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Ross 128 b and the search for Earth-like exoplanets
Only 11 light-years away, Ross 128 b is the 2nd-closest-known rocky exoplanet. Here's a recent study scrutinizing Ross 128 b, as it relates to the fascinating search for distant Earth-like worlds.
September 24, 2018
How scientists know our seas are rising faster
Sea levels have been rising since the end of the last Ice Age. But, as climate warms, the rate of the rise is accelerating. A new ESA video explains how we know.
September 24, 2018
Full Harvest Moon September 24-25
It's the full moon closest to the autumn equinox. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, it means no great lag time between sunset and moonrise, in this season of waning daylight.
September 24, 2018
What’s the recipe for a habitable exoplanet?
What combination of ingredients produce a planet that can support life? NASA has just awarded $7.7 million to Rice University for a new 5-year research program, in hopes of answering that question.
September 24, 2018
MarCO: Tiny cube satellites headed to Mars
These boxy satellites, small enough to fit in a backpack, are currently trailing thousands of miles behind the InSight spacecraft on their way to Mars.
September 24, 2018
Venus and Jupiter, from Brazil
Most of us don't often (or ever) witness the view at sunset, from atop a high mountain, on which is perched an astronomical observatory. The 2 planets here are Venus and Jupiter.
September 23, 2018
It’s Mid-Autumn Festival time in Asia
In China and other Asian countries, it's sometimes called the Moon Festival in honor of the upcoming full moon.
September 23, 2018
Why is Earth’s spin axis drifting?
As Earth rotates, its spin axis -- an imaginary line that passes through the North and South Poles -- drifts and wobbles. Scientists now have, for the 1st time, identified 3 reasons why.
September 23, 2018
Birds flying south. How many will return?
Contrary to popular thought, birds wintering in the tropics survive the winter better than birds wintering in the U.S. That's despite the fact that tropical wintering birds migrate 3 to 4 times farther.
September 23, 2018
A new way to launch rockets without fuel?
Conventional rockets - with their onboard fuel - are expensive and dangerous. A new "quantized inertia" concept might make rocket launches cheaper and safer. The concept has just received $1.3 million in new funding.
September 21, 2018
