/3-e1524083598439.jpg-3Image showing the planned viewing regions for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission. (Roland Vanderspek, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/600px-kepler_20_-_planet_lineup.jpg600px-Kepler_20_-_planet_lineupEarth analogs -- planets roughly the same size as our own and in the habitable zones of their stars -- are the prizes that scientists have been looking for. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/radialvelocity-e1524093992750.jpegradialvelocityThe radial velocity technique identifies planets via the shift in the wavelength of the light of a star as it wobbles due to the presence of a planet.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/4-e1524085578337.jpg-4The transit technique identifies planets by the tiny drop in starlight measured as a planet passes in front of the star.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2.jpg-2jwsthttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1-e1524076437130.jpg-1The TESS (xxxx) mission is designed to find a broad range of exoplanets throughout the sky. It will look for planets orbiting bright stars in our general neighborhood of the night sky. (NASA)2018-06-28T20:31:53+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/04/30/fomalhaut-b-on-the-move/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/formalhaut.gifformalhautVast ring around Fomalhaut. Paul Kalashttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/lea2.jpglea2University of California at Berkeley astronomy grad student Lea Hirsch at Lick Observatory. She will be going soon to Stanford University for a postdoc with Gemini Planet Imager PI Bruce Macintosh.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/gpi_5.jpggpi_5The Gemini Planet Imager when it was being connected to the Gemini South Telescope in Chile.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/67f6b0ba-757f-42de-98dd-8928dab45528.gifHR 8799Jason Wang (UC Berkeley)/Christian Marois (NRC Herzberg)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/8eefaf99-0571-428d-b530-805ac8d89c61.gif8EEFAF99-0571-428D-B530-805AC8D89C61Jason Wang (UC Berkeley)/Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Surveyhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/717887main1_p1301aw-670.jpg717887main1_p1301aw-670Fomalhaut b in slow mo.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1-1-e1524581390139.jpg-1Beta Pictoris b (light blue pixels toward lower curve of ellipse) surrounded by disc of material from formation of the planet. (GPI)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/39bd55c1-c387-4518-b2e6-e21a95d62f12.gifFormalhaut SystemCredit: Jason Wang/Paul Kalas (UC Berkeley)2018-06-28T20:31:23+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/05/11/a-breakthrough-interstellar-clouds-in-three-dimensions/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/tritsisphoto-e1526048070406.pngtritsisPhotoAris Tritsis, a postdoctoral student at the Australian National University. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/378589main_cepb_1920_full-e1526043252508.jpg378589main_cepb_1920_fullCepheus B, a molecular cloud located in our Milky Galaxy about 2,400 light years from the Earth, provides an excellent model to determine how stars are formed. This composite image of Cepheus B combines data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope. A molecular cloud is a region containing cool interstellar gas and dust left over from the formation of the galaxy and mostly contains molecular hydrogen. The Spitzer data, in red, green and blue shows the molecular cloud (in the bottom part of the image) plus young stars in and around Cepheus B, and the Chandra data in violet shows the young stars in the field. The Chandra observations allowed the astronomers to pick out young stars within and near Cepheus B, identified by their strong X-ray emission. The Spitzer data showed whether the young stars have a so-called "protoplanetary" disk around them. Such disks only exist in very young systems where planets are still forming, so their presence is an indication of the age of a star system. The new study suggests that star formation in Cepheus B is mainly triggered by radiation from one bright, massive star (HD 217086) outside the molecular cloud. According to the particular model of triggered star formation that was tested - called the radiation- driven implosion (RDI) model - radiation from this massive star drives a compression wave into the cloud triggering star formation in the interior, while evaporating the cloud's outer layers. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/multimedia/photo09-062.html. Image Credits X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/K. Getman et al.; IRL NASA/JPL-Caltech/CfA/J. Wang et al.2018-06-28T20:30:53+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/04/25/breaking-down-exoplanet-stovepipes/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/nexss.jpgnexssNASA's NExSS initiative seeks to bring together scientists from varied backgrounds to address questions of exoplanet research. The initiative consists of 17 teams that had applied for NASA grants under a variety of different programs, but organizers are looking to bring other scientists into the process as well. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/dmg.jpgdmg Dawn Gelino, NExScI Science Affairs senior scientist and a leader of the NExSS initiative.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/mary_voytek_from_usgs-gov_.jpgMary_Voytek,_from_USGS.govMary Voytek, NASA senior scientist for astrobiology, xxxx.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/nataliebatalha.jpegNatalieBatalhaNatalie Batalha, project scientist for the Kepler mission and a leader of the NExSS initiative.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/images-1.jpgimages-1Tony del Genio, a veteran research scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in Manhattan.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/spec-e1461444030230.jpgspecSA (2001) By looking for signs of life like we have on earth, we focus on trying to find the presence of oxygen, ozone, water, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide; indicating plant or bacterial life. Looking at the figure above, we can see how complex Earth’s spectra is compared to Mars or Venus. This is because of various factors that balance and control the elements needed for life as a whole. In the same way, we’re hoping to find life that strongly interacts with its atmosphere on a global scale.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/images-2.jpgimages-2NASA's NExSS initiative seeks to bring together scientists from varied backgrounds to address questions of exoplanet research. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/a-sunset-on-an-earth-like-moon-with-two-suns-photo-e1461439460981.jpgA-Sunset-on-an-Earth-Like-Moon-with-Two-Suns-PhotoIllustration of what a sunset might look like on a moon orbiting Kepler 47c and its two suns. (Softpedia)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/astrobio20150421-16-e1461436118407.jpgastrobio20150421-16he search for life beyond our solar system requires unprecedented cooperation across scientific disciplines. NASA's NExSS collaboration includes those who study Earth as a life-bearing planet (lower right), those researching the diversity of solar system planets (left), and those on the new frontier, discovering worlds orbiting other stars in the galaxy (upper right). Credits: NASA 2018-06-28T20:23:16+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/05/17/know-thy-star-know-thy-planet-how-gaia-is-helping-nail-down-planet-sizes/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/gaiaview_8mb.gifgaiaview_8mbGAIA parallaxhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/artist_s_impression_of_gaia_node_full_image_2.jpgArtist_s_impression_of_Gaia_node_full_image_2An artist's impression of the Gaia spacecraft -- which is on an ambitious mission to chart a three-dimensional map of our galaxy, the Milky Way. In the process it will expand our understanding of the composition, formation and evolution of the galaxy. (ESA/D. Ducros)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/smallplanetstwosizes-e1526600795458.jpgPrintSuper Earth plants with orbits of less than 100 days seem to come in two different sizes. (NASA/Ames/Caltech/University of Hawaii. (B.J.Fulton))https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/measuring_stellar_distances_by_parallax-e1526605141110.jpgMeasuring_stellar_distances_by_parallaxParallax is the apparent shift in the position of stars as the Earth orbits the sun. It can be used to determine distances between stars. (ESA/ATG medialab)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/figure6berger-2.pngFigure6Berger-2Planet radii derived from the new Gaia data and the Kepler (DR25) Stellar Properties Catalogue. Red points are confirmed planets while black points are planet candidates. Bottom panel shows the ratio between the two data sets. There is a small shift towards larger planets in the new Gaia data. (Figure 6 in Berger et al, 2018.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/esa_gaia_dr2_allsky_brightness_colour_1000x500_transparent-e1526599945491.pngESA_Gaia_DR2_AllSky_Brightness_Colour_1000x500_transparentGaia's all-sky view of our Milky Way and neighboring galaxies. (ESA/Gaia/DPAC)2018-06-15T21:46:17+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/04/13/diamonds-are-a-deep-earth-geologists-best-friend/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/8017170-4x3-700x525-e1523632483475.jpg8017170-4x3-700x525A treated and enlarged section of a meteorite that delivered tiny nano-diamonds to Earth. This is a common occurrence, as there is believed to be substantial amounts of high-pressure carbon in the galaxies, and thus some diamonds.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/diamond_shutterstock_136864628_0-e1523576675376.jpgDiamond_shutterstock_136864628_0Diamond crystal on kimberlite from South Africa. (Shutterstock)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/diamonddisco-e1523573839191.jpgdiamonddiscoAn example of a super-deep diamond from the Cullinan Mine, where scientists recently discovered a diamond that provides first evidence in nature of Earth's fourth most abundant mineral--calcium silicate perovskite--indicating very deep recycling of oceanic crust. Credit: Petra Diamonds https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/fabrizio-in-lab-e1523573193300.jpgfabrizio-in-labProfessor of Minerology Fabrizio Nestola while a visiting professor at the University of Alberta. One of his collaborators on the recent high-pressure calcium silicate paper is xxx, from Alberta. Here Nestola presented on his recent work in advances in X-ray crystallography on diamonds and their inclusions.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/distribution-of-diamonds-over-the-world-we-decided-to-show-lithospheric-super-deep-and.pngDistribution-of-diamonds-over-the-world-We-decided-to-show-lithospheric-super-deep-andwhere diamonds are found on earth -- those in the 100 mile deep range and those super-deep in the 500-mile below surface range.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/diamonds2bil-e1523214182950.jpgdiamonds2bilDeep Earth diamond with xxx inclusion. 2018-04-13T15:54:13+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/03/29/the-just-approved-european-ariel-mission-will-be-first-dedicated-to-probing-exoplanet-atmospheres/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ahr0cdovl3d3dy5zcgfjzs5jb20vaw1hz2vzl2kvmdawlza1my8ynjkvb3jpz2luywwvc3vwzxitzwfydggty2fuy3jpltu1lwuuanbn.jpgArtist’s impression of 55 Cancri eSuper-Earth 55 Cancri e orbits in front of its parent star in this artist's illustration. (ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/phases_eclipse-e1522330034413.jpegphases_eclipseAs the planet is eclipsed by the star, a secondary dip in luminosity is observed. This corresponds to the planet's own radiated and reflected light and can also reveal atmospheric details.]https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/transmission_spec-e1522329570162.jpegtransmission_specTransmission spectroscopy: Molecules in an exoplanet's atmosphere absorb different wavelengths of light, causing the atmosphere to go from transparent (left) to opaque (right). The observed planet radius therefore depends on the wavelength being observed. ARIEL can use this to determine atmosphere composition.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/tess-e1522328949719.jpgTESSNASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will launch in the next few months. (Artist impression, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center]https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/hot_exoplanets.jpghot_exoplanets ARIEL will focus on hot planets that orbit close to their star. (Artist impression, ESA/ATG medialab.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/exoplanet_space_missions-e1522255536131.jpgexoplanet_space_missionsCurrent and future (or proposed) space missions with capacities to identify and characterize exoplanets. (NASA,ESA: T. Wynne/JPL, composited by Barbara Aulicino. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ariel_esa-e1522252435521.jpgariel_esaThe Ariel space telescope will explore the atmospheres of exoplanets. (Artist impression, ESA)2018-03-29T14:49:55+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/03/23/a-reprieve-for-space-science/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/em1-pad-night-e1521815601127.jpgem1-pad-nightIllustration of the Space Launch System as it will appear on the launch pad. In development for almost decade, it is now scheduled for a maiden launch in 2019. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/final_earth_obs_fleet06hw-2100_1920x1080.jpgfinal_earth_obs_fleet06hw.2100_1920x1080NASA has a fleet of 18 Earth science missions in space, supported by aircraft, ships and ground observations. Together they have revolutionized understanding of the planet's atmosphere, the oceans, the climate and weather. The Obama administration emphasized Earth studies, but the Trump administration has sought to eliminate future Earth missions. This visualization shows the NASA fleet in 2017, from low Earth orbit all the way out to the DSCOVR satellite taking in the million-mile view. (Goddard Space Flight Center/Matthew R. Radclif)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/jason20170630-e1521757838578.jpgjason20170630Illustration of the U.S./European Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason-2 satellite in orbit. OSTM/Jason-2 will soon take on an additional role to help improve maps of Earth’s sea floor. Credits: NASA-JPL/Caltech A venerable U.S./European oceanography satellite mission with NASA participation that has expanded our knowledge of global sea level change, ocean currents and climate phenomena like El Niño and La Niña will take on an additional role next month: improving maps of Earth’s sea floor.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/wfirst-typeia-supernova-nasa-e1521755669954.jpgWFIRST-TYPEIa-SUPERNOVA-NASAAnnotated view of supernova SN1995E in NGC 2441. Link: A curious supernova in NGC 2441 WFIRST2018-03-23T14:46:03+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/03/15/space-science-in-peril/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/https-blogs-images-forbes-com-startswithabang-files-2017-12-apollo_15_flag_rover_lm_irwin-1200x1200-e1521055925689.jpghttps---blogs-images.forbes.com-startswithabang-files-2017-12-Apollo_15_flag_rover_LM_Irwin-1200x1200Apollo 15, LM Irwin (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/lead_960-1-e1521053839415.jpglead_960-1Pete Conrad on the moon, 1969 (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/igsvtwgzpzeyvo6tkxheyd7eny-e1520700594469.pngIGSVTWGZPZEYVO6TKXHEYD7ENYWith a planned launch in the mid-2020s, WFIRST would survey distant galaxies looking for the effects of dark matter, that mysterious stuff that can't be seen or touched but outnumbers normal matter by roughly 5 to 1. The telescope would study Type Ia supernovas to track dark energy, that strange repulsive force that is causing the universe to expand faster and faster. The observatory could even use its instruments to explore the planets around other stars. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1125px-james_webb_space_telescope_2009_top-e1520696434365.jpg1125px-James_Webb_Space_Telescope_2009_topJames Webb Space Telescope after deploying.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/hubble-2-e1520691991713.jpghubble-2This craggy fantasy mountaintop enshrouded by wispy clouds looks like a bizarre landscape from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, which is even more dramatic than fiction, captures the chaotic activity atop a pillar of gas and dust, three light-years tall, which is being eaten away by the brilliant light from nearby bright stars. The pillar is also being assaulted from within, as infant stars buried inside it fire off jets of gas that can be seen streaming from towering peaks. This turbulent cosmic pinnacle lies within a tempestuous stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, located 7500 light-years away in the southern constellation of Carina. The image celebrates the 20th anniversary of Hubble's launch and deployment into an orbit around the Earth.2018-03-15T13:36:27+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/01/29/false-positives-false-negatives-the-world-of-distant-biosignatures-attracts-and-confounds/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/aaeaaqaaaaaaaafsaaaajge2ode4mdflltuxogmtndiznc1iyjazlte3ywq3mznloti2yw.jpgAAEAAQAAAAAAAAfsAAAAJGE2ODE4MDFlLTUxOGMtNDIzNC1iYjAzLTE3YWQ3MzNlOTI2YwEdward Schwieterman, a specialist at researching Earth as an exoplanet, spent six years at the University of Washington's Virtual https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/glint_oceans.jpgGlint_Oceansrue-color image from our model (left) compared to a view of Earth from the Earth and Moon Viewer (http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/Earth/). A glint spot in the Indian Ocean can be clearly seen in the model image.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/fig-16-seasonal-change-in-global-ndvi-these-vegetation-maps-were-generated-from.pngFIG-16-Seasonal-change-in-global-NDVI-These-vegetation-maps-were-generated-fromFIG. 16. Seasonal change in global NDVI. These vegetation maps were generated from MODIS/Terra measurements of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Significant seasonal variations in the NDVI are apparent between northern hemisphere summer (July 2014; top) and winter (February 2015; bottom). Image credit: Reto Stockli, NASA Earth Observatory Group, using data from the MODIS Land Science Team (http://neo.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov). https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/hec_all_distance-e1517067631570.jpgHEC_All_DistanceThese are artistic representations of the top planets around other stars (exoplanets) with any potential to support liquid surface water. All of them are larger than Earth and we are not certain about their composition and habitability yet. We only know that they seem to have the right size and orbit to support surface liquid water. They are ranked here from closest to farthest from Earth. This selection of objects of interest is subject to change as new interpretations or astronomical observations are made. Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune are shown for scale on the right.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/hubble-trappist-e1517010785250.jpghubble-trappistThis artist's illustration shows two Earth-sized planets, TRAPPIST-1b and TRAPPIST-1c, passing in front of their parent red dwarf star, which is much smaller and cooler than our sun. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope looked for signs of atmospheres around these planets. Credits: NASA/ESA/STScI/J. de Wit (MIT)2018-01-29T18:55:29+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/01/15/putting-together-a-community-strategy-to-search-for-extraterrestrial-life/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/26a133c-1.jpeg26a133cNancy Kiang of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, explores (among other subjects) the possibility of using photosynthetic pigments as biosignatures on exoplanets. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/farley-4-pia17603-1.jpegfarley-4-pia17603https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/farley-4-pia17603.jpegfarley-4-pia17603Yellowknife Bay on Mars, where the rover Curiosity first found conditions that were habitable to life. The rover subsequently found many more habitable spots, but no existing or fossil life so far. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cwg_1.jpgcwg_1Shawn Domagal-Goldman, a leader of many NASA study projects and a xxx at the Goddard Space Flight Center.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/giri03.jpeggiri03Chaitanya Giri, a research scientist and the Earth-Life Science Institute in Tokyohttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/mapper3-e1515496566269.jpegMapper3Microbialites are fresh water versions of the organic and carbonate structures called stromatolites -- which are among the oldest signs of life detected on Earth. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/pia21338-enceladus-southpolarjets-20170413.jpegPIA21338-Enceladus-SouthPolarJets-20170413Saturn's moon Enceladus and plume of water vapor flowing out from its South Pole. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/master_image-generic_astrobiology-master_image-e1515475185432.jpegmaster_image-generic_astrobiology-master_imageThe scientific search underway for life beyond Earth requires input from many disciplines and fields. Strategies forward have to hear and take in what scientists in those many fields have to say. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/fi.jpgFI2018-01-15T21:09:19+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2018/01/11/the-mars-water-story-goes-deeper-and-wider/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/14-337a.png14-337aWhere did the large amounts of water once present on Mars go. Some clearly was lost to the atmosphere, but some researchers are convinced that much is underground as ice or incorporated into minerals. (Nature)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ice-screen-shot3-e1515586214140.pngice screen shot3Enchanced-color traverse section of Martian icy scarps in late spring to early summer. Arrows indicate locations where relatively blue material is particularly close to the surface. Image taken by HiRISE camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/icescarp2-e1515585245165.pngicescarp2Enchanced-color traverse section of Martian icy scarps in late spring to early summer. Arrows indicate locations where relatively blue material is particularly close to the surface.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/scarp-copy-e1515581391316.pngscarp copyThe bright red regions contain water ice, as determined by measurements by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Oribter and its (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/pia10910-1920x1200-e1515580470552.jpegPIA10910-1920x1200The lander Phoenix dug into the soil of the northern polar region and found cemented ice as well as pure ice several inches down. (NASA)2018-01-12T18:30:02+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/12/22/two-tempting-return-missions-explore-titan-or-bring-back-a-piece-of-a-comet/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/the-terrifying-things-that-would-happen-if-nasa-sent-a-human-to-venus-e1513909580174.pngthe-terrifying-things-that-would-happen-if-nasa-sent-a-human-to-venusVenus hasn't been visited by a NASA spacecraft in decades, leading to hopes that one of the New Frontiers finalists would be a mission there. But it was not to be. ESA operated the Venus Express mission orbiting the planet from xxx and the Japanese Space Agency has an orbiter there now. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/titan.jpegtitanHuygens descent to surface of Titanhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/2014_3_march_duck_comet_67p_700x500-lr_ysjabjm.jpeg2014_3_march_duck_comet_67p_700x500-lr_ysjabjmThe nucleus of the 67/P xxx comet, where the CAESAR mission hopes to be headed in the 2020s. (ESA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/pia17031_modest.jpegPIA17031_modestA methane lake near the northern pole of Saturn's moon, Titan. The image was taken using radar on the Cassini spacecraft. NASA/JPL-Caltechhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/caesar-concept-e1513881012362.pngcaesar-conceptcaesar mission to comethttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/17-00084_fs_missionoverviewv7a16x9-1-e1513878594806.jpeg17-00084_fs_missionoverviewv7a16x9-1proposed mission to titan2017-12-22T16:26:07+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/12/18/an-a-i-has-just-found-two-planets-what-does-this-mean-for-planet-hunting/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/nasa-kelper-90i.jpegnasa-kelper-90iKepler-90i is 2,545 light-years away from Earth and orbits its host star in xxx. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/043016_kepler.jpeg043016_keplerkepler space telescopehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/exoplanets-nasa_google-0.jpgexoplanets.nasa_google.0There are now two known eight-planet solar systems in the galaxy. AI2017-12-18T16:31:32+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/12/04/a-new-way-to-find-signals-of-habitable-exoplanets/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/earth_scale-e1512360891305.jpegearth_scaleA 2012 coronal mass ejection from the sun. Earth is placed into the image to give a sense of the size of the solar flare, but our planet is of course nowhere near the sun. (NASA, Goddard Media Studios)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/vladimir_airapetian.jpegVladimir_AirapetianVladimir airapetian is a Senior Researcher NASA · Sciences and Exploration Directorate Washington, United Stateshttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/beaconsoflifefinal-1-e1512150913885.jpgExoplanet Atmos Proxima B_v8Scientists propose a new and more indirect way of determining whether an exoplanet has a good, bad or unknowable chance of being habitable. NASA2017-12-04T16:50:57+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/11/22/can-you-overwater-a-planet/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/thumbnail_big.jpegthumbnail_bigWithout land, https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/pia21751-e1511371062188.jpegpia21751Trappist-12017-11-22T21:01:16+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/10/26/red-dwarf-stars-and-the-planets-around-them/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/yukawhitebackground2ne-1.jpgyukawhitebackground2NEYuka Fujii, author of the Astrophysical Journal article, specializes in exoplanet characterization, planetary atmospheres, planet formation, and origin of life issues. (Nerissa Escanlar)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/giss-sync-rotating-planet-ice-plot_rev.jpeggiss-sync-rotating-planet-ice-plot_revThis is a plot of what the sea ice distribution could look like on a synchronously rotating ocean world. The star is off to the right, blue is where there is open ocean, and white is where there is sea ice. Credit: NASA/GISS/Anthony Del Genio https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/fig18.jpegImage converted using ifftoanyImage converted using ifftoanyhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/534091main_pia13994-43_full_0-1-e1508776778843.jpeg534091main_pia13994-43_full_0-1Artist rendering of a red dwarf or M star, with three exoplanets orbiting. About 75 percent of all stars in the sky are the cooler, smaller red dwarfs. (NASA)2017-10-26T14:28:31+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/10/19/2-5-billions-years-of-earth-history-in-100-square-feet/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/jinata3.jpgjinata3where the very hot iron-rich water meets and the less hot water with thriving cyanobacteria colonies at Jinata.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/260px-map_of_izu_islands.png260px-Map_of_Izu_IslandsThe volcanic Izu island chair, starting in Tokyo Bay and going out into the Philippine Sea. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/img_5639-1-e1508345910877.jpgIMG_5639 (1)lines created by microbes as they move through iron oxide at bottom of small channel. Marc Kaufmanhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/neisland001s-e1508343488849.jpgNEisland001sTomohiro at collecting xxx in directly from the site of the hot spring release. Nerissa Escanlarhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/iron-water-e1508342360801.jpgiron wateriron water. Nerissa Escanlarhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/neisland0011s-e1508342593962.jpgNEisland0011sMicrobiologist Shawn McGlynn of the Earth Life Science Institute in Tokyo scoops some iron-rich scalding water from a channel on Shikine-jima Island, 100 miles from Tokyo. Nerissa Escanlar2017-10-19T12:34:52+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/10/02/could-high-energy-radiation-have-played-an-important-role-in-getting-earth-ready-for-life/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/cobaltay32017ne-1-e1506910350206.jpgcobaltay32017NE.Aono and technician Isao Yoda in the radiation room with the cobalt-60 safely tucked away. (Nerissa Escanlar.) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/formamide-75-12-7_350x350-1.jpgFormamide-75-12-7.jpg_350x350 (1)Formamide is a clear liquid which is miscible with water and has an ammonia-like odor.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/oklo-3.jpgoklo-3Natural nuclear reactorhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/cobalt-pix-e1506860922362.jpgcobalt pixIn a room fitted for cobalt-60 testing on the campus of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, a team of researchers gather around the (still covered) cobalt-60 and vials of the chemicals they were testing. (Isao Yoda)2017-10-04T07:49:23+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/09/21/messy-chemistry-a-new-way-to-approach-the-origin-of-life/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/nathaniel-e1511733688516.jpgnathanielNathaniel Virgo is a principal investigator at the Earth-Life Science Institute and https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/a2df6fce-cac8-4bd5-b1b7462a4dfb6f83-e1505783087766.gifA2DF6FCE-CAC8-4BD5-B1B7462A4DFB6F83Tarry residue from an experiment.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/university_of_queensland_pitch_drop_experiment-white_bg-e1505781706962.jpgUniversity_of_Queensland_Pitch_drop_experiment-white_bgTars, or pitch, left over from an experiment.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/d494d0738237b8987ac3d20ead72e386-teacher-page-free-admission.jpgd494d0738237b8987ac3d20ead72e386--teacher-page-free-admissionTarry ooze was common on the early Earth. This is tar made from living matter, but there was tar as well before there was life.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/irenalab32017ane-e1505620063992.jpgirenalab32017aNEIrena Mamajanov of ELSI, with colleague xxx, synthesizes particular complex molecules similar to enzymes to learn about the many pathways that could have been involved in the production of actual early enzymes.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/i11-40-smiller.jpgi11-40-smillerStanley Miller and the iconic Miller-Urey experiment in xxx. The experiment added some of the chemicals thought to be in the Early Earth atmosphere, some water, and an electric charge. The result was the creation of some building blocks of life (amino acides, nucleotides) and lots of what was long considered a problematic residue of tar.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/hyper.gifhyperHyperbranchehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/kuhanirenabluesne-e1505619263428.jpgkuhanirenabluesneIrena Mamajanov and Kuhan and messy chemistryhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/des2ne.jpgdes2NEeric smithhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/12112.jpg12112nathaniel virgo2017-09-28T13:41:43+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/09/11/cassini-nearing-the-end-still-working-hard/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/97302081_orbits.jpg_97302081_orbitsCassini's final orbits, in blue, have taken the spacecraft closer to the planet than ever before, and into the space between the rings and the top of the cloud layers. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pia21341-1041-e1505175007506.jpgpia21341-1041The clouds covering the planet itself consist primarily of ammonia and are more than 1000 miles thick. (NASA/JPL-Caltech.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pia21627-1041-e1505173460222.jpgIDL TIFF filewaves in saturn rigngs2017-09-12T00:36:41+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/09/06/is-that-the-foundation-of-nasa-i-feel-shifting/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/entering_a_lunar_outpost-1-e1504599828438.jpgEntering_a_Lunar_Outpost-1A lunar outpost was an element of the George W. Bush era Vision for Space Exploration, which has been replaced with President Barack Obama's space policy.[1] The outpost would have been an inhabited facility on the surface of the Moon. At the time it was proposed, NASA was to construct the outpost over the five years between 2019 and 2024. The United States Congress directed that the U.S. portion, "shall be designated the Neil A. Armstrong Lunar Outpost".[2]https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/7174c06d07d69b816a1ba48df840c2e5.jpg7174c06d07d69b816a1ba48df840c2e5Raw platinumhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/584877main_pia14024_full-e1504565254876.jpg584877main_PIA14024_fullThe Earth's moon has been an endless source of fascination for humanity for thousands of years. When at last Apollo 11 landed on the moon's surface in 1969, the crew found a desolate, lifeless orb, but one which still fascinates scientist and non-scientist alike. This image of the moon's north polar region was taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC. One of the primary scientific objectives of LROC is to identify regions of permanent shadow and near-permanent illumination. Since the start of the mission, LROC has acquired thousands of Wide Angle Camera images approaching the north pole. From these images, scientists produced this mosaic, which is composed of 983 images taken over a one month period during northern summer. This mosaic shows the pole when it is best illuminated, regions that are in shadow are candidates for permanent shadow. Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/4-8-nrc-evaluates-nasas-orbital-debris-programs.jpg4-8-nrc-evaluates-nasas-orbital-debris-programsSpace satellites and debris, including that from a Chinese missile fired in xxx that broke up one of the n ation's older weather satellites.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/170902-bridenstine3-630x383-e1504517262631.jpg170902-bridenstine3-630x383Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., addresses the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs in 2016. (Tom Kimmell Photo)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/entering_a_lunar_outpost-e1504516410582.jpgEntering_a_Lunar_Outpostimagined moon colony2017-09-06T14:13:55+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/08/29/cassini-inside-the-rings-of-saturn/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/cassini_grandfinale_orbits-e1504012679855.jpgCassini the Grand FinaleNASA's Cassini spacecraft will make 22 orbits of Saturn during its Grand Finale, exploring a totally new region between the planet and its rings. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltechhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/pia21342-1041-e1504011287606.jpgpia21342-1041Cassini gazes across the icy rings of Saturn toward the icy moon Tethys, whose night side is illuminated by Saturnshine, or sunlight reflected by the planet. Tethys was on the far side of Saturn with respect to Cassini here; an observer looking upward from the moon's surface toward Cassini would see Saturn's illuminated disk filling the sky. Tethys was brightened by a factor of two in this image to increase its visibility. A sliver of the moon's sunlit northern hemisphere is seen at top. A bright wedge of Saturn's sunlit side is seen at lower left. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/la-sci-sn-cassini-saturn-rings-mosaic-e1504010327835.jpgla-sci-sn-cassini-saturn-rings-mosaicA mosaic image of the rings of Saturn. (NASA/Space Science Institute.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/saturns-rings-inside-1-e1504011890531.gifsaturns-rings-insideFlying inside the rings. (NASA/Space Science Institute..)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ahr0cdovl3d3dy5zcgfjzs5jb20vaw1hz2vzl2kvmdawlza2os8zmtgvb3jpz2luywwvc2f0dxjulxzvcnrlec1jyxnzaw5plmpwzw.jpgaHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA2OS8zMTgvb3JpZ2luYWwvc2F0dXJuLXZvcnRleC1jYXNzaW5pLmpwZw==Polar region of Saturn, with tumultuous xxx. (NASA/Space Science Institute.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/900x506-e1504009331542.jpg900x506As Cassini orbits closer and closer to Saturn in his planned finale, it sent back this remarkable image of the rings from inside. (NASA/Space Science Institute)2017-08-29T13:59:46+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/08/17/white-dwarf-zombie-stars-and-their-roles-in-supernovae-explosions/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/vennes-e1502992907208.jpgVennesStephane Vennes, a specialist in white dwarf stars at the Czech Academy of Sciencehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/14-212_0.jpg14-212_0The two inset images show before-and-after images captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of Supernova 2012Z in the spiral galaxy NGC 1309. The white X at the top of the main image marks the location of the supernova in the galaxy. Image Credit: NASA, ESA Using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, a team of astronomers has spotted a star system that could have left behind a “zombie star” after an unusually weak supernova explosion. A supernova typically obliterates the exploding white dwarf, or dying star. On this occasion, scientists believe this faint supernova may have left behind a surviving portion of the dwarf star -- a sort of zombie star.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/vennes1hr-e1502976405769.jpgvennes1HRmage of the accretion disk: A snapshot of the binary star system before the violent supernova explosion blew it to pieces. [Credit: Copyright Russell Kightley (http://scientific.pictures)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/vennes2hr-e1502818106455.jpgvennes2HRmage of supernova remnant: Artistic view of the remnant of the supernova e xplosion. The light emitted by the supernova explosion would have been for a few days as brigh t as the whole of the Milky Way .2017-08-17T18:38:08+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/08/07/primordial-asteroids-and-the-stories-they-are-telling/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ss-sensors_300dpi-1.jpgss-sensors_300dpi-1NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will launch September 2016 and travel to a near-Earth asteroid known as Bennu to harvest a sample of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The science team will be looking for something special. Ideally, the sample will come from a region in which the building blocks of life may be found. To identify these regions on Bennu, the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) team equipped the spacecraft with an instrument that will measure the spectral signatures of Bennu’s mineralogical and molecular components. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/elizabeth-124_800px.jpgElizabeth-124_800pxElizabeth Tasker an associate professor in the Department of Solar System Science at ISAS /JAXA (the Japanese space agency.) Her research focusses on exploring galaxy, star and planet formation using numerical simulations.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/d15b3fc7-e60d-4dec-b60b-c47af7a1a759.jpgd15b3fc7-e60d-4dec-b60b-c47af7a1a759Marco Delbo is a researcher at the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) at present on leave at the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur in Nice, France, with an External Fellowship of the European Space Agency (ESA).https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/a_distant_planetary_system-e1502120169590.jpgA_Distant_Planetary_SystemThis artist's concept depicts a distant hypothetical solar system, similar in age to our own. Looking inward from the system's outer fringes, a ring of dusty debris can be seen, and within it, planets circling a star the size of our Sun. This debris is all that remains of the planet-forming disk from which the planets evolved. Planets are formed when dusty material in a large disk surrounding a young star clumps together. Leftover material is eventually blown out by solar wind or pushed out by gravitational interactions with planets. Billions of years later, only an outer disk of debris remains. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/early-solar-system-dust-nasa-jpl-caltech-e1502119316376.jpgEarly-solar-system-dust-NASA-JPL-Caltechplanetesimalshttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/eros20140616-full-e1501962573492.jpgeros20140616-fullThis image, taken by NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission in 2000, shows a close-up view of Eros, an asteroid with an orbit that takes it somewhat close to Earth. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope observed Eros and dozens of other near-Earth asteroids.Image Credit: NASA/JHUAPLhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/solar-nebula-eso-1024x819-1-e1501861040406.jpgSolar-nebula-ESO-1024x819 (1)Artist depiction of a dusty disc surrounding a red dwarf.artist rendering of a protoplanetary dust disk, from which asteroid, planetesimals and ultimately planets are formed. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (SSC)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/innersolarsystem-en.pngInnerSolarSystem-enThe main asteroid belt of our solar system -- with billions of asteroids orbiting in the region between Mars and Jupiter. New research has identified the "family" of a primordial asteroid or planetesimal, one of the oldest ever detected. 2017-08-07T19:36:14+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/07/21/gone-exo-fishing/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/moveoverexop.jpgmoveoverexopWatery exoplanet with exo-moon. (Phys.org, CBC11, CC By-SA ) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ahr0cdovl3d3dy5zcgfjzs5jb20vaw1hz2vzl2kvmdawlza0os84otqvb3jpz2luywwvs2vwbgvynjjmlwv4b3bsyw5ldc5qcgc-e1500640338230.jpgaHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA0OS84OTQvb3JpZ2luYWwvS2VwbGVyNjJmLWV4b3BsYW5ldC5qcGc=Exoplanet scientists have been studying whether the potential glint from a planet would tell them that there is water on the surface. This artist's concept shows Kepler-62f, an exoplanet in the habitable zone of its host star, which is located about 1,200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. Researchers think Kepler-62f may be a waterworld. (NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1_main_pia21423-png-e1500600657361.jpg1_main_pia21423-pngArtist rendering of TRAPPIST-1f in the seven-exoplanet Trappist-1 system in constellation Aquarius. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/image_3831_1e-trappist-1.jpgimage_3831_1e-TRAPPIST-1https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1200px-ocean_world.png1200px-Ocean_worldhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/base-2-e1500505345558.jpgbase (2)A xxx study suggests that Earth is in a minority when it comes to smaller planets, and that many habitable planets may be greater than 90% ocean. Credit: David A. Aguilar (CfA) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/image-of-boat-in-stormy-sea-4-1.jpgimage of boat in stormy sea 4-1https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/maxresdefault-2.jpgmaxresdefault-2https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1-1.jpg1https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1.jpg12017-07-21T14:52:55+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/07/13/has-america-really-lost-its-lead-in-space/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/dn10724-3_700.jpgdn10724-3_700A NASA rendering of a possible moon colony, along the lines of the International Space Station. It was proposed in 2006 )NASAhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/7549_saturn_glutton_for_punishment_mosaic_watermark-e1499697938408.jpg7549_Saturn_Glutton_For_Punishment_Mosaic_Watermark This Cassini image of Saturn is the of 21 frames across 7 footprints, filtered in groups of red, green, and blue. The sequence was captured by Cassini over the course of 90-plus minutes on the morning of October 28th. We found this stunning image via Ian's Twitter post: https://twitter.com/IanARegan/status/794576612704550912 Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Ian Regan https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/982px-pillars_of_creation_2014_hst_wfc3-uvis_full-res_denoised-e1499655942645.jpg982px-Pillars_of_creation_2014_HST_WFC3-UVIS_full-res_denoisedThis very high resolution mosaic image of the Pillars of Creation was taken with by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2014 and is a reprise of the iconic image first taken in 1995. The pillars are part of a nebul some 6,500-7000 light-years from Earth, and are immense clouds of gas and dust where stars are born. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/apollo_17_cernan_on_moon-e1499654909931.jpgApollo_17_Cernan_on_moonCernan of Apollo 17, the last team to land on the moon.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/curi-e1499653709470.jpgcuriCuriosity rover on exploring Gale Crater on Mars. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/msl-curiosity-murray-buttes-selfie-pia20844-fi-1-e1499653183881.jpgMSL-Curiosity-Murray-Buttes-selfie-pia20844-fiThe Curiosity rover at Murray Buttes, in Gale Crater on Mars. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/34954147843_64a8dca7a6_o-e1499648024344.jpgVice President Mike Pence visits Kennedy Space CenterVice President Mike Pence addresses NASA employees, Thursday, July 6, 2017, at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Vice President thanked employees for advancing American leadership in space, following a tour that highlighted the public-private partnerships at KSC, as both NASA and commercial companies prepare to launch American astronauts from the multi-user spaceport. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/bvxrhqm-imgur.gifBVXrHQM - ImgurThe era of directly imaging exoplanets has only just begun, but the science and viewing pleasures to come are appealingly apparent. This evocative movie of four planets more massive than Jupiter orbiting the young star HR 8799 is a composite of sorts, including images taken over seven years at the W.M. Keck observatory in Hawaii. (Jason Wang and Christian Marois)2017-08-02T19:25:46+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/07/06/a-big-repeating-molecule-may-be-key-to-detecting-life/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/polymer-e1499361299858.pngpolymerPolyelectrolytes are long-chain, molecular semiconductors, whose backbones contain electrons. The structure and composition of the polyelectrolytes confers an ability to transfer electric charge and the energy of electronic excited states over distance. (Azyner Group, UCSC)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/17-042_hubble_1-e1499358138302.jpg17-042_hubble_1These composite images show a suspected plume of material erupting two years apart from the same location on Jupiter's icy moon Europa. Both plumes, photographed in UV light by Hubble, were seen in silhouette as the moon passed in front of Jupiter. Credits: NASA/ESA/STScI/USGS https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/aaeaaqaaaaaaaarqaaaajgjiy2zjmwrjltllzdatngvhyy1hnjfilty2ntu4mmizmty3ma.jpgAAEAAQAAAAAAAArQAAAAJGJiY2ZjMWRjLTllZDAtNGVhYy1hNjFiLTY2NTU4MmIzMTY3MAMorgan Cable, deputy mission scientist for the proposed Enceladus Life Finder.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/maxresdefault-e1499355899481.jpgmaxresdefaultAstrobiologist Chris McKay at NASA's Ames Research Center. (IDG News Service)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/steve-benner-seti-1-e1499353249549.jpgsteve benner, seti (1)Steven Benner, director of the FfAME. (SETI)2017-07-06T18:26:44+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/06/27/birth-and-death-a-theory-of-relativity/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/professor1-1-e1498571506760.jpgprofessor1 (1)Irv Kaufman as a young art professor at the University of Michigan.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/mother1-1-e1498598786674.jpgmother1 (1)My mother, Mabel Kaufman, as drawn by her young husband in the late 1930s.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cape015-e1498424095441.jpgCAPE015Irving Kaufman in Truro, when a still-young 88.2017-06-29T16:16:29+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/06/23/in-search-of-panspermia/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/zuberpic-1.jpgzuberpic-1Maria Zuber, MIT vice president for research, and the principal investigator for the SETG project. (MIT)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/11-ruvkun.jpg11-ruvkunGary Ruvkun, professor of genetics at MIT, and a principal investigator for The Search for Extraterrestrial Genomes. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/minion-usb-dna-sequencer.jpgminion-usb-dna-sequencerA state-of-the-art instrument for reading DNA sequences in the field. The MIT/Harvard team is working with the company that makes it, and several others, on refining how it would do that kind of sequencing on Mars. (Oxford Nanopore)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/adn_animation.gifadn_animationdna animation. the big 300https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/7217964-3x2-940x627-e1483467172705.jpg7217964-3x2-940x627DNA animation. the big 300https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/cometsidingspring-headingtowardsmars-artistconcept-20141006-e1483210420111.jpgcometsidingspring-headingtowardsmars-artistconcept-20141006Did meteorites spread life between planets, and maybe even solar systems? Some pretty distinguished people think that it may well have happened. This illustration is an artist's rendering of the comet Siding Spring approaching Mars in 2015.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/mars-comet.jpgmars-cometDid meteorites spread life between planets, and maybe even solar systems? Some pretty distinguished people think that it may well have happened.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/article-0-0f7d742200000578-322_634x447.jpgAsteroid Earth Falling Meteor Planet Space WorldDid meteorites spread life between planets, and maybe even solar systems? Some pretty distinguished people think that it may well have happened.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/panspermia-580x397.jpgpanspermia-580x397Did meteorites spread life between planets, and maybe even solar systems? Some pretty distinguished people think that it may well have happened.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/26fb686300000578-3193585-image-a-2_1439292272382-e1483212867391.jpg26fb686300000578-3193585-image-a-2_1439292272382Early Earth, like early Mars and no doubt many other planets, was bombarded by meteorites and comets. Could they have arrived "living" microbes inside them?2017-06-23T13:23:56+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/06/16/phobos-and-deimos-captured-asteroids-or-cut-from-ancient-mars/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/tumblr_inline_o4958ro1wv1tzhl5u_1280-1-e1497586192236.jpgtumblr_inline_o4958rO1WV1tzhl5u_1280 (1)The moon of Mars are tiny compared with Earth's moon, yet they may well tell a big story about the history of Mars. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/mmx_main-e1497585504147.jpgmmx_mainArtist's impression of the Mars Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft. (JAXA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/phobos2_marsexpress-e1497585062500.jpgphobos2_marsexpressThe South Pole of Phobos from Mars Express (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/G. Neukum) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/mmx-spacecraft-1-e1497504466659.pngmmx-spacecraftThe configuration of the Mars Moon Explorer. (JAXA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/marsmoons_1920x1080-1024x576-e1497504173670.jpgmarsmoons_1920x1080-1024x576Illustration of Mars with its two moons, Phobos and Deimos. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems/Texas A&M Univ.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5930f20f0fd03-e1497503862331.jpg5930f20f0fd03The proposed pathway in, on, and around the moons Phobos and Deimos. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/phobos_deimos-e1497503366904.jpgphobos_deimosPhobos and Deimos, photographed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. (NASA/JPL)2017-06-16T04:18:04+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/06/07/what-astrochemistry-is-telling-us/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/eso1718b-e1496838591152.jpgALMA detects methyl isocyanate around young Sun-like stars (artiIn astrochemistry, a complex organic molecule is defined as consisting of six or more atoms, where at least one of the atoms is carbon. Methyl isocyanate contains carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the chemical configuration CH3NCO. Artist rendering by L. Calçada.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/pic-1-eso-alma-e1496834127535.jpgPIC 1 ESO ALMAThe Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a partnership between Europe, North America and East Asia in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is the largest ground-based astronomical observatory in existence. It is so huge that no single country could have afforded such an astronomical tool alone. © ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/eso1718a-1-e1496822221449.jpgALMA detects methyl isocyanate around young Sun-like starsALMA has observed stars like the Sun at a very early stage in their formation and found traces of methyl isocyanate — a chemical building block of life. This is the first ever detection of this prebiotic molecule towards a solar-type protostar, the sort from which our Solar System evolved. The discovery could help astronomers understand how life arose on Earth. This image shows the spectacular region of star formation where methyl isocyanate was found. The insert shows the molecular structure of this chemical.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/eso1718a-e1496821983859.jpgALMA detects methyl isocyanate around young Sun-like starsALMA has observed stars like the Sun at a very early stage in their formation and found traces of methyl isocyanate — a chemical building block of life. This is the first ever detection of this prebiotic molecule towards a solar-type protostar, the sort from which our Solar System evolved. The discovery could help astronomers understand how life arose on Earth. This image shows the spectacular region of star formation where methyl isocyanate was found. The insert shows the molecular structure of this chemical.2017-06-07T14:03:06+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/06/02/nobel-laureate-jack-szostak-exoplanets-gave-the-origin-of-life-field-a-huge-boost/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/981076.gif981076The simple protocells that may have enabled life to develop four billion years ago consist of only genetic material surrounded by a fatty acid membrane. This pared down version of a cell—which has not yet been completely recreated in a laboratory—is thought to have been able to grow, replicate, and evolve. (Howard Hughes Medical Institute)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/kepler_all-planets_may2016-e1496309484788.jpgkepler_all-planets_may2016This artist's concept depicts select planetary discoveries made to date by NASA's Kepler space telescope. Credits: NASA/W. Stenzelhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/18conv-jumbo-e1496303353814.jpg18CONV-jumboJack Szostak shifted his focus from telomeres to the origins of life after winning a Nobel Prize. One reason for his switch was the exploding field of exoplanets, and the inevitabale question of whether any can support life. (Bryce Vickmark for The New York Times)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/122098-004-9f41d457-1.jpg122098-004-9F41D457How did something alive emerge from a non-living world. It's a question as old as humanity, but may in time prove to be solvable. Here blue-green algae in Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/js1-2-e1496296317201.jpgjs1 (2)ack Shostak, nobel laureate and pioneering in the origin of life field, speaking at the Earth-Life Science Institute in Tokyo. (Nerissa)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/js1-1-e1496296002253.jpgjs1 (1)ack Shostak, nobel laureate and pioneering in the origin of life field, speaking at the Earth-Life Science Institute in Tokyo. (Nerissa)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/js3-1-1.jpgjs3 (1)ack Shostak, nobel laureate and pioneering in the origin of life field, speaking at the Earth-Life Science Institute in Tokyo. (Nerissa)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/js3-1-e1496367988398.jpgjs3 (1)ack Shostak, nobel laureate and pioneering in the origin of life field, speaking at the Earth-Life Science Institute in Tokyo. (Nerissa)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/js3-e1496295627868.jpgjs3Jack Szostak at https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/js1-e1496295278228.jpgjs1Jack Shostak, nobel laureate and pioneering in the origin of life field, speaking at the Earth-Life Science Institute in Tokyo. (Nerissa)2017-06-02T09:36:20+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/05/22/getting-real-about-the-oxygen-biosignature/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/pia21421-cr-e1495391279402.jpgpia21421-crThe Virtual Planetary Laboratory investigates the potential habitability of extrasolar planets. The research will help in predicting the habitability of discovered bodies like the Earth-size planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1 and Proxima Centauri. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/1000px-oxygenation-atm-2-svg_-e1495150166238.png1000px-Oxygenation-atm-2.svgA chart showing the percentage rise in oxygen in Earth's atmosphere over the past 3.8 billion years. The great oxyidation event occurred some 2.3 billion years ago, but it took more than a billion additional years for the build-up to have much effect on the composition of the planet's atmosphere. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/440px-oxygen_atmosphere.png440px-Oxygen_atmosphereA chart of when, and to some extent how, the amount of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere has risen. It took more than a half of the time that life has existed on Earth for oxygen levels to rise enough to become a discernible biosignature. xxx.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/uc-san-diego-space-red-e1495127349736.jpguc-san-diego-space-redCredit: ESO/M. Kornmesser, CC BY Imagined view from the surface of one of the newly discovered planets, with ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 in the background. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/bubbles_427x240.jpgbubbles_427x240Oxygen bonds quickly with many other molecules. That means when it is present in large amounts in its elemental form, it is being produced and resupplied regularly. On Earth, O2 is mostly a product of biology, but elsewhere it might be result of non-biological processes. Here is an image of oxygen bubbles in water. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/meadows_vikki.jpgmeadows_vikkiVictoria "Vikki" Meadows, Director of the Virtual Planetary Institute at the University of Washington. The lab has been selected as a NASA Astrobiology Institute research node since xxx. (University of Washington.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/14989002-1-e1494697370316.jpg14989002-1Artist's impression of the exoplanet GJ 1132 b, which orbits the red dwarf star GJ 1132. Astronomers have managed to detect the atmosphere of this Earth-like planet. Credit: MPIA https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/earths-atmosphere-from-space-e1494691964522.jpgearths-atmosphere-from-spaceOxygen, which makes up about 21 percent of the Earth atmosphere, has been embraced as the best biosignature for life on faraway exoplanets. New research shows that detecting distant life via the oxygen biosignature is not so straight-forward, though it probably remains the best show we have. (NASA)2017-05-22T14:20:06+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/05/19/exquisite-image-of-icy-disk-around-the-young-fomalhaut-system/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/250px-paul_kalas_in_2015.jpg250px-Paul_Kalas_in_2015Paul Kalas, an astronomer at the University of California, Berkeley, has been principal investigator for the campaign to directly image the planetary system Formalhaut, with its large debris disk. (U.C., Berkeley)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/nrao17cb20b-e1495223773303.jpegFomalhaut UpdateALMA image of the debris disk in the Fomalhaut star system. The ring is approximately 20 billion kilometers from the central star and about 2 billion kilometers wide. The central dot is the unresolved emission from the star, which is about twice the mass of our sun. ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO); M. MacGregor https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/nrao17cb20a-e1495221617932.jpgFomalhaut UpdateComposite image of the Fomalhaut star system. The ALMA data, shown in orange, reveal the distant and eccentric debris disk in never-before-seen detail. The central dot is the unresolved emission from the star, which is about twice the mass of our sun. Optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope is in blue; the dark region is a coronagraphic mask, which filtered out the otherwise overwhelming light of the central star. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), M. MacGregor; NASA/ESA Hubble, P. Kalas; B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/nrao17cb20a-e1495218869941.jpegFomalhaut UpdateNRAO image of the Formalhaut star system, and the large debris disk (in yellow) to purple) around it. The bright yellow circle in the center is the star itself. (NASA/NRAO2017-05-19T20:35:10+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/05/15/planetary-protection-is-a-wicked-problem/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/conleymoonhrybyksm-e1494852154467.jpegConleyMoonHrybykSMCatharine "Cassie" Conley has been NASA's Planetary Protection officer since 2006. There is only one other full-time official in the world with the same responsibilities, and he works for the European Space Agency. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/amaynar2.pngamaynar2Director: ASU Risk Innovation Lab Professor: School for the Future of Innovation in Societyhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/brent-sherwood-e1494608590250.jpgBrent SherwoodBrent Sherwood, mission manager for solar system at JPL, is currently overseeing xxx proposed projects for New Frontiers missions to search for live on Enceladus and .... JPLhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/mav-takes-off-1-e1494608275811.jpgMAV-takes-off-1Sample return from Mars. Artist concept of a Mars Sample Return mission. Credit: Wickman Spacecraft & Propulsion. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/human-colonies-on-mars-are-about-to-become-reality-thanks-to-elon-musk-e1494597312753.jpgHuman-Colonies-on-Mars-Are-About-to-Become-Reality-Thanks-to-Elon-MuskBryan Versteeg/Spacehabs.comhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/screen-shot-2017-05-12-at-9-27-07-am-e1494596457759.jpgScreen Shot 2017-05-12 at 9.27.07 AMconley slides at recent presentation to national academy of scienceshttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/nasa27s-mars-program-15091701.jpgNASAs-Mars-Program-15091701Elon Musk and his SpaceX company are developing plans to send astronauts -- and ultimately colonizers --to Mars. (SpaceX)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/deinococcus_radiodurans.jpgDeinococcus_radioduransDeinococcus radiodurans is an extremophilic bacterium, one of the most radiation-resistant organisms known. It can survive cold, dehydration, vacuum, and acid, and is therefore known as a polyextremophile and is considered perhaps the world's toughest bacterium. It can withstand a radiation does 1,000 times stronger than what would kill a person.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/pia14126_hires-e1494468970418.jpgpia14126_hiresclean room at jpl for assembly of Curiosity.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ppteam-e1494468110468.jpgppteamSample Analysis on Mars (SAM) in a clean room with some of the scientists who would use the instruments once Curiosity arrived at Mars. (Goddard xxx)2017-05-15T13:28:31+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/05/08/supernovae-give-and-can-take-away/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aat050.jpgAAT 50. The field of supernova 1987A, before and after (March, 1Supernova -- the thermonuclear explosion of massive stars -- are some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe. They can burn with a luminosity of ten billion suns. This show a before and after for supernova 1987A, which exploded in 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a nearby galaxy. (Australian Astronomical Observatory/ David Malin)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/1280px-sn1994d-e1494259790383.jpg1280px-SN1994DSupernova 1994D exploded on the outskirts of disk galaxy, and outshines even the center of the galaxy. New research has provided important insights about the progenitor stars of these cataclysmic, thermonuclear cosmic events. ( High-Z Supernova Search Team, HST, NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/understanding-the-origin-of-type-ia-supernovae-2-e1494257983206.jpgUnderstanding-the-Origin-of-Type-Ia-Supernovae-2Computer-generated image of a Type Ia supernova explosion. New research has provided important insights about the progenitor stars of these cataclysmic cosmic events. Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Dana Berryhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ironfoundinf-e1494260786481.jpgironfoundinfThese are transmission electron microscope images showing tiny magnetofossils containing iron-60, a form of iron produced during the violent explosion and death of a massive star in a supernova. They were deposited by bacteria in sediments found on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.© Marianne Hanzlik, Chemie Department, FG Elektronenmikroskopie, Technische Universität Münchenhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/599145main_pia14871_full-e1494091458127.jpg599145main_PIA14871_fullThis image combines data from four space telescopes to create a multi-wavelength view of all that remains of RCW 86, the oldest documented example of a supernova. Chinese astronomers witnessed the event in 185 A.D., documenting a mysterious "guest star" that remained in the sky for eight months. X-ray images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton Observatory were combined to form the blue and green colors in the image. The X-rays show the interstellar gas that has been heated to millions of degrees by the passage of the shock wave from the supernova.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/01-supernovae-e1494162486715.jpg01-supernovaeCrab nubula - one of the most glorious images produced by the Hubble Space Telescope -- is the long after-effects of supernovae explosions. These are estimated to have occured some xxxx light-years away. (NASA).https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/86471-e1494162996682.jpgBrian Fields - professor of astronomyBrian Fields - professor of astronomyhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/sn1006c_c800-e1493829829772.jpgsn1006c_c800 SN 1006 Supernova Remnant Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Zolt Levay (STScI) Explanation: A new star, likely the brightest supernova in recorded human history, lit up planet Earth's sky in the year 1006 AD. The expanding debris cloud from the stellar explosion, found in the southerly constellation of Lupus, still puts on a cosmic light show across the electromagnetic spectrum. In fact, this composite view includes X-ray data in blue from the Chandra Observatory, optical data in yellowish hues, and radio image data in red. Now known as the SN 1006 supernova remnant, the debris cloud appears to be about 60 light-years across and is understood to represent the remains of a white dwarf star. Part of a binary star system, the compact white dwarf gradually captured material from its companion star. The buildup in mass finally triggered a thermonuclear explosion that destroyed the dwarf star. Because the distance to the supernova remnant is about 7,000 light-years, that explosion actually happened 7,000 years before the light reached Earth in 1006. Shockwaves in the remnant accelerate particles to extreme energies and are thought to be a source of the mysterious cosmic rays. 2017-05-08T20:39:08+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/04/28/where-should-we-look-for-ancient-biosignatures-on-mars-in-2020/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/people-3312-1.jpgpeople-3312-1Ken Williford serves as the Deputy Project Scientist for the NASA Mars 2020 mission, and is the director of the JPL Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/16_ruff_m2020_2nd_lsw_presentation_v3-dragged-1-e1493393457969.jpg16_Ruff_M2020_2nd_LSW_presentation_v3-dragged-1Carbonate structures from the Columbia Hills region of Mars and, lower left, from the discharge channel of the El Tatio geyser in Childe's Atacama Desert. (NASA and https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/esp_016219_1980-e1493388004495.jpgESP_016219_1980Northest Syrtis Major is an area where water seeped deep into the bedrock. It also still has some magnetic signatures from the earliest days on Mars when the planet was surrounded by a full magnetic field. (NASA/HIRISE/University of Arizona)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/mars2020-20170211-e1493385226677.jpgmars2020-20170211Participants in a landing site workshop for NASA's upcoming Mars 2020 mission have recommended three locations on the Red Planet for further evaluation. The three potential landing sites for NASA's next Mars rover include Northeast Syrtis (a very ancient portion of Mars' surface), Jezero crater, (once home to an ancient Martian lake), and Columbia Hills (potentially home to an ancient hot spring, explored by NASA's Spirit rover). (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/msl_4sites_globe-extra-e1493332982254.jpgMSL_4sites_globe-extraThe three short-listed sites in red, previous landing sites in yellow, and other sites considered in white. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/mars_2020_landingsites_final_8br-1.jpgMars_2020_LandingSites_Final_8brhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/mro_hirise_syrtis_major_esp_015942_1980-fi-1-e1493386792341.jpgMRO_HIRISE_Syrtis_Major_ESP_015942_1980-fi-1Northest Syrtis Major is an area where water seeped deep into the bedrock. It also still has some magnetic signatures from the earliest days on Mars when the planet was surrounded by a full magnetic field. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/080716_jezerocrater_hr-fi-1.jpg080716_JezeroCrater_hr-fi-1Jerezo crater contains a delta with abundant sedimentary layers that are the kind most likely to preserve fossil life. (NASA)2017-04-28T16:51:34+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/04/24/the-influential-natalie-batalha/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/18055942_10211875207530980_2339596630378175773_o-e1492954559180.jpg18055942_10211875207530980_2339596630378175773_oBatalha preparing for the Science Walk in San Francisco on Earth Day.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ahr0cdovl3d3dy5zcgfjzs5jb20vaw1hz2vzl2kvmdawlza1ns8zotavb3jpz2luywwva2vwbgvylwv4b3bsyw5ldc1kaxnjb3zlcmllcy1zbwfsbc1oywjpdgfibgutem9uzxmuanbn.jpgaHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA1NS8zOTAvb3JpZ2luYWwva2VwbGVyLWV4b3BsYW5ldC1kaXNjb3Zlcmllcy1zbWFsbC1oYWJpdGFibGUtem9uZXMuanBnThe small planets identified by Kepler as one one year ago that are small and orbit in the region around their star where water can exist as a liquid. NASA Ames/N. Batalha and W. Stenzelhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/18076708_1654425004582849_247711198355973934_o-e1492800580158.jpg18076708_1654425004582849_247711198355973934_oBy chance -- or was it change? -- all three exoplanet scientists selected for the Time 100 were at Yuri Milner's Breakthrough Discuss session Thursday when the news came out. On the left is Escude- , Batalha in the middle and Gillon on the right.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/keplerbeautyshot-e1492798146497.jpgkeplerbeautyshotBatalha has led the science mission of the Kepler Space Telescope since it launched in xxx. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/natalie_photo_montage-full-sz_12x9-1-e1492786694487.jpgnatalie_photo_montage-full-sz_12x9-1Natalie Batalha, project scientist for the Kepler mission and a leader of NASA's NExSS initiative on exoplanets, was just selected as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people. In the world! (NASA, Time Magazine.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/kepler_fig5_0.jpgkepler_fig5_02017-04-24T05:12:47+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/04/20/nasa-panel-supports-life-detecting-lander-for-europa-updated/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/artistsconceptmain-full_1-e1492725550206.jpgartistsconceptmain-full_1Artist conception of water vapor plumes coming from beneath the thick ice of Jupiter's moon Europa. The plumes have not been definitively detected, but Hubble Space Telescope images make public earlier this month appear to show plume activity in an area where it was detected once before. (NASA)2017-04-20T23:03:17+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/04/13/ocean-worlds-enceladus-is-looking-increasingly-habitable-and-europas-ocean-under-the-ice-more-accessible-to-sample/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/543564main_pia07800-full_full-2-e1492113149689.jpg543564main_pia07800-full_fullThe plumes of Enceladus originate in the long tiger stripe fractures of the south polar region pictured here. (Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pia21442_modest-3.jpgPIA21442_modest (3)This graphic illustrates how scientists on NASA's Cassini mission think water interacts with rock at the bottom of the ocean of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, producing hydrogen gas (H2). It remains unclear whether the interactions are taking place in hydrothermal vents or more diffusely across the ocean. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1-enceladus-pia11688-e1492111367273.jpg1-enceladus-PIA11688Enceladus plumeshttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pia21442_modest-1-1.jpgPIA21442_modest (1)This graphic illustrates how some scientists on NASA's Cassini mission think water interacts with rock at the bottom of the ocean of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, producing hydrogen gas (H2). It remains unclear whether the interactions are taking place in hydrothermal vents or more diffusely across the ocean. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pia21442_modest.jpgPIA21442_modestThis graphic illustrates how scientists on NASA's Cassini mission think water interacts with rock at the bottom of the ocean of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, producing hydrogen gas (H2). It remains unclear whether the interactions are taking place in hydrothermal vents or more diffusely across the ocean. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/stsci-h-p1717a-t-400x400.pngSTSCI-H-p1717a-t-400x400Astronomers have twice found evidence of a plume of water vapor coming from the same location. Both plumes, photographed in UV light by Hubble, were seen in silhouette as the moon passed in front of Jupiter. (NASA/ESA/STScI/USGS)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pia19058-e1491936354143.jpgpia19058An illustration based on Cassini data shows what hydrothermal activity might look like on Enceladus. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/main_900-e1491935636251.jpgmain_900The moon Enceladus is the xxx largest in the Saturn system. This image was taken by Cassini in xxxx. (NASA/JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute.)2017-04-13T06:49:57+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/04/10/what-scientists-expect-to-learn-from-cassinis-upcoming-plunge-into-saturn/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/cassinifinale-1-3-e1491791299435.jpgcassinifinale (1)Artist rendering of Cassini over Saturn's north pole, with it huge hexagon-shaped storm. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pia17212-1-e1491790981824.jpgpia17212moon within a ringhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/05c_sep2016_peoplelindaspilker1finalsize_live-wr-e1491781577760.jpg05c_sep2016_peoplelindaspilker1finalsize_live-wrCassini project scientist Linda Spilker of JPL was on the Voyager team in the 1970s. She has a long-standing research interest in Saturn’s rings. (Bill Youngblood, Caltech) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/cassinifinale-1-1-e1491599966681.jpgcassinifinale-1Artist rendering of Cassini over the northern pole of Saturn as it prepares for its final plunge. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/saturnabove_cassini_960-e1491597960661.jpgSaturnAbove_Cassini_960Saturn as imaged from above by Cassini last year. Over the next five months, the spacecraft will orbit closer and closer to the planet and will finally plunge into its atmosphere. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/365640main_pia11141_full-e1491597027734.jpg365640main_PIA11141_fullSaturn, as imaged by the Cassini spacecraft in 2008 In five months time, the spacecraft will orbit closer and closer to the planet and will finally plunge into its atmosphere. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/moc-tcm-2-11-4-15-e1491585574177.jpgMOC TCM-2 11-4-15Curt Neibur, lead program scientist fat NASA headquarters for the Cassini mission. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/p03gjxhm-e1491584113326.jpgp03gjxhmSaturn, as imaged by the Cassini spacecraft in xxx. In five months time, the spacecraft will orbit closer and closer to the planet and will finally plunge into its atmosphere. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pia07872-e1491584542319.jpgPIA07872The age and origin of the rings of Saturn remains a subject of a great debate that may soon come to an end. Rrng particle sizes range from tiny, dust-sized icy grains to a few particles as large as mountains. Two tiny moons orbit in gaps (Encke and Keeler gaps) in the rings and keep the gaps open. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/cassini_grandfinale_orbits.jpgCassini the Grand FinaleThe Cassini spacecraft will make 22 increasingly tight orbits of Saturn before it disappears into the planet's atmosphere in September.2017-04-10T13:37:41+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/03/29/the-magma-ocean-and-us/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ida3wo17ne-e1490667669733.jpgIda3wo17NEShigeru Ida, a planetary formation expert and part of the ELSI magma ocean team. (© Nerissa Escanlar 2017)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/johns20172ne-e1490618747911.jpgjohns20172NEJohn Hernlund, geophysicist and associate director of ELSI. One of his goals is to make the institute an international center for the study of the magma ocean.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1-e1490618171792.png-1Dynamics of planetesimal hitting proto-Earth, and how heavy materials fall into the center of the planet. (John Hernlund, ELSI)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/keikohamanoc2017ne-e1490579830575.jpgkeikohamanoc2017NEKeiko Hamano, a planetary systems specialist at ELSI, has researched the connectedness of magma oceans and early atmospheres. (© Nerissa Escanlar 2017)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/john-and-mary-e1490550424575.jpgJohn and maryJohn Hernlund of ELSI and Mary Voytek of the NASA astrobiology program an an ELSI conference in Tokyo.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/fig4.pngfig4In the primitive Earth, a thick magma ocean that extended beneath the solid mantle gradually cooled down and probably still remains in a small amount. This remaining magma ocean is observed as the ultralow-velocity zones at the bottom of the mantle.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/moon-forming-giant-impact-e1489808369292.jpgmoon-forming-giant-impactchematic view of the Earth's interior after the moon-forming giant impact, ~ 4.5 billion years ago. The solid mantle crystallises at an intermediate depth and a dense magma ocean forms at the top of the core. Credits: @sylvain Petitgirard/ Bayreuth University.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ef4d0414-6ad5-4409-9a26-e0df0ef83b78-e1489805420872.jpgef4d0414-6ad5-4409-9a26-e0df0ef83b78A vast magma ocean covered the very early Earth. Magma is a molten and semi-molten rock mixture found under the surface of the Earth. On the rare occasions when magma breaks the surface, as in a volcanic eruption, it is called lava. This lava lake sits in Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of Congo.(National Geographic.)2017-03-29T14:18:12+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/03/15/a-vision-that-could-supercharge-nasa/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/harley-jwst.jpgHarley + JWSTHarley Thronson, xxx at the Goddard Space Flight Center, standing outside the JWST clean room. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/harley_thronson_215-1.jpgharley_thronson_215 (1)Harley Thronson, the xxx for Goddard Space FLight Center.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/e-s-l2_schematic-2k21-e1487625209639.jpgE-S L2_schematic.2k2(1)One of the locations in relatively nearby space where a space telescope would have a stable gravitational environment. (NASAhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ru7hk0oii_fdtuwxo1a6qzhc8zhe16rqlumnbojcyh4mgbuh4hbkssepq7x40ssuix6kimcvsfufrcvyorfz_i-1-1.jpgRU7Hk0oII_FDtUWxo1a6QzHC8Zhe16rqlUMnBOJcyH4,MgbUh4hBksSEpQ7X40ssuix6KimCVsfUfRCvYorfz_I-1 (1)Nine meter galaxieshttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/aki_prof_3_sm.jpgConversations with Goddard - Aki RobergeAki Roberge of the Goddard Space Flight Center is the team scientist for the LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/screen-shot-2017-02-17-at-10-32-25-pm-1-e1487389344821-4.jpgScreen-Shot-2017-02-17-at-10.32.25-PM-1-e1487389344821The strongest driver on the size of the LUVOIR telescope is the desire to have a large sample of exoEarth candidates to study. This figure shows the real stars in the sky for which a planet in the habitable zone can be observed. The Sun is at the center. Most of the accessible stars are solar-type FGK stars. The color coding shows the probability of observing an exoEarth candidate if it’s present around that star (green is a high probability, red is a low one). This is a visualization of the work of Chris Stark at STScI, who created an advanced code to calculate yields of exoplanet observations with particular facilities. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/8plsqvqdrg5spcfsedhi6kjpeb3tj_ejuagf6_guwsy3senk3noe6ps3bdan-2-e1487612047534.jpg8PlsQvQDRg5Spcfsedhi6kJpeB3tj_EJUaGf6_GUwsY3senk3noe6PS3bDAN16 meterhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/screen-shot-2017-02-17-at-10-32-25-pm-1-e1487389344821-2.jpgScreen-Shot-2017-02-17-at-10.32.25-PM-1-e1487389344821https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/screen-shot-2017-02-17-at-10-32-25-pm-1-e1487389344821-1-e1487611557569.jpgScreen-Shot-2017-02-17-at-10.32.25-PM-1-e1487389344821Take home msg.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/6o-fed48kk3m9n-yypk1qib8gcggehjnovttrdwltus-1.png6o-fEd48kk3M9n-YYPK1qIb8gcGGehjNOVttrDwltus-1ExoEarths captured with xxx.2017-03-20T19:12:40+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/03/09/how-to-give-mars-an-atmosphere-maybe/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/terraforming_of_mars.jpgTerraforming_of_MarsA Mars more conducive to a human presence would not likely be particularly verdant anytime soon. But it might make a human presence there possible.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/mars-polar-cap.jpgMars polar capThis image combines depicts an orbital view of the north polar region of Mars, based on data collected from two instruments aboard NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor, depicts an orbital view of the north polar region of Mars. About 620 miles across, the white sections are primarily water ice. Frozen carbon dioxide accumulates as a comparatively thin layer about one metre thick on the north cap in the northern winter only. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS 2017-11-07T10:42:35+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/02/22/a-solar-system-found-crowded-with-seven-earth-sized-exoplanets/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/pia21422_hires-e1487792691898.jpgPIA21422_hiresThis artist's concept shows what the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system may look like, based on available data about the planets' diameters, masses and distances from the host star. The system has been revealed through observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the ground-based TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/eso1706h-e1487792276141.jpgLight curves of the seven TRAPPIST-1 planets as they transitThis diagram shows how the light of the dim red ultra cool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 fades as each of its seven known planets passes in front of it and blocks some of its light. The larger planets create deeper dips and the more distance ones have longer lasting transits as they are orbiting more slowly. These data were obtained from observations made with the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/4_cover_pia21421-png-1-e1487789133484.png4_cover_pia21421-pngSeven Earth-sized rocked planets have been detected around the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1. The system is 40 light years away, but is considered to be an easy system to study -- as explanet research goes. (NASA) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/eso1706b-e1487771173984.jpgComparison of the TRAPPIST-1 system with the inner Solar SystemThis diagram compares the orbits of the newly-discovered planets around the faint red star TRAPPIST-1 with the Galilean moons of Jupiter and the inner Solar System. All the planets found around TRAPPIST-1 orbit much closer to their star than Mercury is to the Sun, but as their star is far fainter, they are exposed to similar levels of irradiation as Venus, Earth and Mars in the Solar System.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/eso1706c-e1487776985645.jpgComparison of the TRAPPIST-1 system with the inner Solar SystemThis diagram compares the orbits of the newly-discovered planets around the faint red star TRAPPIST-1 with the Galilean moons of Jupiter and the inner Solar System. All the planets found around TRAPPIST-1 orbit much closer to their star than Mercury is to the Sun, but as their star is far fainter, they are exposed to similar levels of irradiation as Venus, Earth and Mars in the Solar System.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/trappist_6651.jpgLa Silla ObservatoryOne of the observing domes of La Silla Observatoryhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/eso1706a-e1487770110110.jpgArtist’s impression of the TRAPPIST-1 planetary systemThis artist’s impression shows the view from the surface of one of the planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system. At least seven planets orbit this ultra cool dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth and they are all roughly the same size as the Earth. They are at the right distances from their star for liquid water to exist on the surfaces of several of them. This artist’s impression is based on the known physical parameters for the planets and stars seen, and uses a vast database of objects in the Universe.2017-02-22T20:03:50+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/02/16/ceres-asteroids-and-us/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/pia19065-16-e1487271009363.jpgpia19065-16A new view of Ceres' surface shows finer details coming into view as NASA's Dawn spacecraft spirals down to increasingly lower orbits. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDAhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/vesta-7-18-11-e1487270621433.jpgvesta-7-18-11NASA’s Dawn spacecraft captured this image of the asteroid Vesta while in orbit on July 18, 2011. The view looks across Vesta’s cratered and heavily-scarred south pole from a distance of about 6,500 miles.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/vesta1_dawn_900-e1487270371492.jpgvesta1_dawn_900What does the surface of asteroid Vesta look like? The brightest asteroid in the Solar System and the object which takes up about 10 percent of the entire mass of the main asteroid belt had never been seen up close before. Over the past few weeks, however, the robotic Dawn spacecraft became the first spacecraft ever to approach Vesta. A few days ago, just after attaining orbit, Dawn took the above image. Early images show Vesta to be an old and battered world, covered with craters, bulges, grooves, and cliffs. Studying Vesta may give clues to the formative years of our early Solar System, as the unusual world may be one of the largest remaining protoplanets. After a year of studying Vesta, Dawn is scheduled to leave orbit and, in 2015, approach the only asteroid-belt object that is larger: Ceres. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/itokawa06_hayabusa-e1487255559358.jpgitokawa06_hayabusaAsteroid Itokawa, visited by Hayabusa in xxx.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/maxresdefault-e1487255094933.jpgmaxresdefaultAsteroid vestahttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/hayabusa2-asteroid-mission.jpgHayabusa2-asteroid-missionHayabusa2 launched in 2014 and is scheduled to land on xxx in 2018. The asteroid is believed to be rich in gases and organic compounds. (JAXA/Akihiro Ikeshita)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/asteroid_belt-921x1024-e1487213765989.jpgAsteroid_Belt-921x1024Illustration of the minor bodies in the inner part of the Solar System, including Jupiter trojans and the main asteroid belt. These objects are byproducts of planet formation and have key information about that process. Detecting them in extrasolar systems may help us to understand the early evolution of planetary systems. Credits: NASA https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/700px-pia20351-ceres-dwarfplanet-ellipticalmap-hamo-20160322-e1487181175762.jpg700px-PIA20351-Ceres-DwarfPlanet-EllipticalMap-HAMO-20160322Ceres, as taken by dawn, with bright spots,https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ceres-jpg.jpgceres-jpgasteroid ceres2017-02-16T21:08:48+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/02/10/nasa-panel-supports-life-detecting-lander-for-europa/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/lake-vostok-national-science-foundation-e1486697589842.jpglake-vostok-national-science-foundationThree dimensional model of Lake Vostok drilling. (Credit: National Science Foundation)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/51551-e1486694734553.jpgconverted PNM fileA picture of the Martian surface, as seen by NASA's Viking 2 lander in 1976.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/people-635.jpgpeople-635Eric Hand of JPL, the deputy science lead for the Europa project.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/pia21048_fig1-1-e1486668326228.jpgPIA21048_fig1 (1)Artist rendering of a potential life-detecting lander mission to Europa that would follow on the Europa Clipper orbiter mission. In the background is Jupiter. NASA/JPL/Caltechhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/europa_full-e1486512700373.jpgeuropa_fullThis artist's rendering shows NASA's Europa mission spacecraft, which is being developed for a launch sometime in the 2020s. This view shows the spacecraft configuration, which could change before launch, as of early 2016. This artist’s rendering shows NASA’s Europa orbiter mission spacecraft, which is being developed for a launch sometime in the 2020s. The mission would place a spacecraft in orbit around Jupiter in order to perform a detailed investigation of the planet’s moon Europa. The spacecraft will arrive at Jupiter after a multi-year journey, orbiting the gas giant every two weeks for a series of 45 flybys of Europa. NASA generally sends orbiters to a planet or moon before sending a lander. (NASA) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/pia19048_0-e1486512585759.jpgpia19048_0Europa is slightly smaller than the size of our moon, and is broadly agreed to have a large ocean under its 10 to 15 miles ice crust. It orbits Jupiter every 3.5 days. That promixity, coupled with the fact that Europa has a slightly elliptical rather than circular orbit, create the tidal “flexing” and thus heating that can keep water liquid. (NASA) 2017-02-10T15:28:42+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/02/01/do-intelligent-civilizations-across-the-galaxies-self-destruct-for-better-and-worse-were-the-test-case/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/e7c33ee2c5cebdee818ae679cf8ca754.jpge7c33ee2c5cebdee818ae679cf8ca754The SETI radio telescope array in Hat Creek, California.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/earth_in_hands_by_tonysteeleebw-d654vzm-1.jpgearth_in_hands_by_tonysteeleebw-d654vzmGrinspoonhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/211410578_orig-e1485977609246.jpg_211410578_origThe Drake equation, which predicts how many civilizations in our galaxy might have civilizations that can communicate. The last factor -- the "L" for longevity -- is considered key. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/626033main_iss030e078095_full-1-e1485898166766.jpg626033main_iss030e078095_full-1An Expedition 30 crew member aboard the International Space Station took this nighttime photograph of much of the Atlantic coast of the United States. Large metropolitan areas and other easily recognizable sites from the Virginia/Maryland/Washington, D.C. area are visible in the image that spans almost to Rhode Island. Boston is just out of frame at right. Long Island and the New York City area are visible in the lower right quadrant. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are near the center. Parts of two Russian vehicles parked at the orbital outpost are seen in left foreground. This image was taken on Feb. 6, 2012. Image Credit: NASAhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1207_grinspoondavid-2-1000x704-e1485900245748.jpg1207_GrinspoonDavid-2-1000x704David Grinspoon, the first Chair in Astrobiology at the Library of Congress, and author of "Earth in Human Hands." xxxhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/3827344-saving-the-earth-concept-human-hands-holding-the-planet-stock-photo-e1485894951921.jpg3827344-Saving-the-Earth-concept-human-hands-holding-the-planet-Stock-PhotoEarth in human handshttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/lighthouse-e1485895074805.jpglighthouseFlying saucer lighthouse2017-03-20T03:06:32+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/01/24/a-four-planet-system-in-orbit-directly-imaged-and-remarkable/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/me_sofia_thumb.jpgme_SOFIA_thumbJason Wang is a graduate study in astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/watchinganex_620x468.gifwatchinganex_620x468This looping animation of a series of images taken between November 2013 and April 2015 with the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) on the Gemini South telescope in Chile shows the exoplanet Beta Pictoris b orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. In the images, the star is at the center of the left-hand edge of the frame; it is hidden by the Gemini Planet Imager’s coronagraph. We are looking at the planet’s orbit almost edge-on; the planet is closer to the Earth than the star. Image credit: M. Millar-Blanchaer, University of Toronto; F. Marchis, SETI Institute.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/cm-084small-head.jpgCM-084small-headChristian Marois was part of the team that discovered HR 8799 using direct imaging. He is also on the engineering and science teams of the Gemini Planet Imager, which he helped design and build.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/fomalhaut-b-exoplanet-e1485146447265.jpgfomalhaut-b-exoplanetThis false-color composite image traces the motion of the planet Fomalhaut b, a world captured by direct imaging in xxx. Credit: NASA, ESA, and P. Kalas (University of California, Berkeley and SETI Institute) 2017-02-13T14:01:52+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/01/15/messy-chemistry-evolving-rocks-and-the-origin-of-life/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/n-ribosome50s-e1484487058932.pngn-ribosome50sRibosomes are life's oldest and most universal assembly of molecules. Today's ribosome converts genetic information (RNA) into proteins that carry out various functions in an organism. A growing number of scientists are exploring how earliest components of life such as the ribosome came to be. They're making surprising progress, but the going remains tough.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/7386026_f520-e1484486446228.jpg7386026_f520early earth -- origins of lifehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/earth_from_space_station_0-e1484486099724.jpgearth_from_space_station_0origins of lifehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/tdgyhuhpaaqaoghp0kgs-e1484484024313.jpgtdgyhuhpaaqaoghp0kgsEarly Earth and tarhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/cqvtdz7uiaa_pqt.jpgCqvtDZ7UIAA_PqTELSI was created in 2012 after its founders won a World Premier International Research Center Initiative grant from the Japanese government. The WPI grant is awarded to institutes with a research vision to become globally competitive centers that can attract the best scientists from around the world to come work in Japan.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/elsi.jpgelsiELSI was created in 2012 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT.) The WPI grant is awarded to institutes with a research and administrative vision to become globally competitive centers that can attract the best scientists from around the world to come work in Japan.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/ibb_headshots_262.jpgIBB_Headshots_262Loren Williams of Georgia techhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/sirena2ne-e1484478752102.jpgSIrena2neIrena Mamajanov of the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) in Tokyo was the science lead for a just completed symposium on emerging approaches to the origin of life question. ELSI is a recently created and unusual part of the Tokyo University of Technology.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/stroms-1-e1484444121120.jpgstroms (1)These stromatolites, wavelike patterns created by bacteria embedded in sediment, are 3.7 billion years old and may represent the oldest life on the planet. Photo by Allen Nutmanhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/stroms-e1484443869533.jpgstromsThese stromatolites, wavelike patterns created by bacteria embedded in sediment, are 3.7 billion years old and may represent the oldest life on the planet. Photo by Allen Nutman2017-01-17T16:40:08+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2017/01/08/direct-imaging-earth-and-moon-from-mars/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pia10244-e1483911102788.jpgPIA10244(NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pia21260.jpgPIA21260(NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ Univ. of Arizona)2017-01-08T21:46:00+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/12/22/some-spectacular-images-and-science-from-2016/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/potw1611a-e1482423263782.jpgpotw1611ahttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/potw1605a-1-e1482423231665.jpgAn Often Ignored BeautyThis picture of the week shows the spiral galaxy NGC 986 in the constellation of Fornax (The Furnace). The galaxy, which was discovered in 1826 by the Scottish astronomer James Dunlop, is not often imaged due to its proximity to the famous and rich Fornax Cluster of galaxies. Which is a shame, as this galaxy is not only a great scientific object, but also very pretty. The galaxy is about 56 million light-years away and seen almost perfectly from the top, or — as astronomers say — face-on. This allows us to see the two main spiral arms and also a central bar-shaped structure, composed of stars and dust, which makes it a barred spiral galaxy. Astronomical surveys have shown that about two thirds of all spiral galaxies contain a bar, including the Milky Way. This makes NGC 986 the perfect place to study the structure of galaxies and find out more about our own home galaxy, which is difficult to study from within. This view from the FORS instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory in northern Chile comes from the ESO Cosmic Gems programme, an outreach initiative to produce images of interesting, intriguing or visually attractive objects using ESO telescopes, for the purposes of education and public outreach. The programme makes use of telescope time that cannot be used for science observations. All data collected may also be suitable for scientific purposes, and are made available to astronomers through ESO’s science archive.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/620500322-ed-1-e1482359358842.jpg620500322-ed-1https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/620500322-ed-e1482357775937.jpg620500322-edhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/moon-halo-5-13-2016-yuri-beletsky-chile-pano-e1482357104420.jpgmoon-halo-5-13-2016-yuri-beletsky-chile-panohttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/europa02-photoa-plumes1042x1042-160919-1-e1482352802765.jpgeuropa02-photoa-plumes1042x1042-160919-12017-02-03T01:09:46+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/12/14/with-the-discovery-of-boron-on-mars-the-package-of-chemicals-needed-for-life-is-complete/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/main_pia21044-1-e1481726220442.jpgmain_pia21044-1This view from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows an outcrop with finely layered rocks within the "Murray Buttes" region on lower Mount Sharp. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/a0d8717f91f1133474901813de62487eff474148-e1481683887119.jpga0d8717f91f1133474901813de62487eff474148The ChemCam instrument, with its laser zapper, identified the element boron as Curiosity climbs Mount Sharp. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/curiosityatgale_comparison_after-04-annotated-e1481681657716.pngcuriosityatgale_comparison_after-04-annotatedThis pair of drawings depicts the same location at Gale Crater on at two points in time: now and billions of years ago. Water moving beneath the ground, as well as water above the surface in ancient rivers and lakes, provided favorable conditions for microbial life, if Mars has ever hosted life. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/benner.jpgbennerSteven Benner and his colleagues were the first to synthesize a gene, beginning the field of synthetic biology. He was instrumental in establishing the field of paleogenetics. He founded The Westheimer Institute of Science and Technology (TWIST) and the Foundation For Applied Molecular Evolution. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/pia21252_hires-e1481672991334.jpgpia21252_hiresExamination of a calcium sulfate vein called "Diyogha" by the Chemical and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover found boron, sodium and chlorine. At left, an image from Curiosity's Mast Camera (Mastcam) shows the context of the pale vein in mudstone of the Murray formation on lower Mount Sharp. A red outline marks the area included in a magnified view, at right, from ChemCam's remote micro-imager. The magnified view is annotated with indicators of boron, sodium and chlorine content detected by ChemCam at individual points hit with the instrument's laser. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/pia21256_sol1516mrseq07719-nolabels-e1481673232731.jpgpia21256_sol1516mrseq07719-nolabelsThe foreground of this scene from the Mastcam on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows purple-hued rocks near the rover's late-2016 location. The middle distance includes future destinations for the rover. Variations in color of the rocks hint at the diversity of their composition on lower Mount Sharp. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSShttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/curiosityatgale_comparison_before-05-annotated-e1481675474353.pngcuriosityatgale_comparison_before-05-annotatedThis pair of drawings depicts the same location at Gale Crater on at two points in time: now and billions of years ago. Water moving beneath the ground, as well as water above the surface in ancient rivers and lakes, provided favorable conditions for microbial life, if Mars has ever hosted life. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/129173_web-e1481671983485.jpg129173_webChemCam target Catabola is a raised resistant calcium sulfate vein with the highest abundance of boron observed so far. The red outline shows the location of the ChemCam target remote micro images (inset). The remote micro images show the location of each individual ChemCam laser point (red crosshairs) and the B chemistry associated with each point (colored bars). The scale bar is 9.2 mm or about 0.36 inches. Credit JPL-Caltech/MSSS/LANL/CNES-IRAP/William Rapin 2016-12-14T15:47:24+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/12/08/the-search-for-organic-compounds-on-mars-is-getting-results/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/270982main_pia01522_full__1240x510_q85_crop_subsampling-2-e1481237282776.jpg270982main_pia01522_full-jpg__1240x510_q85_crop_subsampling-2Image taken by Viking 2 on Mars in 1976. Results from both Viking landers reported no organic material in their samples, strongly suggesting there was no chance of current or past life. Recent readings by the SAM instrument on the Curiosity rover suggest the Viking conclusions were not correct, and that the instruments then did not have the capacity to detect Martian organics. NASAhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/4371195378_3f193b9e9f_b.jpg4371195378_3f193b9e9f_bGoddard biogeochemist Jennifer Eigenbrode, who is an expert at detecting organic compounds in rocks, is using R&D funds to develop a simplified sample-processing method that could be applied to a robotic chemistry lab. Photo Credit: Chris Gunn Summer 2008https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/cumberland-drill-hole-mars-curiosity-e1481236024987.jpgcumberland-drill-hole-mars-curiosityThe hole drilled into this rock target, called "Cumberland," was made by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on May 19, 2013. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/pia16100_mahaffy1-e1481223161621.jpgpia16100_mahaffy1The Sample Analysis on Mars instrument has the job of searching for, among other xxx, organics on Mars. And it seems to have succeeded, despite some major obstacles. (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/1456507739629099948-e1481210582368.jpg1456507739629099948Drill hole at the John Klein site on Mars. Organics were collected in the powered samples dug from the hole. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/mudstones-lg-e1481203821707.jpgmudstones-lgThis photograph, taken by NASA's Mars Rover Curiosity in 2015, shows sedimentary rocks of the Kimberley Formation in Gale Crater. The crater contains thick deposits of finely-laminated mudstone that represent fine-grained sediments deposited in a standing body of water that persisted for a long period of time - long enough to allow sediments to accumulate to significant thickness. Image by NASA. Enlarge image. [8]2016-12-10T17:13:13+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/12/01/the-stellar-side-of-the-exoplanet-story/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/21383050-e1480602992271.jpg21383050William Moore of Hampton University, and principal investigator of the Living, Breathing Planet team.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/dg_cvn_flare_final_1080_print-e1480561596655.jpgdg_cvn_flare_final_1080_printNASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessingerhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1551px-reddwarfnasa-e1480552694836.jpg1551px-reddwarfnasaArtist's conception of star SO25300.5+165258 which is a red dwarf about 7.8 light years from the sun (the newest data is 12.578 lyhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/sun-and-magnetosphere-e1480521546838.jpgsun-and-magnetosphereIllustration of solar wind arriving at Earth's magnetospherehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/pr_080103_2gr-1457551010-e1480520724996.jpgpr_080103_2gr-1457551010 The newly discovered giant planet orbits around its young and active host star inside the inner hole of a dusty circumstellar disk (artist view). Credit: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. The newly discovered giant planet orbits around its young and active host star inside the inner hole of a dusty circumstellar disk (artist view). Credit: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/young_planet-1-e1480520292767.jpgyoung_planet-1The newly discovered giant planet orbits around its young and active host star inside the inner hole of a dusty circumstellar disk (artist view). Credit: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/pia20690_-_main-e1480514636992.jpgpia20690_-_mainK2-33b, shown in this illustration, is one of the youngest exoplanets detected to date. It makes a complete orbit around its star in about five days. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltechhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/109_protodisklowest750h-e1480515980159.jpgThis artist's concept illustrates how silicate crystals like those found in comets can be created by an outburst from a growing star.This artist's concept illustrates how silicate crystals like those found in comets can be created by an outburst from a growing star. The image shows a young sun-like star encircled by its planet-forming disk of gas and dust. The silicate that makes up most of the dust would have begun as non-crystallized, amorphous particles. Streams of material are seen spiraling from the disk onto the star increasing its mass and causing the star to brighten and heat up dramatically. The outburst causes temperatures to rise in the star's surrounding disk. When the disk warms from the star's outburst, the amorphous particles of silicate melt. As they cool off, they transform into forsterite, a type of silicate crystal often found in comets in our solar system. In April 2008, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope detected evidence of this process taking place on the disk of a young sun-like star called EX Lupi.2016-12-01T14:15:59+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/11/21/seti-reconceived-and-broadened/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1-videowatchse-e1479692985787.jpg1-videowatchseA screenshot from a time lapse video of radio telescopes by Harun Mehmedinovic and Gavin Heffernan of Sunchaser Pictures was shot at several different radio astronomy facilities—the Very Large Array (VLA) Observatory in New Mexico, Owens Valley Observatory in Owens Valley California, and Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia. All three of these facilities have been or are still being partly used by the SETI (Search for the Extraterrestrial Intelligence) program. You can watch the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrxpgUJoHRchttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/screen-shot-2016-07-31-at-8-23-39-pm-e1470011198115.pngScreen Shot 2016-07-31 at 8.23.39 PMConnectivity network between disciplines showing the bridges and research avenues that link together space, planetary, and life sciences, geosciences, astrobiology, and cognitive and mathematical sciences. This representation is an expanded version of the Drake equation. It integrates all the historical factors now broken down in measurable terms and expanded to include the search for life we do not know using universal markers, and the disciplines, fields, and methods that will allow us to quantify them.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/cabrol-nathalie-stars2-582x437-1.jpgcabrol-nathalie-stars2-582x437Nathalie Cabrol, director of SETI's Carl Sagan Institute, wants to expand and update SETI's approach to searching for intelligent life beyond our solar system. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/nasa_nathalie_cabrol2.jpgNathalie Cabrol, director of SETI's Carl Sagan Institute, wants to expand and update SETI's approach to searching for intelligent life beyond our solar system. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ssc2006-03a11-e1469561000803.jpgssc2006-03a11The galaxay as viewed by the Hubble Space Telescopehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/01-globular-cluster-adapt_-768-1.jpg01-globular-cluster.adapt.768.1https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ata-alien-telescope-1.jpgATA-alien-telescope-1allen telescope array in nothern californai, used b SETIsacientists tolisten for signals coming from afar.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/070913_allen_tel_02.jpg070913_allen_tel_02Allen Telescope Arrayhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/031-drake-eqn.gif031-drake-eqnDrake Equation2016-12-08T15:47:52+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/11/17/waiting-on-enceladus/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/lunine_website_pic-e1479391233297.jpglunine_website_picJonathan Lunine is the David C. Duncan Professor of xxx at Cornell University, and Director, Center for Radiophysics and Space Research. He's also a member of the Cassini team.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1429171285_1429171882-e1479387960257.jpgIDL TIFF fileThis collage of Cassini spacecraft images and computer simulations shows how long, sinuous features from Enceladus can be modelled by tracing the trajectories of tiny, icy grains ejected from the moon's south polar geysers. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI - See more at: http://sen.com/news/supply-chain-from-enceladus-to-saturn-s-e-ring-observed#sthash.MxDsKUj4.dpufhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/enceladus_cassini_pia07800c16-e1479337710237.jpgenceladus_cassini_pia07800c16The plumes of Enceladus originate in the long tiger stripe fractures of the south polar region pictured here. Detailed models support conclusions that the plumes arise from near-surface pockets of liquid water at temperatures of 273 kelvins (0 degrees Celsius). (Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/85581473_graphic.jpg_85581473_graphicenceladus has a large -- 60/40 or 70/30https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/enceladus-full-e1479233846786.jpgenceladus-fullNASA's Cassini spacecraft completed its deepest-ever dive through the icy plume of Enceladus on Oct. 28, 2015. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech2016-11-17T15:13:19+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/11/08/with-the-main-jwst-mirror-completed-scientists-focus-on-how-to-best-and-most-fairly-use-it-once-in-space/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/atlantis15_01-e1478524364985.jpgShuttle HubbleNASA sent astronauts to fix or upgrade the Hubble Space Station five times since it launched in 1993. As of now, it looks like JWST will be too far away to ever be serviced should something go wrong. This 2009 shows astronauts John Grunsfeld, left, and Andew Feustel working on the HST during the first of five STS-125 spacewalks. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/656348main_tov_transit_diag_full-e1478445703802.jpgtransitTransit data are rich with information. By measuring the depth of the dip in brightness and knowing the size of the star, scientists can determine the size or radius of the planet. The orbital period of the planet can be determined by measuring the elapsed time between transits. Once the orbital period is known, Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion can be applied to determine the average distance of the planet from its stars. Credit: NASA Ameshttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/image1coctestimage3-e1478350606956.jpgimage1coctestimage3Engineers conduct a white light inspection on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in the clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. Credits: NASA/Chris Gunn2016-11-08T18:35:59+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/10/25/jupiters-stripes-run-deep-but-hopefully-junos-problems-do-not/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/pia21107_hires-e1477424802939.jpgpia21107_hiresThis composite image depicts Jupiter's cloud formations as seen through the eyes of Juno's microwave radiometer (MWR) instrument as compared to the top layer, a Cassini imaging science subsystem image of the planet. The MWR can see a couple of hundred miles into Jupiter's atmosphere with the instrument's largest antenna. The belts and bands visible on the surface are also visible in modified form in each layer below. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/GSFC2016-10-25T20:58:32+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/10/21/exoplanet-clouds-friend-and-foe/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/pia20687_main-1-e1477050389527.jpgpia20687_main-1Hot Jupiters, exoplanets around the same size as Jupiter that orbit very closely to their stars, often have cloud or haze layers in their atmospheres. This may prevent space telescopes from detecting atmospheric water that lies beneath the clouds, according to a study in the Astrophysical Journal. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/kepler-planets-480px.jpgkepler-planets-480pxstronomers can track the weather on alien worlds by measuring their reflected light and thermal emission. Lisa Esteves / University of Torontohttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/mit-cloudy-exo-01-1.jpgmit-cloudy-exo-01-1Analysis of data from the Kepler space telescope has shown that roughly half of the dayside of the exoplanet Kepler-7b is covered by a large cloud mass. Statistical comparison of more than 1,000 atmospheric models show that these clouds are most likely made of Enstatite, a common Earth mineral that is in vapor form at the extreme temperature on Kepler-7b. These models varied the altitude, condensation, particle size, and chemical composition of the clouds to find the right reflectivity and color properties to match the observed signal from the exoplanet. Courtesy of NASA (edited by Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/1393_jupiters1280-e1477042851457.jpg1393_jupiters1280Different colotd pedicted of Hot Jupiters based on their temperatures and the compounds in their atmospheres.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/hot_jupiter-e1477042752420.jpghot_jupiterArtist's impression of a hot Jupiter. Image Credit: NASA2016-10-21T13:22:48+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/10/13/the-ancient-mars-water-story-updated/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/4438h-e1476449968595.jpg4438hohn P. Grotzinger is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Geology at California Institute of Technology and chair of the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/89740584_image_2.png_89740584_image_2Tsunami-born sediments (arrow) inundate the land in an upslope direction (towards bottom-right)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/maxresdefault-2-e1476278229612.jpgmaxresdefault-2Rendering of Gale Lake some 3.5 billion years ago, when Mars was warmer and much wetter. The Curiosity mission is finding that Gale Crater water-changed rock is everywhere.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/mudstones-lg-e1476265444288.jpgmudstones-lgGale crater mudstonehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/28309892463_8011ef214f_o-e1476354220394.jpg28309892463_8011ef214f_oCuriosity arm at Murray buttes, in the Murray formation. The endless acres of mudstone are visible. (NASA/JPL-Malin & Edgett)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ancient-mars-ocean-water-1-e1476355130925.jpgancient-mars-ocean-water-1Artist rendering of a possible northern ocean on Mars. (NASA/ JPL-Caltech.)2016-10-15T18:03:26+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/10/07/over-the-eons-many-different-earths-on-our-one-planet/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/s7s.jpgs7schromiumhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/cr_isotope.pngcr_isotopeFigure 1. A chromium (Cr) isotope record of evolving Earth surface redox. Chromium isotope values in marine sediments (iron formations, ironstones, and siliciclastic sediments) through time show a significant increase in Cr isotope fractionation during the Neoproterozoic. This increase in Cr isotope values coincides with a period of major eukaryotic diversification reconstructed from the fossil record (vertical green bar) as well as a series of major biological and ecological events in the late Proterozoic (upper panel). These values are significantly higher than the high-temperature crustal range of Cr isotope values (horizontal gray bar), suggesting the initial onset of significant coupled O2-Mn-Cr cycling. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/snowball_earth_1.jpgsnowball_earth_1A rendering of the theorized "Snowball Earth" period when, for millions of years, the Earth was entirely or largely covered by ice, stretching from the poles to the tropics. This freezing happened over 650 million years ago in the Pre-Cambrian, though it's now thought that there may have been more than one of these global glaciations. They varied in duration and extent but during a full-on snowball event, life could only cling on in ice-free refuges, or where sunlight managed to penetrate through the ice to allow photosynthesis.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/e3f5e94b2fa8e0e3db3beabdfdc16635.jpge3f5e94b2fa8e0e3db3beabdfdc16635Banded iron formations Karijini National Park, Western Australia. The layers of reddish iron show the presence of oxygen, which bonded with the iron to form a rust-like iron oxide. These formations date most commonly from the period of 2.4 to 1.9 billion years ago, after the Great Oxidation Event. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/chris_reinhard_georgia_tech_4.jpgchris_reinhard_georgia_tech_4Christopher Reinhard, Georgia Institute of technology. (Brad...https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/lyonstim.jpglyonstimTimothy Lyons, distinguished professor of geobiochemistry at the University of California, Riverside. He is also the principal investigator of a National Astrobiology Institute project xxx.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/oldest-fossils-greenland-rock-e1475343686913.jpgoldest-fossils-greenland-rockAn image of a rock with fossilized stromatolites, tiny layered structures from 3.7 billion years ago that are remnants from a community of microbes. Found in a newly melted part of Greenland, Australian scientists reported in the journal Nature that the stromatolites lived on an ancient seafloor at a time when Earth's skies were orange and its oceans green. They describe the stromatolites as perhaps the oldest fossil found so far on Earth. (Allen Nutman/University of Wollongong) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/astrobiology-artist-concept-early-earth-br2-1-e1475342718582.jpgastrobiology-artist-concept-early-earth-br2-1Artist conception of early Earth. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/images.jpgimagesiron bandhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/astrobiology-artist-concept-early-earth-br2-e1475342321778.jpgastrobiology-artist-concept-early-earth-br2An artistic concept of an early Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech 2016-10-07T13:42:03+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/09/26/more-evidence-of-water-plumes-on-europa-increases-confidence-that-theyre-real/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/o-john-culberson-facebook-e1474926803141.jpgJohn Culberson Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, which oversees NASA funding. Culberson is a strong proponent of missions to Europa in search of extraterrestrial life. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/europa05-illusta-orbit-3000x2400-160919-e1474926320707.jpgeuropa05-illusta-orbit-3000x2400-160919Europa orbits Jupiter every 3 and a half days, and on every orbit it passes in front of the planet. That choreography raises the possibility of plumes being seen as silhouettes absorbing the background light of Jupiter. (A. Field; STScI)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/europa09d-surface-1200x886-160922-e1474922798831.pngeuropa09d-surface-1200x886-160922Bizarre features on Europa’s icy surface suggest a warm interior. This view of the surface and shows a color image set within a larger mosaic of low-resolution monochrome images. The Galileo spacecraft was able to survey only a small fraction of Europa's surface in color at high resolution; a future mission would include a high-resolution imaging capability to capture a much larger part of the moon's surface. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/clipper_best_140912-e1474923241475.jpgclipper_best_140912NASA hopes the Europan Clipper will fly in the early or mid 2020s and will search for signs of habitability. It is expected to circle the moon for three years. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/europa10a-art-926x1200-160922-e1474919588871.pngeuropa10a-art-926x1200-160922Plumes of water and other compounds have also been tentatively detected on Europa. The product of cryovolcanoes, they will be studied by NASA's Europa Clipper mission and are a tempting target to be studied for potential life for the proposed Europa Lander mission. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/europa02-photoa-plumes1000x1000-160919-e1474916174218.jpgeuropa02-photoa-plumes1000x1000-160919Figure 2: This composite image shows suspected plumes of water vapor erupting at the 7 o’clock position off the limb of Jupiter’s moon Europa. The Hubble data were taken on January 26, 2014. The image of Europa, superimposed on the Hubble data, is assembled from data from the Galileo and Voyager missions. Credits: NASA/ESA/W. Sparks (STScI)/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Image comparison of 2014 transit and 2012 Europa aurora observationshttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/pia19048-e1474903712199.jpgpia19048The puzzling, fascinating surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa looms large in this newly-reprocessed color view, made from images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the late 1990s. This is the color view of Europa from Galileo that shows the largest portion of the moon's surface at the highest resolution. The view was previously released as a mosaic with lower resolution and strongly enhanced color (see PIA02590). To create this new version, the images were assembled into a realistic color view of the surface that approximates how Europa would appear to the human eye. The scene shows the stunning diversity of Europa’s surface geology. Long, linear cracks and ridges crisscross the surface, interrupted by regions of disrupted terrain where the surface ice crust has been broken up and re-frozen into new patterns. Color variations across the surface are associated with differences in geologic feature type and location. For example, areas that appear blue or white contain relatively pure water ice, while reddish and brownish areas include non-ice components in higher concentrations. The polar regions, visible at the left and right of this view, are noticeably bluer than the more equatorial latitudes, which look more white. This color variation is thought to be due to differences in ice grain size in the two locations. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/europa_interiors_labelf9007-e1474901743426.jpgeuropa_interiors_labelf9007Schematic of Europa, with xxx surface covering xxx miles of ice and below that a potentially global ocean.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/15-104a-e1474900996144.jpg15-104aBizarre features on Europa’s icy surface suggest a warm interior. This view of the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa was obtained by NASA's Galileo mission, and shows a color image set within a larger mosaic of low-resolution monochrome images. Galileo was able to survey only a small fraction of Europa's surface in color at high resolution; a future mission would include a high-resolution imaging capability to capture a much larger part of the moon's surface. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech2016-09-26T21:30:52+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/09/21/out-of-the-darkness/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/hera19-1080x500-1.jpghera19-1080x500https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/hera_complete_750x277-e1474383953724.jpghera_complete_750x277An artist rendering of the HERA telescope when it has grown to 220 dishes, scheduled to occur in 2018. (The HERA team)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/heraarray1000-1-e1474383767137.jpgheraarray1000The HERA telescope as built so far. (The HERA team)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/profile_pic-1.jpgprofile_picAaron Parsons, associate professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the principal investigator of the HERA prject.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/reionexplbig-2-e1474306393117.jpgreionexplbig-2Before stars and galaxies became common, the universe went through a long period of darkness and semi-darkness, but ended with the Epoch of Reionization. (S.G. Dorgovski & Digital Media Center, Caltech.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/reionexplbig-e1474304740125.jpgreionexplbigSchematic of the evolution of the cosmos. (S.G. Dorgovski & Digital Media Center, Caltech.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/dark_ages_nasa_wmap.pngdark_ages_nasa_wmapSimulation of the "Dark Ages," a period between 380,000 years and 4 million years after the Big Bang. The universe was made up primarily of hydrogen in a neutral state, which did not easily connect with any other particles. NASA/WMAPhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/hera_space_timeline-1-e1474302681435.pnghera_space_timelineSchematic of period from th Big Bang through the epoch of reionization, which ends with galaxy formation.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/reion_diagram-e1474245158607.jpgreion_diagramSchematic history of the cosmos. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/banner-1-1-e1474200775143.jpgbanner-1-1An artist rendering of the "bubbles" of ionized atoms theorized to have surrounded the earliest stars. As Parsons explained: "The first galaxies lit up and started ionizing bubbles of gas around them, and soon these bubbles started percolating and intersecting and making bigger and bigger bubbles. Eventually, they all intersected and you got this über bubble, leaving the universe as we observe it today." Illustration from <i>Scientific American</i>An artist rendering of the "bubbles" of ionized atoms that surrounded the earliest stars. As Parsons explained: "The first galaxies lit up and started ionizing bubbles of gas around them, and soon these bubbles started percolating and intersecting and making bigger and bigger bubbles. Eventually, they all intersected and you got this über bubble, leaving the universe as we observe it today." Illustration from <i>Scientific American</i>2016-09-21T17:52:12+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/09/12/proxima-b-is-important-fascinating-and-maybe-habitable-but-surely-it-is-not-earth-like/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/n001271_elsi_pic4.jpgn001271_elsi_pic4Victoria Meadows is an astrobiologist and planetary astronomer whose research interests focus on acquisition and analysis of remote-sensing observations of planetary atmospheres and surfaces. In addition to studying planets within our own Solar System, she is interested in exoplanets, planetary habitability and biosignatures. Since 2000, she has been the Principal Investigator for the Virtual Planetary Laboratory Lead Team of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Her NAI team uses models of planets, including planet-star interactions, to generate plausible planetary environments and spectra for extrasolar terrestrial planets and the early Earth. This research is being used to help define signs of habitability and life for future extrasolar terrestrial planet detection and characterization missions.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/proxima-800x533-e1473634120308.jpgproxima-800x533The detection of Proxima b has been met with enormous enthusiasm in the exoplanet community. Some call it the biggest discovery since the detection of 51 Pegasi a, the first exoplanet to be positively identified. Detecting a planet, however, is just the beginning of the still unsettled process of determining its history and current makeup, and whether or not it might be habitable. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sunset_earth_proximab-e1473530816475.jpgsunset_earth_proximabSimulated comparison of a sunset on Earth and Proxima b. The red-dwarf star Proxima Centauri appears almost three times bigger than the Sun in a redder and darker sky. Red-dwarf stars appear bigger in the sky than sun-like stars, even though they are smaller. This is because they are cooler and the planets have to be closer to them to maintain temperate conditions. The original photo of the beach was taken at Playa Puerto Nuevo in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Credit: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.2016-09-12T15:47:57+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/09/01/the-case-strengthens-for-planet-9/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/image_4144_2e-trans-neptunian-objects-e1472682963617.jpgimage_4144_2e-Trans-Neptunian-ObjectsAn illustration of the orbits of 2013 FT28, 2014 SR349, and previously known extremely distant Solar System objects. The clustering of most of their orbits indicates that they are likely be influenced by something massive and very distant, the proposed Planet Nine. Image credit: Robin Dienel.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/scott-sheppard-8406cb38b26a044785e355ece4dcaee58ab63bf5-s600-c85.jpgscott-sheppard-8406cb38b26a044785e355ece4dcaee58ab63bf5-s600-c85Scott Shepard, astronomer and trans-Neptune hunter of extreme objects. (Scott Shepard/Carnegie Institution for Science.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/chile-telescope_slide-f9e79d1a99c5c2d67fa3ce7112800704fba3ee00-s1400-c85-e1472673178406.jpgchile-telescope_slide-f9e79d1a99c5c2d67fa3ce7112800704fba3ee00-s1400-c85Cerra Tollolohttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/redplanetx_1-e1472664198836.jpgRedPlanetX_1Caption: An artist’s conception of Planet X, courtesy of Robin Dienel.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/20160829-newobjects-oort-6-e1472664279799.jpg20160829-newobjects-oort-6An illustration of the orbits of the new and previously known extremely distant Solar System objects. The clustering of most of their orbits indicates that they are likely be influenced by something massive and very distant, the proposed Planet X. Image is courtesy of Robin Dienel. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/most-distant-dwarf-planet-1.jpgmost-distant-dwarf-planet-1Object V774104 was discovered in late October, 2015, and is one of the most distant objects ever detected in the solar system. It appears to be about half the size of Pluto, but with an orbit two to three times larger than Pluto's. Credit: Scott Sheppard, Chad Trujillo and Dave Tholen: Subaru Telescope 2016-09-01T23:52:04+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/08/24/found-our-nearest-exoplanet-neighbor/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/zxzza4m-icazg8i8y5ngdqdajd5s5v6_sfzor-lttrehrc3ixabwpord2_2sxa2rchnfzocie2boy-wbi65s4cuohbh4j4_2ho8ir6g0tnnwoffsx295eu1tru3a3fqni-e1472057639431.jpgZXZza4M-icAzg8I8y5NgDQdAJD5s5v6_sFzor-LTTrE,HRC3iXAbwPORd2_2sxA2rCHNfZOcie2boy-wbI65S4c,uOHBh4J4_2HO8Ir6g0tNNwoFFSX295eU1TRU3A3fQnIhis image of the sky around the bright star Alpha Centauri A B also shows the much fainter red dwarf star, Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Solar System. The picture was created from pictures forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The blue halo aroun d Alpha Centauri AB is an artifact of the photographic process, the star is really pale yellow in co lour like the Sun. Credit: Digitized Sky Survey 2 Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin/Mahdi Zamani https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/jfs-ls-2011_4921-e1472051689774.jpgjfs-ls-2011_4921The European Southern Observatory's La Silla facility in Chile. The "Pale Red Dot" campaign used previous data collected at La Silla, and updated with new observations there this year. (ESO)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/0iadslnrozuoimrrf2dyp3qo9siq7senmzasfsv9hgu-e1471972333837.jpg0IADsLnROzUOImRRf2Dyp3QO9sIq7sEnmZaSFsV9hGUhis infographic compares the orbit of the planet around P roxima Centauri (Proxima b) with the same region of the Solar System. Proxima Centauri is smaller and cooler than t he Sun and the planet orbits much closer to its star than Mercury. As a result it lies wel l within the habitable zone, where liquid water can exist on the planet ’ s surface. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser/G. Coleman https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/jb_oigbyvfjvcoieuryjx_rkfavbgyfyimq53wdju70-e1471967934949.jpgjB_oIgbYVFjvcoIeURYjX_rkFAvbGYfYimQ53wDju70This artist's impression shows a view of the surface of the planet Proxima b orbiting t he red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Solar System. The double star A lpha Centauri AB also appears in the image to the upper-right of Proxima itself. Proxima b is a little more massive than the Earth and orbits in the habitable zone around Proxima Centauri, wh ere the temperature is suitable for liquid water to exist on its surface. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/e5tsprv-yxuqrxfnuujdsjw2wednt9ru3o7fycaskwmvclnoei4rf-5gn6umqfpq_ity2lxm6jyzg3repxvfmy-e1471968318442.jpgE5tsprV-yXUQrxFnuujDSJW2WedNt9RU3o7FYcaSkWM,VclNOeI4rf-5GN6uMqFpQ_ItY2LXM6jyZG3rePXvFmYCaption: This picture combines a view of the southern skies over the ESO 3.6-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile with images of the stars Proxima Centauri (lowe r-right) and the double star Alpha Centauri AB (lower-left) from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the Solar System and is orbited by the planet Proxima b, which was discovered using the HARPS instrument on the ESO 3.6-metre telescope. Credit: Y. Beletsky (LCO)/ESO/ESA/NASA/M. Zamani https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/potw1343a-e1471613248540.jpgpotw1343aProxima Centauri as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. ESA/Hubble & NASA2016-08-24T17:06:55+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/08/22/earth-a-prematurely-inhabited-planet/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/the-transformation-priority-premise-4-638.jpgthe-transformation-priority-premise-4-638If the conclusion is correct that the Earth is most likely among the first planets to support life, then the famous Fermi Paradox could be easily resolved.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/avi_3-e1470345028450.jpgavi_3Abraham Loeb, usually called "Avi," is the chairman of the Harvard Astronomy Department and xxxx CFA. Mac G. Schumer, Harvard Crimson Mac G. Schumer, Harvard Crimson https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/et.pngETAbraham Loeb, usually called "Avi," is the chairman of the Harvard Astronomy Department and xxxx CFA. Mac G. Schumer, Harvard Crimson Mac G. Schumer, Harvard Crimson https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1-cmb_timeline300_no_wmap-e1470339303792.jpg1-CMB_Timeline300_no_WMAPA schematic of the history of the cosmos since the Big Bang identifies the period when planets began to form, but there's indication of when life might have started. Harvard's Avi Loeb wants to put life into this cosmological map, and foresees much more of it in the future, given certain conditions. ( NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/nasa-early-earth-e1470339398977.jpgNASA-EARLY-EARTHThe Earth was formed some 4.5 billions years ago, and life that existed as long ago as 3.5 to 3.8 billion years ago has been discovered. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb argues that life on Earth may well be "premature" in cosmological terms, and that many more planets will have biospheres in the far future. (xxx)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/m-dwarf_video_still_2-e1470341698967.jpgM-Dwarf_Video_Still_2Flares from our sun and from a red dwarf star. 2016-08-23T19:52:58+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/08/08/the-ever-more-puzzling-and-intriguing-tabbys-star/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/tabby-e1470679678419.pngtabbyTabetha Boyajian was the driving force behind bringing the mysterious star xxxx to public attention. It had initially been identified as peculiar by the citizen scientists of xxx.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/screen-shot-2016-08-08-at-12-51-45-pm-e1470675242897.pngScreen Shot 2016-08-08 at 12.51.45 PMPhotometry of KIC 8462852 as measured from the FFI data. The four colors and shapes (green squares, black circles, red diamonds, and blue triangles) represent measurements from the four separate channels the starlight reaches as the telescope rolls. The four subpanels show ux from each particular detector individually. The main gure combines all observations together; we apply three linear osets to the data from dierent channels to minimize the scatter to a linear t to the rst 1100 days of data. In all four channels, the photometry is consistent with a linear decrease in ux for the rst three years of the mission, followed by a rapid decrease in ux of 2:5% over the next six months. The light gray curve represents one possible Kepler long cadence light curve consistent with the FFI photometry created by tting a spline to the FFI photometry as described in Section 4. The large dips observed by Boyajian et al. (2016) are visible but narrow relative to the cadence of FFI observations. The long cadence data behind this gure are available online.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/spitzer_stardebris-crop_-original-original.jpgspitzer_stardebris.jpg.CROP.original-originalStar debris illustration2016-08-08T18:40:13+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/07/27/coming-to-terms-with-biosignatures/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/f7-large_-e1469654679247.jpgF7.largeSchematic for the concept of considering all small molecules in the search for biosignature gases. The goal is to start with chemistry and generate a list of all small molecules and filter them for the set that is stable and volatile in temperature and pressure conditions relevant for exoEarth planetary atmospheres. Further investigation relates to the detectability: the sources and sinks that ultimately control the molecules’ accumulation in a planetary atmosphere of specific conditions as well as its spectral line characteristics. Geophysically or otherwise generated false positives must also be considered. In the ideal situation, this overall conceptual process would lead to a finite but comprehensive list of molecules that could be considered in the search for exoplanet biosignature gases. Figure credit: S. Seager and D. Beckner.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/6775a9a9148b924ecc455068f27c5d22_fig6.jpg6775a9a9148b924ecc455068f27c5d22_fig6https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/exoplanet-chemical-signatures.jpgexoplanet-chemical-signaturesHow to measure the chemical signatures in the atmosphere of a transiting exoplanet. The total light measured off-transit (B in the lower left figure) decreases during the transit, when only the light from the star is measured (A). By subtracting A from B, we get the planet counterpart, and from this the “chemical fingerprints” of the planet atmosphere can be revealed. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.2016-07-28T01:34:40+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/07/20/rocky-close-and-potentially-habitable-planets-around-a-dwarf-star/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/sp_160502_habitable_planet_orbit-e1470409413442.jpgSP_160502_habitable_planet_orbitArtist's impression of the two planets in the Trappist-1 solar system. These worlds have sizes, temperatures and potentially atmospheres similar to those of Venus and Earth. Some believe they may be the best targets found so far for the search for life outside the solar system. They are the first planets ever discovered around such a tiny and dim star. (Nasa/ESA/STScI)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/screen-shot-2016-07-20-at-3-03-53-pm-e1469041646472.pngScreen Shot 2016-07-20 at 3.03.53 PMHubble/WFC3 white-light curve for the TRAPPIST-1b and TRAPPIST-1c double transit of 4 May 2016. (NASA/SScI)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/trappist-e1469028053667.jpgtrappistThe 60cm telescope is devoted to the detection and characterization of planets located outside our Solar System and to the study of comets and other small bodies in our solar system. (Trappist/ESO)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/trappist-1-e1469026668874.jpgArtist’s impression of the ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 andThis artist’s impression shows an imagined view of the three planets orbiting an ultracool dwarf star just 40 light-years from Earth that were discovered using the TRAPPIST telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. These worlds have sizes and temperatures similar to those of Venus and Earth and may be the best targets found so far for the search for life outside the Solar System. They are the first planets ever discovered around such a tiny and dim star. In this view one of the inner planets is seen in transit across the disc of its tiny and dim parent star.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/eso1615a-1.jpgArtist’s impression of the ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 froThis artist’s impression shows an imagined view from the surface one of the three planets orbiting an ultracool dwarf star just 40 light-years from Earth that were discovered using the TRAPPIST telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. These worlds have sizes and temperatures similar to those of Venus and Earth and are the best targets found so far for the search for life outside the Solar System. They are the first planets ever discovered around such a tiny and dim star. In this view one of the inner planets is seen in transit across the disc of its tiny and dim parent star.2016-07-20T17:08:32+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/07/14/rethinking-the-snow-line/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ann14045a-e1468511255607.jpgALMA and the centre of the Milky WayThis view shows several of the ALMA antennas and the central regions of the Milky Way above. In this wide field view, the zodiacal light is seen upper right and at lower left Mars is seen. Saturn is a bit higher in the sky towards the centre of the image. The image was taken during the ESO Ultra HD (UHD) Expedition.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ann13016a-e1470062757667.jpgann13016aAlma Array high in the Atacama Desert. (ESO/C. Arno)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/z4a2871-1-cc.jpgCelestial blanketLike a celestial blanket the Milky Way forms an arc high above the antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submilimeter Array. This arc is caused by the panoramic view of the image.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/potw1150a-e1468508589270.jpgpotw1150aThe ALMA array at xxx.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/eso1626b-e1468444282161.jpgALMA image of the protoplanetary disc around V883 OrionisThis image of the planet-forming disc around the young star V883 Orionis was obtained by ALMA in long-baseline mode. This star is currently in outburst, which has pushed the water snow line further from the star and allowed it to be detected for the first time. The dark ring midway through the disc is the water snowline, the point from the star where the temperature and pressure dip low enough for water ice to form.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/eso1626a-e1468355965570.jpgArtist’s impression of the water snowline around the young staAn artist's illustration shows the water snow line detected around the young star V883 Orionis — the delineation between where the hot star vaporizes all water, leaving rocky dust and debris, and where ice and snow exist in the disk. Credit: A. Angelich (NRAO/AUI/NSF)/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) 2016-07-14T19:27:58+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/07/07/three-star-ballet-with-exoplanet/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/kepler16_transit_art2-e1467840190320.jpgkepler16_transit_art2An artist's rendering of the Kepler-16 system, showing the binary star being orbited by Kepler-16bhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/eso1624d-1-e1467861084773.jpgSPHERE observations of the planet HD 131399AbThis annotated composite image shows the newly discovered exoplanet HD 131399Ab in the triple-star system HD 131399. The image of the planet was obtained with the SPHERE imager on the ESO Very Large Telescope in Chile. This is the first exoplanet to be discovered by SPHERE and one of very few directly-imaged planets. With a temperature of around 580 degrees Celsius and an estimated mass of four Jupiter masses, it is also one of the coldest and least massive directly-imaged exoplanets. This picture was created from two separate SPHERE observations: one to image the three stars and one to detect the faint planet. The planet appears vastly brighter in this image than in would in reality in comparison to the stars.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/eso1624b-e1467827345973.jpgArtist’s impression of planet in the HD 131399 systemThis artist's impression shows a view of the triple-star system HD 131399 from close to the giant planet orbiting in the system. The planet is known as HD 131399Ab and appears at the lower-left of the picture. Located about 320 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur), HD 131399Ab is about 16 million years old, making it also one of the youngest exoplanets discovered to date, and one of very few directly imaged planets. With a temperature of around 580 degrees Celsius and an estimated mass of four Jupiter masses, it is also one of the coldest and least massive directly-imaged exoplanets.2016-07-07T18:19:57+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/07/05/juno-now-orbiting-jupiter/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/160630231332-hubble-jupiter-juno-auroras-super-169-e1467686912220.jpg160630231332-hubble-jupiter-juno-auroras-super-169ASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured images of Jupiter's auroras on the poles of the gas giant. The observations were supported by measurements taken by Juno. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/pia20706_figb_labeled-1-e1467672881849.pngpia20706_figb_labeled-1Image of Jupiter and its moons taken during the approach. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/pia20703-e1467673023439.jpgpia20703Artist illustration of Juno as it approaches Jupiter. NASA2016-07-05T04:13:40+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/07/01/the-confounding-world-of-remote-biosignatures/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/david-catling-528x528.jpgDavid-Catling-528x528David Catling, a professor of Earth and space science at the University of Washington. He is also a researcher at the school's Virtual Planetary Laboratory.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/mv5bmtkxnzmzotgwn15bml5banbnxkftztcwnjyxmzuyng-_v1_uy317_cr370214317_al_.jpgMV5BMTkxNzMzOTgwN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjYxMzUyNg@@._V1_UY317_CR37,0,214,317_AL_Nancy Kiang, a co-science lead of the upcoming "Biosignatures" workshop and a planetary scientist with NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/nlanza_chemcam_image_small.jpgnlanza_ChemCam_image_smallNina Lanza, research scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and a member of the Chem-cam team for the Mars rover Curiosity.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/veg2moon-e1467381795541.jpgveg2moonGreen, yellow or even red-dominant plants may live on extra-solar planets, according to scientists whose two scientific papers appear in the March issue of the journal, Astrobiology. The scientists studied light absorbed and reflected by organisms on Earth, and determined that if astronomers were to look at the light given off by planets circling distant stars, they might predict that some planets have mostly non-green plants. Green, yellow or even red-dominant plants may live on extra-solar planets, according to scientists whose two scientific papers appear in the March issue of the journal, Astrobiology. The scientists studied light absorbed and reflected by organisms on Earth, and determined that if astronomers were to look at the light given off by planets circling distant stars, they might predict that some planets have mostly non-green plants. Green, yellow or even red-dominant plants may live on extra-solar planets, according to scientists whose two scientific papers appear in the March issue of the journal, Astrobiology. The scientists studied light absorbed and reflected by organisms on Earth, and determined that if astronomers were to look at the light given off by planets circling distant stars, they might predict that some planets have mostly non-green plants. Green, yellow or even red-dominant plants may live on extra-solar planets, according to scientists whose two scientific papers appear in the March issue of the journal, Astrobiology. The scientists studied light absorbed and reflected by organisms on Earth, and determined that if astronomers were to look at the light given off by planets circling distant stars, they might predict that some planets have mostly non-green plants. (Doug Cummings, NASA/Goddard/Caltechhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/spec-e1467316934414.jpgspecChemical signatures of the contents of planet atmospheres is central to the emerging science of biosignatures remotely observed. NASAhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/pia20752-16-2-e1467314057900.jpgpia20752-16 (2)Curiosity rover and evidnce of managnese oxide on rock at xxxhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/plankton_bloom_from_iss_off_wa-e1298668433621.jpgPlankton_bloom_from_ISS_off_WA-e1298668433621A plankton bloom off the coast of Washington state, US, June 2002, taken by astronauts from the International Space Station.2016-07-01T17:12:15+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/06/24/juno-jupiter-and-exo-jupiters/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/pia02863_-_jupiter_surface_motion_animation-1.gifPIA02863_-_Jupiter_surface_motion_animationOuter jets and belts composed largely of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide gas can block study of the inner atmosphere. Winds blow the cloud regions in different directions. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/maxresdefault-e1466780652571.jpgmaxresdefaultScott Bolton, principal investigator of the Juno mission. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/wakeford-hannah-693-e1466777890743.jpgWakeford, Hannah 693Hannah Wakeford, a research fellow at Goddard specializing in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/pia09967-640x350.jpgPIA09967-640x350Artist rendering of the formation of a solar system in its early stages. (NASA/JPL-Caltechhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/jupitercore.jpgjupitercoreJuno should answer the long-debated question of whether or not Jupiter has a rocky, solid core. If it does, the implications for understanding the planet -- and many exo-Jupiters of similar sizes -- are great. 2016-06-24T16:25:15+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/06/13/forget-the-habitable-zone-think-the-biogenic-zone/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/639303main_20120416-m1flare-orig_full-e1465510020232.jpg639303main_20120416-m1flare-orig_fullAn eruption on April 16, 2012 was captured here by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in the 304 Angstrom wavelength, which is typically colored in red. Credit: NASA/SDO/AIA https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/vladimir_airapetian.pngVladimir_AirapetianVladimir Airapetian, research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/i09-06-coldearth-e1465499379895.jpgI09-06-coldearthAccording to the stellar evolution theory, the young Sun radiated much less energy than it does today. It was only about one billion years ago that it warmed the Earth to above the freezing point of water. The Cambrian explosion followed 1/2 billion years later to initiate the diversification of multicellular life. However geological evidence has shown that unicellular organisms existed between 3.5 to 3.8 billion years ago even when there was not enough solar energy to liquefy the water. This is known as the “faint young sun paradox"https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/exoplanet-e1465491440374.pngexoplanetThe power and dynamics of a host star plays an enormous --and increasingly studied -- role in assessing whether an exoplanet is potentially habitable. Artist rendering of planet transiting a xxx.2016-06-13T20:00:22+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/06/03/the-still-mysterious-tabbys-star/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/flux2520curve255b5255d-1.pngflux%2520curve%255B5%255D-1 The unusual light curves for "Tabby's Star," which feature some extremely large dips and other smaller ones. The X-axis label “Kepler day” means days following the Kepler launch. (NASA/Kepler Space Telescope) The unusual light curves for "Tabby's Star," which feature some extremely large dips and other smaller ones. The X-axis label “Kepler day” means days following the Kepler launch. (NASA/Kepler Space Telescope) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/aca327283289f957b57825ad326ee949_original.pngaca327283289f957b57825ad326ee949_originalThe Kepler field of study, observed by the space telescope nonstop for almost five years. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/tabby-star-comets.jpgtabby-star-cometsArtist rendering of star xxx, and the unexplain ed objects close to it. KNown as "Tabby's" starhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/tabby-star-light-curves.pngtabby-star-light-curvesThe unusual light curves for "Tabby's Star," which feature some extremely large dips and other smaller ones. (NASA/Kepler Space Telescope)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/tabetha.pngtabethaTabetha Boyajian, a postdoc at Yale and soon to be on the faculty of Louisiana State University.2016-08-11T17:11:17+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/05/23/big-bangs/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/collision1-e1463964176926.jpgThis artist concept illustrates how a massive collision of objects, perhaps as large as the planet Pluto, smashed together to create the dust ring around the nearby star Vega. New observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope indicate the collision tooThis artist concept illustrates how a massive collision of objects, perhaps as large as the planet Pluto, smashed together to create the dust ring around the nearby star Vega. New observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope indicate the collision took place within the last one million years. Astronomers think that embryonic planets smashed together, shattered into pieces, and repeatedly crashed into other fragments to create ever finer debris.

In the image, a collision is seen between massive objects that measured up to 2,000 kilometers (about 1,200 miles) in diameter. Scientists say the big collision initiated subsequent collisions that created dust particles around the star that were a few microns in size. Vega's intense light blew these fine particles to larger distances from the star, and also warmed them to emit heat radiation that can be detected by Spitzer's infrared detectors.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/elisa1-e1463963989934.jpgElisaElisa Quintana is a research scientist at the SETI Institute and at the NASA Ames Research Center. (SETI Institute)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/fig4-260x182.jpgPrintHistogram of the total number of giant impacts received by the 164 Earth-like worlds produced in the authors’ fragmentation-inclusive simulations. [Quintana et al. 2016]https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/protoplanetary-disc-art.jpgprotoplanetary-disc-artAn artist rendering of a protoplanetart disk around a newly-formed star. Tiny grains of dust grow over millions of years into planets through collisions and the accretion of matter. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/landscape-1453868974-theia-e1463776248273.jpglandscape-1453868974-theiaCollisions between planets, planetesimals and other objects are common in the galaxies and essential for planet formation. Researchers are focusing on these collisions for clues into which exoplanets have greater or lesser potentials habitability. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/100.jpg100Planetesimals in a proto-planetary disk2016-05-23T10:28:59+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/05/10/a-flood-of-newly-confirmed-exoplanets/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/fig8-new-20use20this20one-1-e1462913199337.jpgfig8-new-20use20this20one-1 The size distribution of discovered exoplanet has been a surprise to scientists. The blue bars on the histogram represent all previously verified exoplanets by size. The orange bars on the histogram represent Kepler's 1,284 newly validated planets. (NASA Ames/W. Stenzel) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/kepler_fig10-1-e1462913057665.jpgkepler_fig10-1Since Kepler launched in 2009, 21 planets less than twice the size of Earth have been discovered in the habitable zones of their stars. The orange spheres represent the nine newly validated planets announcement on May 10, 2016. The blue disks represent the 12 previous known planets. These planets are plotted relative to the temperature of their star and with respect to the amount of energy received from their star in their orbit in Earth units. (NASA Ames/N. Batalha and W. Stenzel)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/kepler_fig2_0-1-e1462912821403.jpgkepler_fig2_0-1he histogram shows the number of planet discoveries by year for more than the past two decades of the exoplanet search. The blue bar shows previous non-Kepler planet discoveries, the light blue bar shows previous Kepler planet discoveries, the orange bar displays the 1,284 new validated planets. (NASA Ames/W. Stenzel; Princeton University/T. Morton)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/kepler_all-planets_may2016-e1462906935327.jpgkepler_all-planets_may2016Artist renderings of exoplanets previously detected by the Kepler Space Telescope (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/kepler62f.jpgKepler62fArtist conception of rocky Kepler exoplanet 62-f. (NASA)2016-05-10T22:43:06+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/05/06/out-of-the-stovepipes-and-into-the-galaxies/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/andrew-rushby.jpgAndrew-RushbyBiogeochemistry postdoc Andrew Rushby arrived at Ames last month and will remain for two years, with some of his time dedicated to the NExSS program.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/sddefault.jpgsddefaultUnderstanding a planetary system like this artist's view of an ocean world, scientists have learned, takes an interdisciplinary approach.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/nexss-biosignatures-workshop-proposal-2016-e1469651417255.pngNExSS Biosignatures Workshop Proposal-2016The 3-day in-person workshop will be coordinated with pre-workshop online activities to summarize the state of the science of exoplanet biosignatures. This review will provide background for the in-person workshop, which will focus on advancing the science of biosignatures, and understanding the technological needs and capabilities for their detection. This information will be exchanged with the Science Technology Definition Teams (STDTs) of upcoming planet-observing missions. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/image_full.jpgimage_fullNExSS encourages a "systems science" approach to understanding exoplanets, and especially whether they might be habitable. Systems science is inherently interdisciplinary, and so fields such as earth science and planetary science (and many more) provide needed insights into how exoplanets might be explored. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/pia11375-e1462485721158.jpgPIA11375Artist illustration of an exoplanet and a debris disc orbiting their host star. (NASA)2016-05-06T13:32:13+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/05/02/a-dwarf-star-produces-a-major-discovery/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/eso1615e.jpgeso1615eOur sun and the ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 to scale. The faint star has only 11% of the diameter of the sun and is much redder in colour. (ESO)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1.jpg-1The Trappist-1 system is at the edge of the field that will be observed starting in December. The graphic shows detector that Campaign 12 detector field. (NASA/ Natalie Batalha)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/eso1023e.jpgeso1023eTRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope) is a 60 cm telescope at La Silla devoted to the study of planetary systems and it follows two approaches: the detection and characterisation of exoplanets around other stars and the study of comets orbiting around the Sun. The robotic telescope is operated from a control room in Liège, Belgium. The project is led by the Department of Astrophysics, Geophysics and Oceanography of the University of Liège, in close collaboration with the Geneva Observatory (Switzerland). TRAPPIST is mostly funded by the Belgian Fund for Scientific Research with the participation of the Swiss National Science Foundation. The name TRAPPIST was given to the telescope to underline the Belgian origin of the project. Trappist beers are famous all around the world and most of them are Belgian.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/three-alien-planets-trappist-1-e1462219821486.jpgthree-alien-planets-trappist-1his artist's illustration depicts an imagined view from the surface of one of the three newfound TRAPPIST-1 alien planets. The planets have sizes and temperatures similar to those of Venus and Earth, making them the best targets yet for life beyond our solar system, scientists say. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser2016-05-08T17:04:55+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/04/12/the-one-meter-per-second-barrier/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/image_preview-1.jpgimage_preview-1Suvrath Mahadevan, assistant professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State, and principal investigator for a new-generation high precision spectrometer. (Penn State)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/wiyn.jpgwiynThe new generation spectrograph will be installed on the 3.5 meter WYN telescope at Kitt Peak. Operated by National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the $10 million project is a collaboration of NASA and the National Science Foundation.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/screen-shot-2016-04-11-at-11-45-25-am-e1460389632524.pngScreen Shot 2016-04-11 at 11.45.25 AM The new generation spectrograph will be installed on the 3.5 meter WYN telescope at Kitt Peak. Operated by National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the $10 million project is a collaboration of NASA and the National Science Foundation. The new generation spectrograph will be installed on the 3.5 meter WYN telescope at Kitt Peak. Operated by National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the $10 million project is a collaboration of NASA and the National Science Foundation. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/radial-velocity-method-star-orbits_3.pngRadial Velocity Method star orbits_3Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/kittpeak-1000-e1460381977922.jpgKittPeak-1000Kitt Peak National Observatory mountain top at Dusk looking north. Visible in the picture are the NOAO 4-meter Mayall, the Steward Observatory 90-inch, the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory Spacewatch Telescopes, LOTIS, 0.4-meter Visitor Center Telescope, Case Western Reserve University Observatory and the SARA Observatory. Credit: P. Marenfeld (NOAO/AURA/NSF)2016-04-12T12:07:38+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/03/31/the-magellanics/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/smc_guisard-e1470409888104.jpgsmc_guisardThe Small Magellanic Cloud pictured above actually spans 15,000 light-years or so and contains several hundred million stars. About 210,000 light-years distant in the constellation Tucana, it is the fourth closest of the Milky Way’s known satellite galaxies after the Canis Major and Sagittarius Dwarf galaxies and the Large Magellanic Cloud. (NASA/ESO/Stéphane Guisard) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/uhd-babak_0573_cc-e1470065321600.jpgUltra HD Expedition day 3 - Small and Large Magellanic clouds abThe Large Magellanic Cloud (middle left) and Small Magellanic Cloud (upper center) over Paranal Observatory in Chile. European Southern Observatoryhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/tarantula_salemme.jpgtarantula_salemme The Cosmic Web of the Tarantula Nebula Credit & Copyright: Marcelo Salemme Explanation: It is the largest and most complex star forming region in the entire galactic neighborhood. Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy orbiting our Milky Way galaxy, the region's spidery appearance is responsible for its popular name, the Tarantula nebula. This tarantula, however, is about 1,000 light-years across. Were it placed at the distance of Milky Way's Orion Nebula, only 1,500 light-years distant and the nearest stellar nursery to Earth, it would appear to cover about 30 degrees (60 full moons) on the sky. Intriguing details of the nebula are visible in the above image shown in scientific colors. The spindly arms of the Tarantula nebula surround NGC 2070, a star cluster that contains some of the brightest, most massive stars known, visible in blue on the right. Since massive stars live fast and die young, it is not so surprising that the cosmic Tarantula also lies near the site of the closest recent supernova. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/a_starry_combination.jpgA Starry CombinationThis beautiful image taken at ESO's Paranal Observatory shows the four Auxiliary Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) Array, set against an incredibly starry backdrop on Cerro Paranal in Chile. The Auxiliary Telescopes are each 1.8 metres in diameter and work with the four 8.2-metre diameter Unit Telescopes to make up the world's most advanced optical observatory. The telescopes work together to form the VLT Interferometer (VLTI), a giant interferometer which allows astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than would be possible with the individual Unit Telescopes. Hanging over the site are the prominent Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, visible only in the southern sky. These two irregular dwarf galaxies are in the Local Group and so are companion galaxies to our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The image was taken by our Flickr friend John Colosimo who submitted it to the Your ESO Pictures Flickr group.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/lmc_whw.jpglmc_whw The Large Cloud of Magellan Credit & Copyright: Wei-Hao Wang (IfA, U. Hawaii) Explanation: Portuguese navigator Fernando de Magellan and his crew had plenty of time to study the southern sky during the first circumnavigation of planet Earth. As a result, two fuzzy cloud-like objects easily visible for southern hemisphere skygazers are known as the Clouds of Magellan. Of course, these star clouds are now understood to be dwarf irregular galaxies, satellites of our larger spiral Milky Way galaxy. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) pictured above is only about 180,000 light-years distant in the constellation Dorado. Spanning about 15,000 light-years or so, it is the most massive of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies and is the site of the closest supernova in modern times. The prominent red knot on the left is 30 Doradus, or the Tarantula Nebula, a giant star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud. 2016-04-01T01:50:40+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/03/23/ranking-exoplanet-habitability/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/kepler_sizes.jpgKepler_sizesOf the 1,030 confirmed planets from Kepler, a dozen are less than twice the size of Earth and reside in the habitable zone of their host star. The sizes of the exoplanets are represented by the size of each sphere. These are arranged by size from left to right, and by the type of star they orbit, from the M stars that are significantly cooler and smaller than the sun, to the K stars that are somewhat cooler and smaller than the sun, to the G stars that include the sun. The sizes of the planets are enlarged by 25X compared to the stars. The Earth is shown for reference. NASA Ames/JPL-CalTech/R. Hurthttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/william-whewell-1-e1470063068362.jpgwilliam-whewell-1William Whewell washttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/barnes_rory-e1457903913464.jpgRory Barnes is a theorist in the Virtual Planetary Laboratory primarily interested in the formation and evolution of habitable planets.Rory Barnes is a theorist in the Virtual Planetary Laboratory primarily interested in the formation and evolution of habitable planets. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/480545main_jwst_new6-375x396-e1457833660245.jpg480545main_jwst_new6-375x396The James Webb Space Telescope, a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror, is scheduled to be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in October of 2018 and will be the premier NASA observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers around the world. UW astronomers have created a “habitability index for transiting planets” to help guide the ongoing search for life beyond Earth.NASAhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/comphab1-e1457833037232.jpgCompHab1The Virtual Planetary Lab at the University of Washington has been working to rank exoplanets (or exoplanet candidates) by how likely they are to be habitable. (Rory Barnes)2016-03-23T18:23:21+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/03/15/hunting-for-exoplanets-via-tess/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/tess-spacecraft-specs-e1470488532430.jpgtess-spacecraft-specsMeasurements of the TESS space telescope. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/transit.giftransitA small dip in the amount of light emanating from a star tells astronomers that a planet may well be crossing in front of it. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/mainimage_planet_transit_light_curve.jpgmainimage_Planet_Transit_Light_CurveTranithttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/195665main_4-e1458049226398.jpg195665main_4This artist's illustration demonstrates the "wobble," or radial velocity, technique for finding planets. This successful method has resulted in the discovery of most of the 250 or so planets, called exoplanets, known to exist beyond our solar system. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/kepler-candidates-lined-up-4_0_2.jpgkepler-candidates-lined-up-4_0_2TESS is expected to add 2,000 new exoplanets to the already long list of the ones alrday detected. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/habitablezoneofexoplanets201404-e1458010872506.jpgHabitableZoneOfExoplanets201404Finding an Earth-sized planet in a distant habitable zone is a top goal of TESS, and of the exoplanet community as a whole. (NASA/Chester Harman)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/gsfc-2013-8410-001-e1458009421706.jpgConversations with Goddard - Stephen RinehartConversations with Goddard - Stephen Rineharthttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/exoplanet20150731-16-e1458008657130.jpgexoplanet20150731-16Artist's rendering of a Jupiter-sized exoplanet and its host, a star slightly more massive than our sun. Image credit: ESO https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/transit.jpgtransitWhen a planet passes in front of its host star, or transits, it blocks a small fraction of the light from the star. Careful observations of the stellar brightness then result in a small "dip" that tells astronomers that a planet is present, and how big it is. Credit: NASA/ESA/G. Baconhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/05_tess-e1458007231372.jpgKepler_JackL_Feb1_FINAL.pptThe TESS satellite, which will launch in 2017, will use four cameras to search for exoplanets around bright nearby stars. MIT2016-03-19T21:31:29+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/03/08/the-habitable-zone-gets-poked-tweaked-and-stretched-to-the-limits/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/611222main_find-planets3_lg__600x600_q85_subsampling-2.jpg611222main_find-planets3_lg.jpg__600x600_q85_subsampling-2The estimated habitable zones of A stars, G stars and M stars are compared in this diagram. More refinement is needed to better understand the size of these zones. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/154-1-e1470411251733.jpg154-1To find another planet like Earth, astronomers are focusing on the "Goldilocks" or habitable zone around stars--where it's not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to exist on the surface. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/154.jpg154To find another planet like Earth, astronomers are focusing on the 'habitable zone' around stars--where it's not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to exist on the surface. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/james-kasting-e1470411375486.jpgJames KastingJames Kasting of Penn State University, a pioneer in defining a habitable zone.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/p1517ay.jpg8x10.aiIn this artist's concept shows "The Behemoth," an enormous comet-like cloud of hydrogen bleeding off of a warm, Neptune-sized planet just 30 light-years from Earth. The hydrogen is evaporating from the planet due to extreme radiation from the star, but on many exoplanets it remains a thick covering. (NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon, STScI)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/slides-8_800_6001-e1457405792183.jpgSlides-8_800_600The "Goldilocks" zone around a star is where a planet is neither too hot nor too cold to support liquid water. Ilustration by Petigura/UC Berkeley, Howard/UH-Manoa, Marcy/UC Berkeley. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/f2-large_.jpgF2.largeFig. 2. The habitable zone. The light blue region depicts the “conventional” habitable zone for planets with nitrogen, carbon dioxide and H20 atmospheres. The yellow region shows the habitable zone as extended inward for dry planets, as dry as 1% relative humidity. The outer darker blue region shows the outer extension of the habitable z one for hydrogen-rich atmospheres and can extend even out to free-floating planets with no host star. The solar system planets are shown with images. Known exoplanets are shown with symbols [here, planets with a mass or minimum mass less than 10 Earth masses or a radius less than 2.5 Earth radii taken from . Science Magazine/Seager 2016-03-09T15:21:42+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/02/26/exoplanet-science-gets-some-new-eyes/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/methode-sundaytimes-prod-web-bin-11fc8c50-567c-11e6-9407-da17402820f2.jpgmethode-sundaytimes-prod-web-bin-11fc8c50-567c-11e6-9407-da17402820f2The scientific lessons learned over the centuries about the geological, chemical and later biological dynamics of Earth are beginning to enter the discussion of exoplanets, and especially which might be conducive to life. This is an artist's view of the young Earth under bombardment by asteroids, one of many periods with conditions likely to have parallels in other solar systems. (NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/photo.jpgphotoASU geologist and assistant professor Christy Till, a relatively new and enthusiastic member of the exoplanet community. (Abigail Wiebel)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/zj527738e0.jpgzj527738e0Our vast body of knowledge about the formation, processes and evolution of Earth will become increasingly important in the exoplanet field as new generations of instruments make different and more precise kinds of measurements possible. Using Earth dynamics as a guide, those measurements will be made into models of what might be occurring on the exoplanets. The artist rendering of exoplanet Upsilon Andromedea g by Ron Howard.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ariel-anbar.jpgAriel AnbarPresident’s Professor at ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/34f3b625b4233448a9f72bd99df2c55e-e1456371106912.jpg34f3b625b4233448a9f72bd99df2c55eOne pixel from xxx shows an exoplanet xxxx. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/exoplanet-view-from-moon-1920-e1456181638535.jpgexoplanet-view-from-moon-1920The diversity of exoplanets is large — more than 800 planets outside the Solar System have been found to date, with thousands more waiting to be confirmed. Detection methods in this field are steadily and quickly increasing — meaning that many more exoplanets will undoubtedly be discovered in the months and years to come. As an international scientific organisation, the IAU dissociates itself entirely from the commercial practice of selling names of planets, stars or or even "real estate" on other planets or moons. These practices will not be recognised by the IAU and their alternative naming schemes cannot be adopted.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/transmission_spectrum_2-e1456413412706.jpgtransmission_spectrum_2Transmission spectrum of exoplanet MIThttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/15635699388_5f44fa2be7_k-e1456166877696.jpg15635699388_5f44fa2be7_kThis is an artist's concept of the young Earth being bombarded by asteroids. Scientists think these impacts could have delivered significant amounts of organic matter and water to Earth. Image Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab2016-02-26T14:17:23+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/02/18/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-iron-rain/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/opo0707a-e1470407449947.jpgPuffed-up Atmosphere of a Star-hugging Gas Giant Planet (artist'An artist rendering of a "hot Jupiter" extrasolar planet orbiting very close to its host star. The planet designated HD 209458b, is about the size of Jupiter. Unlike Jupiter, the planet is so hot that its atmosphere is "puffed up." Starlight is heating the planet's atmosphere, causing hot gas to escape into space, like steam rising from a boiler. (NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI).https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/1-e1455773232622.jpg-1The light curve for the planet studied, which is some four times larger than Jupiter, shows differences in brightness as the planet rotates. Those differences are consistent with a patchy cloud cover rather than clouds that surround the planet completely. (NASA, Hubble Space Telescope)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/sandstorm_8.jpgsandstorm_8a whole different understand of clouds and rain,https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/exoplanet-clouds_01-e1455563878379.jpgexoplanet-clouds_01Analysis of data from the Kepler space telescope has shown that roughly half of the dayside of the exoplanet Kepler-7b is covered by a large cloud mass. Statistical comparison of more than 1,000 atmospheric models show that these clouds are most likely made of Enstatite, a common Earth mineral that is in vapor form at the extreme temperature on Kepler-7b. These models varied the altitude, condensation, particle size, and chemical composition of the clouds to find the right reflectivity and color properties to match the observed signal from the exoplanet. Courtesy of NASA (edited by Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT)2017-10-31T12:16:06+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/02/15/the-potential-prize-inside-shredding-planets/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/day2_jason_talk_1-e1470413350408.jpgday2_jason_talk_1Jason Wright, associate professor at Penn State University, initiated the collaboration to use disintegrating planets as a pathway to understanding exoplanet interiors. (Gudmundur Stefansson) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/kic_8462852_in_ir_and_uv_940x528-e1455402254633.jpgKIC_8462852_in_IR_and_UV_940x528KIC 8462852, informally known as Tabby’s Star, is a magnitude +11.7 F-type main-sequence star located in the constellation Cygnus approximately 1,480 light-years from Earth. Data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope shows that the star displays aperiodic dimming of 20 percent and more. KIC 8462852 is shown here in infrared (2MASS survey, left) and ultraviolet (GALEX). Image credit: IPAC/NASA (infrared); STScI/NASA (ultraviolet).https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/disintegrati-e1455401773949.pngdisintegratidisintegrating planet around m dwarf star (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/0223-steve_desch-portrait-ad-052-e1455287022367.jpgSteve Desch-PortraitSteven Desch, an astrophysicist at ASU, sees a frequent gap between the work of astronomers and planetary scientists, and hopes to help bridge it.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/screenshot-from-2015-10-15-082742.jpgScreenshot-from-2015-10-15-082742Image: UKIRT image for KIC 8462852 and another bright star for comparison, showing that it has a distinct protrusion to the left (east). For reference, the grid lines in the image are 10″ × 10″. Credit: Tabetha Boyajian et al.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/comparetotransit2-1.jpgcomparetotransit2-1When an Earth-size planet passes in front of a star, it creates a symmetric dip in the star's light that's shaped like the red curve here. But astronomers detected the strange-looking, blue dip in light from the white dwarf 1145+017. The team suspects the signal comes from a tiny disintegrating planet or asteroid and its comet-like dusty tail. CfA / A. Vanderburg -https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/kepler20151021-e1455233285497.jpgkepler20151021In this artist’s conception, a tiny rocky object vaporizes as it orbits a white dwarf star. Astronomers have detected the first planetary object transiting a white dwarf using data from the K2 mission. Slowly the object will disintegrate, leaving a dusting of metals on the surface of the star. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/disintegrating-exoplanet-e1455229860294.jpgdisintegrating-exoplanetArtist rendering of a small exoplanet close to its sun that is evaporating and disintegrating. The planet's dust trail could provide valuable information about the interior of the planet, and others as well. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/500px-kic_12557548.jpg500px-KIC_12557548Artist’s impression of disintegrating exoplanet KIC 12255 (C.U Keller, Leiden University)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/kepler20151021-1.jpgkepler20151021-1 this artist’s conception, a tiny rocky object vaporizes as it orbits a white dwarf star. Astronomers have detected the first planetary object transiting a white dwarf using data from the K2 mission. Slowly the object will disintegrate, leaving a dusting of metals on the surface of the star. Credit: CfA/Mark A. Garlick - See more at: http://www.astrobio.net/topic/deep-space/cosmic-evolution/nasas-k2-finds-dead-star-vaporizing-a-mini-planet/#sthash.Uej1arNc.dpuf2016-02-15T05:21:43+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/02/04/how-planet-9-would-make-us-a-more-typical-solar-system/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/planet-nine-e1471111867585.jpgplanet-nineArtist rendering of possible Planet 9, described in a recent edition of the Astronomical Journal. The authors estimate that the planet comes as close to the sun as 100-200 astronomical units (the distance from the Earth to the Sun) and travels as far away as 1200 AUs. (Caltech/R. Hunt) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/article_2148631_133efff3000005-1.jpgarticle_2148631_133EFFF3000005-1The reported Planet 9 inhabits the icy realm of the Kuiper Belt. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/1920px-alone_in_space_-_astronomers_find_new_kind_of_planet-e1454616203631.jpg1920px-Alone_in_Space_-_Astronomers_Find_New_Kind_of_PlanetThis artist's conception illustrates a Jupiter-like planet alone in the dark of space, floating freely without a parent star. Astronomers recently uncovered evidence for 10 such lone worlds, thought to have been "booted," or ejected, from developing solar systems. The planet survey, called the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA), scanned the central bulge of our Milky Way galaxy from 2006 to 2007. It used a 5.9-foot (1.8-meter) telescope at Mount John University Observatory in New Zealand, and a technique called gravitational microlensing. In this method, a planet-sized body is identified indirectly as it just happens to pass in front of a more distant star, causing the star to brighten. The effect is like a cosmic funhouse mirror, or magnifying lens light from the background star is warped and amplified, becoming brighter. Based on these results, astronomers estimate that free-floating worlds are more common than stars in our Milky Way galaxy, and perhaps other galaxies too.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/unnamed.jpgunnamedHagai Perets, an astrophysicist at Technion- Israel Institute of Technology. He has studied rogue planets kicked out of their solar systems, and argues that the possible Planet 9 could have arrived from somewhere other than our solar system.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/planet-9-orbit-e1454608271140.jpgplanet-9-orbitThe six most distant known objects in the solar system with orbits exclusively beyond Neptune (magenta) all mysteriously line up in a single direction. The new report shows a planet with 10 times the mass of the earth in a distant eccentric orbit anti-aligned with the other six objects (orange) is required to maintain this configuration. Image: Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)"https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/24f9ac05-f8ff-47cf-ba8b-04b8dfbce4bb_w640_r1_s_cx0_cy10_cw0-e1454622320185.jpg24F9AC05-F8FF-47CF-BA8B-04B8DFBCE4BB_w640_r1_s_cx0_cy10_cw0Mike Brown and Konstanytin Batyglin of Caltechhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/20160119_caltech-planet-9-brown-batygin_fallon_01121453255986.jpg20160119_CalTech-Planet-9-Brown-Batygin_Fallon_01121453255986Mike Brown, an xxx at the California Institute of Technology, points to the gold orbit that he and his colleagu, xxx, theorize may well be a 9th planet in our solar system.2016-02-06T23:07:24+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/01/31/the-pale-red-dot-campaign/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/la_silla_observatory_telescope_ring-e1471633597744.jpgLa_Silla_Observatory_Telescope_RingA ring of telescopes at ESO's La Silla observatory. La Silla, in the southern part of the Atacama desert, 600 km north of Santiago de Chile, was ESO's first observation site. The telescopes are 2400 metres above sea level, providing excellent observing conditions. ESO operates the 3.6-m telescope, the New Technology Telescope (NTT), and the 2.2-m Max-Planck-ESO telescope at La Silla. La Silla also hosts national telescopes, such as the 1.2-m Swiss Telescope and the 1.5-m Danish Telescope.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cold-desert-proxima-centauri-1200x638-e1454168951764.jpgcold-desert-proxima-centauri-1200x638 Artist rendering of a cold desert on a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri. (Vladimir Romanyuk, Space Engine) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/800px-alpha_centauri_relative_sizes-svg_.png800px-Alpha_Centauri_relative_sizes.svgcentauris and the sunhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/acent-e1483202949529.jpgacentAlpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B are a binary pair, while Proxima Centauri is far away but is xxxhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/mit-gj1132b-01_0.jpgMIT-GJ1132b-01_0n this artist's rendering of GJ 1132b, a rocky exoplanet very similar to Earth in size and mass, circles a red dwarf star. GJ 1132b is relatively cool (about 450 degrees F) and could potentially host an atmosphere. At a distance of only 39 light-years, it will be a prime target for additional study with Hubble and future observatories like the Giant Magellan Telescope. Image: Dana Berryhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/new_shot_of_proxima_centauri_our_nearest_neighbour-e1454040352723.jpgNew_shot_of_Proxima_Centauri,_our_nearest_neighbour Hubble Space Telescope image is our closest stellar neighbour: Proxima Centauri, just over four light-years from Earth. Although it looks bright through the eye of Hubble, Proxima Centauri -- with only about one eight the mass of our sun -- is not visible to the naked eye.Shining brightly in this Hubble image is our closest stellar neighbour: Proxima Centauri. Proxima Centauri lies in the constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur), just over four light-years from Earth. Although it looks bright through the eye of Hubble, as you might expect from the nearest star to the Solar System, Proxima Centauri is not visible to the naked eye. Its average luminosity is very low, and it is quite small compared to other stars, at only about an eighth of the mass of the Sun. However, on occasion, its brightness increases. Proxima is what is known as a “flare star”, meaning that convection processes within the star’s body make it prone to random and dramatic changes in brightness. The convection processes not only trigger brilliant bursts of starlight but, combined with other factors, mean that Proxima Centauri is in for a very long life. Astronomers predict that this star will remain middle-aged — or a “main sequence” star in astronomical terms — for another four trillion years, some 300 times the age of the current Universe. These observations were taken using Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). Proxima Centauri is actually part of a triple star system — its two companions, Alpha Centauri A and B, lie out of frame. Although by cosmic standards it is a close neighbour, Proxima Centauri remains a point-like object even using Hubble’s eagle-eyed vision, hinting at the vast scale of the Universe around us.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/11-e1454030099578.jpgPicture saved with settings applied.Alpha and Beta Centauri are the bright stars; Proxima Centauri is the small, faint one circles in red.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/chile_umgebung.jpgChile_UmgebungThe splendours of the southern sky can truly be appreciated from La Silla, ESO's first observatory site. The band of the Milky Way, including the central region of our galaxy, stretches across the sky with a myriad of stars crossed by dark lanes of dust. The MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope is seen in the foreground.   #Lhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/postcard_0026-e1454093841122.jpgpostcard_0026La Silla Observatory in Chilehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/original.jpgoriginalGuillem escale2016-02-01T03:47:39+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/01/22/movement-in-the-search-for-exolife/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/hqdefault.jpghqdefaultScott Gaudi, chairman of ExoPAG in 2015.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2679b.jpg2679bA cartoon from Chas Beichman’s ExoPAG presentation illustrates the infighting within the exoplanet science community during the 2010 decadal survey, with cosmologists, represented by “dark energy” to the side, ready to reap the benefits of that debate.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/unknown-e1453406403626.jpegUnknownhe upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope has greatly increased interest in determining which handful of exoplanets should be studied for potential habitability. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/fig_4-5-e1453399831768.jpgfig_4-5A simulated spiral galaxy as viewed by Hubble, and the proposed High Definition Space Telescope (HDST) at a lookback time of approximately 10 billion years (z = 2) The renderings show a one-hour observation for each space observatory. Hubble detects the bulge and disk, but only the high image quality of HDST resolves the galaxy’s star-forming regions and its dwarf satellite. The zoom shows the inner disk region, where only HDST can resolve the star-forming regions and separate them from the redder, more distributed old stellar population. Image credit: D. Ceverino, C. Moody, G. Snyder, and Z. Levay (STScI)500 light years away, as imaged by Hubble and potential of the kind of telescope the exoplanet community is working towards.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/fig_5-1-website-e1453399650639.jpgfig_5-1-websiteA direct, to-scale, comparison between the primary mirrors of the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and the proposed High Definition Space Telescope (HDST). In this concept, the HDST primary is composed of 36 1.7 meter segments. Smaller segments could also be used. An 11 meter class aperture could be made from 54 1.3 meters segments. Image credit: C. Godfrey (STScI)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/venus-transit-2012-sdo-2-e1453398603332.jpgvenus-transit-2012-sdo-2actual image of venus crossing in front of the sun. Exoplanets will not be imaged like this in our lifetimes, but this is the goal.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/images1.jpgimageshubble mirror, webb, mirror, 3 to 5 meters largrhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/kepler-candidates-lined-up-4.jpgkepler-candidates-lined-up-4Kepler exoplanets candidates, both confirmed and unconfirmed, orbiting G, K, and M type main sequence stars, by radii and fraction of the total. (Natalie Batalha and Wendy Stenzel, NASA Ames)2016-01-22T13:22:23+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/01/19/the-iau-on-exonames/2016-02-10T07:21:29+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/01/15/einstein-cosmic-religion-and-me/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1920px-nasa-hs201427a-hubbleultradeepfield2014-20140603-e1470767929643.jpg1920px-NASA-HS201427a-HubbleUltraDeepField2014-20140603The early galaxies, as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/einstein.jpgeinsteinEinstein gave substantial thought to what he described as "cosmic religion," a spirituality that flows from the work of science.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/bhlens_riazuelo_960.jpgbhlens_riazuelo_960 Featured is a computer generated image highlighting how strange things would look. The black hole has such strong gravity that light is noticeably bent towards it - causing some very unusual visual distortions. Every star in the normal frame has at least two bright images - one on each side of the black hole. Near the black hole, you can see the whole sky - light from every direction is bent around and comes back to you. Image Credit & Copyright: Alain Riazuelo Explanation: What would you see if you went right up to a black hole? Featured is a computer generated image highlighting how strange things would look. The black hole has such strong gravity that light is noticeably bent towards it - causing some very unusual visual distortions. Every star in the normal frame has at least two bright images - one on each side of the black hole. Near the black hole, you can see the whole sky - light from every direction is bent around and comes back to you. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/1200px-cmb_timeline300_no_wmap.jpg1200px-CMB_Timeline300_no_WMAPThe universe in time, from the Big Bang to todayhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/pr_15-05-12_rls_append-c-00.pngPR_15.05.12_RLS_append-c-00The percentage of Americans who describe themselves as "unaffilitated" with a religious organization is growing fast in America. Yet spirituality in that same group is high.2016-01-18T12:56:26+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/01/08/new-years-treats/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/nh-pluto_crop-jpg.pngnh-pluto_crop.jpgPluto image taken by Hubble Space Telescope (above) and close up taken by New Horizons in 2015. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/joson-images_060214_mj5a1201-l1.jpgJoson Images_060214_MJ5A1201-LPaul Hertz, Director of the Astrophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/image.jpgimagehttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/watchinganex_620x468.gifwatchinganex_620x468The animation is a series of images taken between November 2013 and April 2015 with the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) on the Gemini South telescope in Chile, and shows the exoplanet β Pictoris b, which is more than 60 lightyears from Earth. The star is the black area on the left edge of the frame and is hidden by the Gemini Planet Imager’s coronagraph. We are looking at the planet’s orbit almost edge-on, with the planet closer to the Earth than the star. (M. Millar-Blanchaer, University of Toronto; F. Marchis, SETI Institute) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/nasas_hubble_reveals_rogue_planetary_orbit_for_fomalhaut_b-e1495223499236.jpgNASA's_Hubble_Reveals_Rogue_Planetary_Orbit_For_Fomalhaut_BThe Hubble images were taken with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph in 2010 and 2012. This false-color composite image, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, reveals the orbital motion of the planet Fomalhaut b. Based on these observations, astronomers calculated that the planet is in a 2,000-year-long, highly elliptical orbit. The planet will appear to cross a vast belt of debris around the star roughly 20 years from now. If the planet's orbit lies in the same plane with the belt, icy and rocky debris in the belt could crash into the planet's atmosphere and produce various phenomena. The black circle at the center of the image blocks out the light from the bright star, allowing reflected light from the belt and planet to be photographed. Credit: NASA, ESA, and P. Kalas (University of California, Berkeley and SETI Institute)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/33-extrasolar-planets.jpgIsolating a Planet's SpectrumThis diagram illustrates how astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope can capture the elusive spectra of hot-Jupiter planets. Spectra are an object's light spread apart into its basic components, or wavelengths. By dissecting light in this way, scientists can sort through it and uncover clues about the composition of the object giving off the light. To obtain a spectrum for an object, one first needs to capture its light. Hot-Jupiter planets are so close to their stars that even the most powerful telescopes can't distinguish their light from the light of their much brighter stars. But, there are a few planetary systems that allow astronomers to measure the light from just the planet by using a clever technique. Such "transiting" systems are oriented in such a way that, from our vantage point, the planets' orbits are seen edge-on and cross directly in front of and behind their stars. In this technique, known as the secondary eclipse method, changes in the total infrared light from a star system are measured as its planet transits behind the star, vanishing from our Earthly point of view. The dip in observed light can then be attributed to the planet alone. To capture a spectrum of the planet, Spitzer must observe the system twice. It takes a spectrum of the star together with the planet (first panel), then, as the planet disappears from view, a spectrum of just the star (second panel). By subtracting the star's spectrum from the combined spectrum of the star plus the planet, it is able to get the spectrum for just the planet (third panel). This ground-breaking technique was used by Spitzer to obtain the first-ever spectra of two planets beyond our solar system, HD 209458b and HD 189733b. The results suggest that the hot planets are socked in with dry clouds high up in the planet's stratospheres. In addition, HD 209458b showed hints of silicates, indicating those high clouds might be made of very fine sand-like particles.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/3026603168_a57722cf33_o1.jpg3026603168_a57722cf33_oThis image, taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, shows the newly discovered planet, Fomalhaut b, orbiting its parent star, Fomalhaut. The small white box at lower right pinpoints the planet's location. Fomalhaut b has carved a path along the inner edge of a vast, dusty debris ring encircling Fomalhaut that is 21.5 billion miles across. Fomalhaut b lies 1.8 billion miles inside the ring's inner edge and orbits 10.7 billion miles from its star. The inset at bottom right is a composite image showing the planet's position during Hubble observations taken in 2004 and 2006. Astronomers have calculated that Fomalhaut b completes an orbit around its parent star every 872 years. The white dot in the center of the image marks the star's location. The region around Fomalhaut's location is black because astronomers used the Advanced Camera's coronagraph to block out the star's bright glare so that the dim planet could be seen. Fomalhaut b is 1 billion times fainter than its star. The radial streaks are scattered starlight. The red dot at lower left is a background star. The Fomalhaut system is 25 light-years away in the constellation Piscis Australis. This false-color image was taken in October 2004 and July 2006.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/51eri_pr_nametitleorbit.jpg51Eri_PR_nametitleorbitDiscovery image of 51 Eri b with the Gemini Planet Imager taken in the near-infrared light on December 18, 2014. The bright central star has been mostly removed by a hardware and software mask to enable the detection of the exoplanet one million times fainter. Credits: J. Rameau (UdeM) and C. Marois (NRC Herzberg).https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/444226main_exoplanet20100414-a-full.jpg444226main_exoplanet20100414-a-fullNASA/JPL-Caltech/Palomar Observatory - http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/exoplanet20100414-a.html This image shows the light from three planets orbiting a star 120 light-years away. The planets' star, called HR8799, is located at the spot marked with an "X." This picture was taken using a small, 1.5-meter (4.9-foot) portion of the Palomar Observatory's Hale Telescope, north of San Diego, Calif. This is the first time a picture of planets beyond our solar system has been captured using a telescope with a modest-sized mirror -- previous images were taken using larger telescopes. The three planets, called HR8799b, c and d, are thought to be gas giants like Jupiter, but more massive. They orbit their host star at roughly 24, 38 and 68 times the distance between our Earth and sun, respectively (Jupiter resides at about 5 times the Earth-sun distance). Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Palomar Observatory This image shows the light from three planets orbiting a star 120 light-years away. The planets' star, called HR8799, is located at the spot marked with an "X." This picture was taken using a small, 1.5-meter (4.9-foot) portion of the Palomar Observatory's Hale Telescope, north of San Diego, Calif. This is the first time a picture of planets beyond our solar system has been captured using a telescope with a modest-sized mirror -- previous images were taken using larger telescopes. The three planets, called HR8799b, c and d, are thought to be gas giants like Jupiter, but more massive. They orbit their host star at roughly 24, 38 and 68 times the distance between our Earth and sun, respectively (Jupiter resides at about 5 times the Earth-sun distance).https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/benjamin_zuckerman_hr_8799_planets_image_dec-_2010.jpgBenjamin_Zuckerman_HR_8799_planets_image_Dec._2010HR 8700, first planet to be directly imaged, using the Keck Telescope in Hawaii and Gemini in Chile.2016-01-08T18:50:35+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2016/01/04/mostly-thumbs-down-on-exonames/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/220px-exoplanet_comparison_hd_149026_b.png220px-Exoplanet_Comparison_HD_149026_bNeptune and Jupiter alongside the planet formerly known as HD 149026b, and now called Smertrios. The measured density of the planet -- along with its mere 4-day orbit around its sun -- have made it a scientifically important subject of study. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/iau1514b_940x564-e1470416518697.jpgiau1514b_940x564Infographic displaying a breakdown of the votes per person and country/region in the IAU NameExoWorlds vote to name alien worlds. As announced on December 15, publicly endorsed names for 31 exoplanets and 14 host stars were accepted and are to be officially sanctioned by the IAU.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/1450202418089.jpg1450202418089Artist's impression of Thestias around its star Pollux. In Greek mythology, Thestias is the patronym of Leda and her sister Althaea, the daughters of Thestius. Leda was a Greek goddess, mother of Pollux and of his twin Castor. NASA/ESA and G. Bacon (STScI).https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/darkrift-orig_full.jpgdarkrift-orig_fullAn essentially infinite number of stars in countless galaxies makes for an equally infinite number of likely exoplanets.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/exoplanet20151006-162.jpgexoplanet20151006-1651 Pegasi b was discovered in October, 1995. This giant planet is about half the size of Jupiter and orbits its star in about four days. '51 Peg' helped launch a whole new field of exploration. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech2016-01-27T03:49:49+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2015/12/18/enceladus-and-other-distant-water-worlds/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/enceladus_cassini_pia07800c16-e1470414551928.jpgenceladus_cassini_PIA07800c16A view of Enceladus’ southern hemisphere in enhanced color (IR-green-UV). The “tiger stripe” fractures, the source of plumes venting gas and dust into space, are prominently visible in the center. {NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Lunar and Planetary Institute, Paul Schenk (LPI, Houston)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/kepler62.jpgKepler62Kepler-62e has been described as being a possible waterworld, with large oceans. UPR Arecibohttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/pia17202_-_approaching_enceladus2.jpgPIA17202_-_Approaching_EnceladusNASA's Cassini spacecraft captured this view as it neared icy Enceladus for its closest-ever dive past the moon's active south polar region. The view shows heavily cratered northern latitudes at top, transitioning to fractured, wrinkled terrain in the middle and southern latitudes. The wavy boundary of the moon's active south polar region -- Cassini's destination for this flyby -- is visible at bottom, where it disappears into wintry darkness. This view looks towards the Saturn-facing side of Enceladus. North on Enceladus is up and rotated 23 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Oct. 28, 2015. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 60,000 miles (96,000 kilometers) from Enceladus and at a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 45 degrees. Image scale is 1,896 feet (578 meters) per pixel.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/false_color_cassini_image_of_jets_in_the_southern_hemisphere_of_enceladus1.jpgFalse_color_Cassini_image_of_jets_in_the_southern_hemisphere_of_Enceladushttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/enceladus_plume_molecules.jpgEnceladus_plume_moleculesThe chemical composition of the plumes of Enceladus's includes hydrocarbons such as ammonia, methane and formaldehyde in trace amounts similar to the makeup of many comets. (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/cassini_enceladus_geysers_apr2013-crop_-original-original-e1450383875991.jpgcassini_enceladus_geysers_apr2013.jpg.CROP.original-originalenceladus geyserhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/saturn_enceladus_oct11.jpgsaturn_enceladus_oct11Glittering geysers of water ice erupt from Saturn's enigmatic moon Enceladus as seen during a previous flyby. The plumes are backlit by the sun, which is almost directly behind the moon. The moon's dark side that we see here is illuminated by reflected Saturn-shine. Today, the Cassini spacecraft flew right through the plumes in order to let its instruments 'taste' them. Credit: NASA/JPL/SSI/Ugarkovich2015-12-19T19:03:47+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2015/12/15/the-borderland-where-stars-and-planets-meet/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/image_1422e-kepler-7b.jpgimage_1422e-Kepler-7bArtist's conception of the clouds on Kepler-7b, compared for size with Jupiter (right). Many exoplanets and brown dwarfs have mostly hydrogen-helium atmospheres that are covered in layers of mineral dust, while Jupiter’s hydrogen-helium atmosphere has clouds of ammonia. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MIT) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/screen-shot-2015-12-14-at-7-02-49-pm.pngScreen Shot 2015-12-14 at 7.02.49 PMColors plotted here represent the average expected false positive rate for candidates of a given size (radius on the y-axis) and orbital period (x-axis). For candidates smaller than Jupiter, the expected false positive rate is less than 10%. For planets between one and two Jupiter radii, the false positive rate jumps up to 38%. For objects larger than twice the size of Jupiter, the false positive rate increases to 90%. White points show the properties of the candidates observed by the Santerne team. (NASA Exoplanet Archive/N. Batalha, T. Mortonhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/browndwarfcomparison-pia12462.jpgBrownDwarfComparison-pia12462Size comparison of stellar vs substellar objects. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCB).https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/mqdefault.jpgmqdefaultThe dust and wind storm on the L dwarf W1906+40 rotates around the cool star every nine hours and is large enough to hold three Earths. L-dwarfs mark the boundary between real stars and “failed stars” only the most massive L dwarfs fuse hydrogen atoms and generate energy like our sun. Most L dwarfs known are brown dwarfs, also known as “failed stars,” because they never sustain atomic fusion. (JPL/NASA-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/fig3.jpgThis artist's conception illustrates the brown dwarf named 2MASSJ22282889-431026.Brown dwarfs -- like the one illustrated here - are more massive and hotter than planets but lack the mass required to become sizzling stars. Their atmospheres can be similar to Jupiter's, with wind-driven, planet-size clouds. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/133996main_image_feature_413_ys_4.jpg133996main_image_feature_413_ys_4red spot of jupiter (NASA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/cosmic-dust-brown-dwarf.jpgcosmic-dust-brown-dwarfCosmic dust surround a brown dwarf in the making. ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. Kornmesser 2015-12-15T11:00:42+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2015/12/07/faint-worlds-on-the-far-horizon/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/microlens.gifmicrolensGravitational microlensing relies on chance line-ups between an intervening star with planetary system and a more distant light source. Credit: California Institute of Technology.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/image_2437-kepler-444.jpgimage_2437-Kepler-444Kepler-444 hosts five Earth-sized planets in very compact orbits. The planets were detected from the dimming that occurs when they transit the disc of their parent star, as shown in this artist's conception. Credit: Tiago Campante/Peter DevineKepler-444 is a metal-poor Sun-like star located in the constellation Lyra, 116.4 light-years away. Also known as HIP 94931, KIC 6278762, KOI-3158, and LHS 3450, this pale yellow-orange star is very bright and can be easily seen with binoculars. It was formed 11.2 billion years ago, when the Universe was less than 20 percent its current age. It is approximately 25 percent smaller than the Sun and substantially cooler.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/600px-nasa-hs201427a-hubbleultradeepfield2014-20140603.jpg600px-NASA-HS201427a-HubbleUltraDeepField2014-20140603The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF) is an image of a small region of space in the constellation Fornax, composited from Hubble Space Telescope data accumulated over a period from September 24, 2003, through to January 16, 2004. Looking back approximately 13 billion years (between 400 and 800 million years after the Big Bang) it will be used to search for galaxies that existed at that time. The HUDF image was taken in a section of the sky with a low density of bright stars in the near-field, allowing much better viewing of dimmer, more distant objects. https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/1920px-stellar_fireworks_finale.jpg1920px-Stellar_Fireworks_FinaleThis is an illustration by Adolf Schaller from the Hubble Gallery (NASA). It is public domain. It shows colliding protogalaxies less than 1 billion years afer the big bang.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/top10_exoplanets_oldest_planet_02.jpgtop10_exoplanets_oldest_planet_02psa xxx, 12 biullion2015-12-14T17:29:21+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2015/12/01/exoplanet-earth/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/images.jpgimagesGCM model of “Slushball” Earth in a period when the mean global temperature was far below freezing but substantial parts of the oceans remained ice-free, illustrating how variable regional climates can be. (NASA, GISS-Columbia University)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/images-2.jpgimages-2A water world on a rocky planet. The GCM model showed that it would not necessarily be entirely closed in by clouds. (NASA GISS-Columbia University)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/exoplanetreleaseimage-e1483203166479.jpgexoplanetreleaseimageeft to right: Mars surface air temperatures; hypothetical tidally locked planet; Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth cloud cover; Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth surface wind speed and directions. (Credits: NASA GISS and Columbia University) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/adelgenio3.jpgadelgenio3Anthony Del Genio, leader of GISS team using cutting edge Earth climate models to better understand conditions on exoplanets.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/snowballnsf.jpgSnowballNSFSnowball, or "slushball" Earths have occurred several times in Earth history, covering large swaths and perhaps at times all of the planet in glacial ice and snow. NSFhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/pia19830-16-640x350.jpgpia19830-16-640x350cientific illustrations of recently discovered, potentially habitable worlds. Left to right: Kepler-22b, Kepler-69c, Kepler-62e, and Kepler-62f, compared with Earth at far right. (Credit: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/screen-shot-2015-11-27-at-6-31-46-pm-e1455561050430.pngScreen Shot 2015-11-27 at 6.31.46 PM A computer generated “aridity index” that maps out the dry places (yellow-brown) and the wet places (green) of an Earth-like planet that rotates on its axis much more slowly than Earth. The slowly rotating version of Earth has climate zones very different from actual Earth – the Sahara desert has turned into a rain forest, and the northern U.S. and Canada have become more arid like Los Angeles. Overall, slowing the rotation produces a rocky planet with rain and possibly habitable conditions on more of the surface of the planet. (NASA GISS-Columbia University)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/screen-shot-2015-11-27-at-3-31-01-pm-e1483203123804.pngScreen Shot 2015-11-27 at 3.31.01 PMThe red areas in the figure are mostly ocean areas, with temperatures of about 25 degrees C, like a tropical resort (but very humid). The highland areas have temperatures just above freezing (yellow) or below freezing (blue) in the most mountainous parts. 2017-05-18T05:51:04+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2015/11/24/many-worlds-subterranean-edition/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/sn-worm.jpgsn-wormHalicephalobus mephisto, the first multicellular organism found far below Earth’s surface, is a ravenous bacteria eater. (Borgonie, University of the Free State)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/440px-desulforudis_audaxviator.jpg440px-Desulforudis_audaxviatorThe rod-shaped D. audaxviator was recovered from thousands of liters of water collected deep in the Mponeng Mine in South Africa. (Micrograph by Greg Wanger, J. Craig Venter Institute, and Gordon Southam, University of Western Ontario, used with permission) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/audaxviator.jpgaudaxviatord audaxviator by tullis onstotthttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/mars_lichen2.jpgmars_lichen2mars lichen from grmanyhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/figure-2.jpgFigure 2https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/figure-1.jpgFigure 1SEM of crittershttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/darktunnel2_wide-84fd3f0389eec4d2b815bfe573613c06ac199611-s900-c85.jpgdarktunnel2_wide-84fd3f0389eec4d2b815bfe573613c06ac199611-s900-c85Scientists, including Borgonie (right), deep underground at Northam Platinum mine in South Africa. (Marc Kaufman)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/featured-image-borgonie1-e1448060355552.jpgFeatured image (Borgonie)[1]Scanning electron microscope blue-tinted image of nematode on biofilm, collected from Kopanang mine almost one mile below surface. (Borgonie, ELi)2015-11-30T13:58:37+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2015/11/20/retro-exo-and-its-originators/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/80c10f39-3145-4391-b8c2-9e3798ccd925-2060x1236.jpg80c10f39-3145-4391-b8c2-9e3798ccd925-2060x1236https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/fu1ekqpqcljhjpyyi8mf.jpgfu1ekqpqcljhjpyyi8mfA super-Earth and its gravity (NASA/JPL)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/psoj318-5-22_screen.jpgPSOJ318.5-22_screenMost fully Art Deco poster of a planet with no sun, created for a science gathering. (NASA/JPL)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kepler-16b_20x-301.pngKepler-16b_20x-30https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/bn-ir781_nygard_p_201506011526571-e1448032080184.jpgBN-IR781_nygard_P_20150601152657David Delgado, visual Strategist for NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, co-designed the Orbital Pavillion sculpture for the World Science Festival in New York. (Ramsay de Give, The Wall Street Journal) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kepler-186f_20x30-0.jpgKepler-186f_20x30.0Where the sun shines red. (NASA/JPL)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/jet_lab_team.jpgjet_lab_teamJoby Harris (left) and Dan Goods in "The Studio" at JPL. (NASA/JPL)2015-11-20T16:01:09+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2015/11/17/france-and-exoplanets-2/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/artist_s_impression_of_corot-e1470408842643.jpgArtist_s_impression_of_COROTArtist impression of the CoRot (COnvection ROtation and planetary Transits) space telescope. A French-led mission, it launched in 2006 and send back images until 2012. (ESA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/artiste28099s_impression_of_exoplanet_corot-9b-e1470408877473.jpgArtist’s_impression_of_exoplanet_Corot-9bThis artist’s impression shows the transiting exoplanet Corot-9b. Discovered by combining observations from the CoRoT satellite and the ESO HARPS instrument, Corot-9b is the first “normal” exoplanet that can be studied in great detail. This planet has the size of Jupiter and an orbit similar to that of Mercury. It orbits a star similar to the Sun located 1,500 light-years away from Earth towards the constellation of Serpens (the Snake). Corot-9b passes in front of its host star every 95 days, as seen from Earth. This “transit” lasts for about 8 hours. Like our own giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, the planet is mostly made of hydrogen and helium, and it may contain up to 20 Earth masses of other elements, including water and rock at high temperatures and pressures.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/f_forget_medium.jpgF_Forget_mediumFrancois Forget, a highly-respected modeler of exoplanet atmospheres.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/640px-latest_rendering_of_the_e-elt.jpg640px-Latest_Rendering_of_the_E-ELTThe planned European Extremely Large Telescope compared in size with the current largest observatories and the Coliseum of Rome. (ESO)2015-11-20T15:34:19+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2015/11/13/on-super-earths-sub-neptunes-and-some-lessons-they-teach-2/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/fig5-scale_of_452_system-1-e1470415996312.jpgfig5-scale_of_452_system-1The Kepler-452 system compared alongside the Kepler-186 system and our solar system. Kepler-186 is a miniature solar system that would fit entirely inside the orbit of Mercury. The size of the habitable zone of star Kepler-452, considered one of the most “Earth-like” exoplanets found so far, is nearly the same as that of our sun. “Super-Earth” Kepler-452b orbits its star once every 385 days. (NASA Ames/JPL-CalTech/R. Hurt)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/trans_spec.pngtrans_spechttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/caroline-morley.jpgcaroline-morleyCaroline Morey of the University of California, Santa Cruzhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/mega-eartj-e1447430384741.jpgMega EarthAn artist concept shows the Kepler-10 system, home to two rocky planets. In the foreground is Kepler-10c, a planet that weighs 17 times as much as Earth and is more than twice as large in size. This discovery has planet formation theorists challenged to explain how such a world could have formed. (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/David Aguilar) 2016-02-21T22:12:35+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2015/11/09/on-super-earths-sub-neptunes-and-some-lessons-they-teach/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/artiste28099s_impression_of_gj_1214b_in_transit-e1453836478450.jpgArtist’s_impression_of_GJ_1214b_in_transitThe planet Gliese 1214b was initially described as a possible "water world," and the idea caught the public imagination. But subsequent examination, and the characterizing of other super-Earths and sub-Neptunes, has led to a different conclusion: that the planet is most likely covered by a hydrogen/helium envelope and a thick film of sooty dust. (Artist rendering by L. Calçada, European Space Observatory.)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/hires1.jpghiresThis artist's illustration represents the variety of planets being detected by NASA's Kepler spacecraft. A new analysis has determined the frequencies of planets of all sizes, from Earths up to gas giants. (C. Pulliam & D. Aguilar, CfA)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/screen-shot-2015-11-09-at-1-09-48-pm-e1447093537706.pngScreen Shot 2015-11-09 at 1.09.48 PMExoplanets identified by Kepler and other ground-based telescopes through 2014. (NASA Ames)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/1024px-neptune_earth_size_comparison-e1447093335402.jpg1column 3;aThe discovery of a menagerie of exoplanets sized greater than Earth and smaller than Neptune has changed thinking about planets and solar systems. The radius of Neptune is almost 4 times greater than Earth’s, and the planet’s mass is 17 times greater than our planet. (NASA)2015-11-09T18:41:21+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2015/11/03/how-many-worlds/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/milky-way-bulge-2-e1483203043961.jpgmilky-way-bulge-2The ESO 3.6-metre telescope at La Silla, during observations. The Milky Way, our own galaxy, stretches across the picture: it is a disc-shaped structure seen perfectly edge-on. Above the telescope´s dome, here lit by the Moon, and partially hidden behind dark dust clouds, is the yellowish and prominent central bulge of the Milky Way. The whole plane of the galaxy is populated by about a hundred thousand million stars, as well as significant amounts of interstellar gas and dusts. The dust absorbs visible light and reemits it at longer wavelength, appearing totally opaque at our eyes. The ancient Andean civilizations saw in these dark lanes their animal-shaped constellations. By following the dark lane which seems to grow from the centre of the Galaxy toward the top, we find the reddish nebula around Antares (Alpha Scorpii). The Galactic Centre itself lies in the constellation of Sagittarius and reaches its maximum visibility during the austral winter season. The ESO 3.6-metre telescope, inaugurated in 1976, currently operates with the HARPS spectrograph, the most precise exoplanet “hunter” in the world. Located 600 km north of Santiago, at 2400 metres altitude in the outskirts of the Chilean Atacama Desert, La Silla was first ESO site in Chile and the largest observatory of its time. This photograph was taken by ESO Photo Ambassador Serge Brunier. Links ESO Photo Ambassadors webpage.https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/milkyway-kepler-croberts2__2_-br-e1483203062940.pngMilkyWay-Kepler-cRoberts2__2_-brhttps://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/unknown-2.jpegUnknown-2https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2-9-e1446530182901.png2.9Almost 2,000 exoplanets have now been identified, more than half by Kepler. Another 3,000 exoplanet candidates await confirmation. (NASA Ames)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2-8-e1446530168736.png2.8Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to our Solar System at about 4.37 lightyears away. (NASA/Hubble Space Telescope) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2-7-e1446530137144.jpg2.7The twelve exoplanets detected so far closest to Earth in size, lined up with the type of stars they orbit. (NASA Ames)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2-5-e1446530109786.jpg2.5After the CCDs on the Kepler telescope record the light from stars in its viewing field, the data is sent back to Earth and goes through numerous steps before possibly delivering a “Kepler object of interest,” and possibly a planet candidate. Pleiades is the Ames supercomputer. (NASA Ames) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2-2.jpg2.2The populations of exoplanets identified so far, plotted according to the radius of the planet and how many days it takes to orbit. The circles in yellow represent planets found by Kepler, light blue by using ground-based radial velocity, and pink for transiting planets not found by Kepler, and green, purple and red other ground-based methods. (NASA Ames Research Center)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2-3-e1446530065600.jpg2.3Kepler-186f was the first rocky planet to be found within the habitable zone -- the region around the host star where the temperature is right for liquid water. This planet is also very close in size to Earth. (NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech) https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2-1-e1446530013219.jpg2.1The Milky Way has several hundred billion stars, and many scientists are now convinced it has even more planets and moons. (NASA)2015-11-04T04:52:35+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.space/2015/10/27/the-exoplanet-era/https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/heic0910e-e1446494543924.jpg1.5The Carina Nebula, one of many regions where stars come together and planets later form made out of the surrounding dust, gas and later rock. (NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/earthlikeexoplanets_0722-e1446494516259.jpg1.4The Earth alongside “Super-Earth-” sized exoplanets identified with the Kepler Space Telescope. (NASA Ames / JPL-Caltech)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image_1594e-water-exoplanets-e1446494470430.jpg1.2The thin gauzy rim of the planet in foreground is an illustration of its atmosphere. (NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)https://manyworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image_535.jpg1.3Artist rendering of early stages of planet formation in the swirl and debris of the disk of a new star. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)2016-02-06T18:10:56+00:00monthlyhttps://manyworlds.spacedaily1.02024-02-02T09:42:02+00:00