planetaria

Curiosity rover continues journey up Mount Sharp after science observations at ‘Marias Pass’

August 21, 2015 by Paul Scott Anderson

New low-angle “selfie” of the Curiosity rover taken while it was in Marias Pass, consisting of multiple images stitched together. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

After extensive investigations of rock layers in Marias Pass, a shallow valley near the base of Mount Sharp, the Curiosity rover is now heading southwest again, to continue gradually climbing the lower slopes of the mountain. Marias Pass is a region with rocks and ground which contain high levels of silica and hydrogen, more evidence that there used to be a lot more water here than there is now.

Image Gallery: new views of Mount Sharp foothills

August 21, 2015 by Paul Scott Anderson

Foothills on Mount Sharp. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Lars (@LarsTheWanderer)

There are a couple new views of the foothills on Mount Sharp from the Curiosity rover, and they are beautiful. Many layers, mesas and buttes are visible, reminiscent of the American southwest. Curiosity will keep getting closer in the weeks and months ahead. Image processing by Lars (@LarsTheWanderer).

Our ‘glowing Moon’: LADEE spacecraft discovers neon in lunar atmosphere

August 20, 2015 by Paul Scott Anderson

Artist’s conception of the LADEE spacecraft orbiting the Moon. Its findings will help scientists to better understand thin exospheres, such as the one our own Moon has. Image Credit: NASA Ames/Dana Berry

The existence of neon gas in our Moon’s ultra-thin atmosphere has been confirmed for the first time, by NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft. Its presence had been theorized for decades, but has now finally been confirmed and found to be relatively abundant, even though it’s not nearly enough for the Moon to actually glow like a neon sign.

Gemini Planet Imager finds its first exoplanet, a methane-rich ‘young Jupiter’

August 17, 2015 by Paul Scott Anderson

Discovery near-infrared image of the exoplanet 51 Eridani b taken by the Gemini Planet Imager on Dec. 21, 2014. The relative size of Saturn’s orbit is also shown for comparison. Image Credit: Gemini Observatory/J. Rameau (UdeM)/C. Marois (NRC Herzberg)

The Gemini Planet Imager, a new telescopic instrument designed to find, image, and study faint, young planets orbiting bright stars, has discovered its first exoplanet: a young Jupiter-like planet called 51 Eridani b which orbits the star 51 Eridani, about 100 light-years away. Thought to be similar to a younger version of Jupiter, it should help astronomers learn more about how planetary systems form.

Image Gallery: Moon passing in front of Earth

August 12, 2015 by Paul Scott Anderson

Still frame from the animation showing the Moon passing in front of the Earth. Image Credit: NASA/NOAA

A beautiful and unique view of the Moon passing in front of the Earth as seen from the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite. The far side of the Moon, never seen from Earth, is visible here as the Moon passes between the satellite and Earth. The video animation is here. The images were taken between 3:50 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. EDT on July 16, 2015 from 1,609,000 kilometres (1,000,000 miles) away.

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