Lightning Processes on Jupiter and Earth are Same: Lightning Dynamics

Juno is the famous space probe sent by NASA to study Jupiter. It was launched in 2011 and reached the gas giant planet in 2016. Instead of orbiting around the equator like previous missions, Juno entered a path that takes it over Jupiter’s poles. After its arrival, the space probe has been gyrating the planet in a specific orbit. With the help of special instruments on board, Juno is constantly collecting information from Jupiter’s environment. The main aim of the expedition, is to gather accurate data about the planet’s gravity…

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Magnetic Bubble Beyond our Solar System: Radiation Belt around an Ultracool Dwarf

Radiation belts are zones of charged particles, primarily electrons and protons, trapped by a planet’s magnetic field. They are typically found around planets with a significant magnetic field, such as Earth or Jupiter. These belts produce various radiations, including radio emissions, which can be detected and studied by radio telescopes.

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A Star Swallowing Jupiter-sized Planet: Planetary Engulfment

When a star runs out of fuel, it eventually reaches the end of its life cycle and begin to expand. It swells to hundred or even a thousand times its original size. The process is called as a “red giant” phase. The progression enables the star’s outer layers to become less dense. Consequently, the star starts to swell outwards. In some cases, the star may expand so much that it engulfs any nearby planets.

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Two super-Earths orbiting M dwarf TOI-2095: Exoplanet Diversity

Astronomers are always looking for exoplanets since it opens the door for better understanding of the formation and evolution of planetary systems beyond our own. With this aim in mind, NASA launched the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in 2018. Primary parameter of this was to monitor the brightness of nearby stars. Till now, TESS has surveyed nearly 200,000 of the brightest stars near the sun. And so far, it has identified about 6,400 candidate exoplanets. To date, 330 of these candidates have been confirmed as exoplanets through follow-up observations…

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Magnetic Star–planet Interactions: YZ Ceti b

Magnetic field is an important characteristic of a planet. And when it comes to Earth, the field is generated by the motion of molten iron in its core. It not only protects the atmosphere on Earth from cosmic radiations but it also deflects the charged particles spewed off by the sun. In absence of magnetic field, planet’s atmosphere would erode. Thus, making it less habitable.

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Gravity is Holographic Projection from a Higher-Dimension: De Sitter Space

According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, gravity arises from the curvature of spacetime, caused by the presence of massive objects. This curvature, also, impacts the motion of all nearby objects thus, causing them to move in curved paths. General relativity however breaks down under extreme conditions such as those found in black holes and the early universe. These conditions comprise of high energies and densities, which exponentially influences the effects of quantum mechanics. And it has been observed that the laws of general relativity no longer provide a complete…

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Altered Gravity can give Suppressive Effect: Immune System in Space

Short-term exposure to altered gravity, such as the brief periods of weightlessness experienced during parabolic flights, is generally not considered to be harmful to human health. However, it’s important to note that even short periods of altered gravity can slightly thought not exponentially affect the body in various ways. For example, during periods of weightlessness, fluids tend to shift from the lower body to the upper body, which can cause a decrease in blood volume and an increase in pressure in the head and upper body. This can result in…

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Two Earth sized Planets Orbit a Red-dwarf: GJ 1002 System

In an international collaboration between astronomers, two planets orbiting a red-dwarf star have been identified. The planets, GJ 1002 b and c, are 16 light-years away and about the size of Earth. Both lie within the star’s habitable zone. Which means, the orbital distance is enough to allow liquid water to form on the surface provided it has the right kind of atmosphere.

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Active Mantle Plume on Mars: Martian Geodynamic Evolution

Cumulative evidence, so far has suggested that Mars once had oceans but then lost its atmosphere and eventually died out. Unlike Earth, where shifting tectonic plates make way for dynamic interior, Mars never surfaced such processes. Hence, the astronomers concluded that nothing much happened on the red planet, at least, in the last 3 to 4 billion years. Recent observations by the scientists at the University of Arizona, however has challenged the current views of Martian geodynamic evolution. As per them, the red planet, that seems to be dead, has an…

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A Super-Earth orbiting Dwarf Ross 508: Exoplanet Exploration

Astronomers work ceaselessly to find out clues that might point out to the existence of extra-terrestrial life some where in outer space. The mere idea that we might not be alone is enough motivation to work constantly in this hunt. Lately, there has been an increase in the number of research probing into exoplanets. In one such research, astronomers have discovered a super-Earth like planet near the habitable zone of a red dwarf star.  It is about 37 light-years from the Earth. This also happens to be the first such…

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Periodic Pattern of Fast Radio Bursts Detected from Another Galaxy: Mysterious Space Signals

Astronomers at MIT and Canada have traced a periodic radio signal coming from a distant galaxy. The signal is quite intense and hence, fall under the category of fast radio burst a.k.a FRB. Usually, FRB lasts for about a few milliseconds, however, the newly discovered signal has continued for three seconds. During this time frame, the astronomers also traced bursts of radio waves that reiterated every 0.2 seconds in a distinct periodic pattern. The rhythming pattern of the radio waves resembled a beating heart.

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The Ear-EEG Measure How Astronauts Sleep: Sleep in Orbit

Sleep is the most vital process for overall mental development. Irrespective of age, sleep deprivation leads not only to mood fluctuations the next day but it also affects the overall productivity including decision-making skills, creativity and judgment.  Astronauts who spend quite some time in zero gravity face issues while maintaining normal sleep patterns. Even an artificial day-night cycle does not help them in keeping up with a natural circadian rhythm.  Therefore, to get more understanding in the brain’s electrical activity and map sleep patterns, researchers at Aarhus University have developed…

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Moon Soil Can Grow Terrestrial Plants: Tiny Lunar Garden

For the first time in human history, space scientists were able to grow plants in the soil from the moon. With the plants sprouting from the moon soil, lunar exploration seems pretty incredible. University of Florida researchers were able to prove that moon soil – also called as lunar regolith – can grow terrestrial plants. They also investigated that for the plant it wasn’t an easy journey. Nevertheless, this effort is the first step towards understanding how plants respond biologically to the Moon’s soil. This insight will surely help NASA’s…

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Two Rocky Worlds Orbiting M Dwarf Star: The HD 260655 System

Astronomers at NASA have identified two rocky alien worlds hovering around M dwarf star called HD 260655. M stars have faint glow and they look red to our eyes with temperature ranging from 2,500 Kelvin to 3,500 Kelvin. These stars account for nearly 75% of the stars in our stellar neighborhood, which implies they can be easily observed from Earth due to its abundance. As per Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), the newly discovered exoplanets are about two times more massive than the Earth.

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