Mercury Could Have Glaciers Where Life Exists, Say NASA Scientists

2023-11-25 06:09 AM by Jessica Irvine

Mercury in color, from data collected by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft. NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington Scientists studying Mercury have discovered evidence for the existence of glaciers in the planet’s polar regions and suggested they could sustain life. “This groundbreaking discovery of Mercurian glaciers extends our comprehension of the environmental parameters that …

Webb Telescope Probes Rocky Planet In ‘Solar System 2.0’

2023-10-01 07:53 AM by Jessica Irvine

This artist’s concept shows what the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system may look like. NASA/JPL-Caltech TRAPPIST-1 fascinates planetary scientists. Just 39 light-years from us exist seven planets orbiting a star. It’s not an exact match for our solar system—the host star is a red dwarf, a star much cooler than the sun—but all of the seven planets …

Life Should Exist On An Exoplanet 65 Light-Years Away, Says Study

2023-09-30 05:38 AM by Jessica Irvine

There are 11,000 Earth-like exoplanets around sun-like stars within 326 light-years, according to a … [+] scientist. getty There could be 11,000 Earth-like exoplanets around sun-like stars within 326 light-years, according to a scientist. The mathematical study, which could help astronomers and astrobiologists in the hunt for life, also claims that life could exist on …

Ice On Jupiter’s ‘Wet Moon’ Europa Comes From A Hidden Ocean

2023-09-22 12:06 AM by Jessica Irvine

This view of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa was captured by JunoCam, the public engagement camera aboard … [+] NASA’s Juno spacecraft, during the mission’s close flyby on Sept. 29, 2022. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSSImage processing: Kevin M. Gill CC BY 3.0 In the search for life elsewhere in the solar system, Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is perhaps the …

Scientists Take First Steps in Exploring Vast Rivers on Titan

2023-07-12 05:32 AM by Jessica Irvine

Rivers of liquid methane flow on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon (artist’s impression). getty Among the celestial bodies in our solar system, only two have liquid flowing on their surfaces. While Earth boasts rivers and lakes of liquid water, Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, features rivers of liquid methane shaping its landscape. When we include Mars, which …

Reasons Why Astrobiology May Be Too Risk Averse

2023-06-15 07:50 AM by Jessica Irvine

Artist’s interpretation of the ring planet, space illustration Getty Astrobiology, the study of the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe, finds its expression in the late 19th-century masterpiece “Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?” by French artist Paul Gauguin. Surprisingly, NASA has adopted this post-impressionist …