Hubble Space Telescope Analyzes Atmosphere of Super-Earth Exoplanet for First Time

By Paul Scott Anderson, on February 18th, 2016

Artist’s conception of 55 Cancri e, a searingly hot, carbon-rich world. Image Credit: ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser

Exoplanets are now being discovered by the thousands, but most are so far away that determining anything specific about their composition or atmosphere is currently very difficult. But technology keeps advancing, and scientists are now starting to be […]

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Data From Spirit Rover Provides Evidence for Acid Fog on Ancient Mars

By Paul Scott Anderson, on November 3rd, 2015

False-color mosaic of Cumberland Ridge, with pie charts representing iron-bearing mineralogy. Image Credit: S. Cole, PhD thesis; background image: NASA/JPL/Cornell/Arizona State University; Moessbauer values from Morris et al. 2008 (doi: 10.1029/2008JE003201)

The various rover and lander missions on Mars have provided unprecedented glimpses into the planet’s past, including geological history and environmental conditions. In […]

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The Saline Slopes of Mars: NASA Confirms Evidence for Flowing Liquid Water

By Paul Scott Anderson, on September 28th, 2015

False-color image of RSL on slopes in Hale crater. The blue color is thought not to be related to their formation, but instead are from the presence of the mineral pyroxene. The image is produced by draping an orthorectified (Infrared-Red-Blue/Green(IRB)) false color image (ESP_030570_1440) on a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of the same site […]

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Here It Comes! Massive Downlink of Pluto Data Starts With Spectacular New Images

By Paul Scott Anderson, on September 10th, 2015

Perspective view of Pluto, composed of the latest high-resolution images. The entire expanse of terrain seen in the image is 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) across. Image Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

After a lull of several weeks, the downlinking of new data from the New Horizons spacecraft has begun, including […]

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Dark Material in Fractures on Europa's Surface Is Sea Salt, New Research Suggests

By Paul Scott Anderson, on May 13th, 2015

The darker-colored material within the fractures and elsewhere on Europa’s surface might be sea salt brought up from the ocean below. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Ted Stryk

For over a decade, scientists have been curious about the long fractures on Europa’s icy surface and the darker-colored material they contain, as well as other relatively young geological […]

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