Share this Article You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International License. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has marked another first in its release of stunning images: a molecular and chemical portrait of the skies of a distant world. The telescope’s array of highly sensitive instruments was trained on the atmosphere …
Webb Telescope reveals atmosphere of distant planet Read More »
Credit: Kirtland Air Force Base New research, based on two decades of data, shows that in the ten years since its onset in 2000, the Southwestern North America (SWNA) megadrought caused a 30 % of gravity wave activity in Earth’s upper atmosphere. More than 30 years ago, Chester Gardner of the Department of Electrical and …
This illustration represents the exoplanet WASP-39b and its star. Credit: Melissa Weiss/Center for Astrophysics | Harvard and Smithsonian New Webb Space Telescope observations of WASP-39b reveal a molecule never before seen in a planet’s atmosphere – sulfur dioxide – among other details. The telescope’s highly sensitive instrument array was trained on the atmosphere of WASP-39b, …
New molecule: Webb reveals an exoplanet atmosphere “Hot Saturn” Read More »
The White House plans to study spraying aerosols such as sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere to combat climate change – a strategy some scientists see as a risky intervention in the atmosphere, but others believe to be a useful last resort to prevent global warming. This practice, called geoengineering, aims to reflect solar radiation from …
The James Webb Space Telescope has allowed astronomers to study the atmosphere of a distant gas giant exoplanet with greater precision than ever before, leading to the discovery of Three firsts in astronomy. “We predicted this [the telescope] would show us, but it was more precise, more diverse and more beautiful than I actually thought,” …
Astronomers detect a “mysterious molecule” in the atmosphere of an exoplanet Read More »
Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a new method for detecting dark matter, based on existing meteor detection technology. By using ground-based radar to look for ionization trails, similar to those produced by meteors as they pass through the air, they hope to use Earth’s atmosphere as a detector for large particles. The results …
Astronomers analyzing data from the James Webb Space Telescope have spotted signs of chemical reactions caused by starlight in an exoplanet’s atmosphere for the first time Space November 22, 2022 By Alex Wilkins Artist’s impression of exoplanet WASP-39b NASA/JPL-Caltech/Robert Hurt; Center for Astrophysics-Harvard & Smithsonian/Melissa Weiss The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has spotted chemical …
JWST spotted chemical reactions in an exoplanet’s atmosphere Read More »
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched on Christmas Day 2021, is already transforming our understanding of the planets in our solar system and far beyond. A versatile satellite observatory, JWST has an unobstructed view from its orbital position, one million miles from Earth in space. This gives it a major advantage over ground-based telescopes, …
Rising levels of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere could exacerbate efforts to clean our increasingly cluttered shell of orbiting space debris. Greenhouse gas has contributed significantly to the contraction of the upper atmosphere, according to two new studies. This contraction has been assumed for decades; now, for the first time, this has actually been observed. …
Relentless carbon is shrinking Earth’s upper atmosphere, scientists warn Read More »
Can a star have a solid surface? This may seem counter-intuitive. But human intuition is a response to our evolution on Earth, where up is up, down is down, and there are three states of matter. Intuition fails when confronted with the cosmos. Magnetars are dead stars with intense magnetic fields, the strongest we know …
New observations confirm that a magnetar has a solid surface and no atmosphere Read More »
