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Posts by
Paul Scott Anderson
TESS’s exoplanet catalog grows to over 2,200 worlds
When the TESS planet hunter launched nearly 3 years ago, some 4,000 exoplanets were known. NASA confirmed in late March that TESS has discovered over 2,200 additional exoplanet candidates orbiting distant stars.
April 1, 2021
Mars’ missing water might still be in its crust
A lot, or even most, of Mars' ancient water remains trapped inside the planet's crust instead of being lost to space, according to a new study from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech.
March 29, 2021
Is ‘Oumuamua a frozen piece of an exoPluto?
A new theory about 'Oumuamua suggests the weird object that passed through our solar system in 2017 was a remnant of a Pluto-like world from another solar system. As one scientist said, "‘Oumuamua may be the first piece of an exoplanet brought to us."
March 27, 2021
Volcanism created a 2nd atmosphere on this Earth-sized exoplanet
For the first time, scientists have found evidence for a secondary atmosphere on an exoplanet, created by volcanism beneath the surface. The planet, GJ 1132 b, is thought to have once been a sub-Neptune, but now is a rocky world the size of Earth.
March 25, 2021
Subsurface oceans on alien worlds better for life than Earth’s oceans?
New research suggests that worlds with subsurface oceans are common in our galaxy, and might be even better environments for life than Earth's oceans.
March 23, 2021
Early science results, and more sounds, from Perseverance Mars rover
NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars has just sent back its first initial science results, as well as some new audio recordings of wind and the rover's laser zapping rocks.
March 17, 2021
Was ancient Earth a water world?
Earlier studies have suggested the possibility that Earth was once covered with water. New evidence - focused on Earth's mantle - suggests our planet was a true water world, covered by a global ocean, billions of years ago.
March 17, 2021
Life materials found on asteroid Itokawa
Scientists have confirmed the presence of water and organic materials that are essential for life on the surface of asteroid Itokawa. The samples of rock and dust were returned to Earth by the Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft in 2010.
March 16, 2021
A hypergiant star’s mysterious dimming
Remember in late 2019, when the famous red star Betelgeuse suddenly and mysteriously began dimming in brightness? Astronomers studying a similar star - VY Canis Majoris, one of the largest and brightest stars in our galaxy - commented that it's "... behaving a lot like Betelgeuse on steroids."
March 8, 2021
Astronomers spy a nearby, blazing hot super-Earth
Most exoplanets orbiting close to their stars don't have atmospheres. But Gliese 486b - orbiting a red dwarf star only 24 light-years away - does. It's close enough to see well. Astronomers will be watching it!
March 4, 2021
