Author: Robert Lea

Scientists on Earth have discovered two new types of solid crystals that form when table salt and water mix in cold temperatures and at low pressures. The down-to-Earth discovery could have out-of-this-world implications, as these salts could be found in deep cracks and crevices across the surface of moons around the solar system.In particular, the discovery could explain the strange red streaks that crisscross the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa. These scratch-like lines have a chemical signature that doesn’t match anything found on Earth, but scientists think it could be a frozen mix of salts and water. The new discovery…

NASA managed to image an asteroid larger than the Empire State Building and with similar proportions as it hurtled past Earth at the beginning of February, 2023.The asteroid, designated 2011 AG5, passed safely past our planet at a distance of around 1.1 million miles (1.8 million kilometers), about five times the distance between Earth and the moon. But, while it posed no danger of impacting our planet, the asteroid could actually still have a big scientific impact.The close approach allowed scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California to track the space rock, and make invaluable observations to…

The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, also known as the Doomsday Glacier, is melting in unexpected ways that could lead to its rapid collapse, a new study has revealed. Two teams of researchers have used an underwater robot and drilled deep holes into the Florida-sized Thwaites Glacier to study its melting patterns in unprecedented detail.The researchers from the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration discovered that while the overall melting of ice is slower than expected, melting in cracks and crevasses and other vulnerable areas is proceeding much more rapidly. The Thwaites Glacier is often called “the Doomsday Glacier” because its collapse could cause…

Astronomers have analyzed the distant Earth-like planet TRAPPIST-1e to develop a framework that will help scientists determine if any planets outside the solar system could harbor life or could be fit for human habitation.TRAPPIST-1e is one of seven worlds in the Trappist-1 system orbiting a relatively cool M-dwarf star located 39 light-years from Earth. The fact that all of these extrasolar planets  —  or exoplanets  —  are thought to be rocky or terrestrial worlds that are of similar sizes to Earth has made the TRAPPIST-1 system a primary focus for the search for life elsewhere in the universe.Over the coming…

The asteroid that struck Earth and triggered the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs also caused an earthquake that shook the planet for weeks or even months, according to new research.About 66 million years ago, a space rock 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide now called the Chicxulub impactor slammed into Earth off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The asteroid impact and its aftermath caused what has become known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event, killing off three-quarters of species on Earth and leaving its signature scattered throughout the geological record. Now, new research suggests that the…

The asteroid that struck Earth and triggered the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs also caused an earthquake that shook the planet for weeks or even months, according to new research.About 66 million years ago, a space rock 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide now called the Chicxulub impactor slammed into Earth off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The asteroid impact and its aftermath caused what has become known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event, killing off three-quarters of species on Earth and leaving its signature scattered throughout the geological record. Now, new research suggests that the…

Strange, dark-veined meteorites rained down on Earth when a fireball exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2013. The origin of these unusual meteorites has remained a mystery, but now, planetary scientists have discovered a possible source: a mile-and-a-half-long near-Earth asteroid.Scientists know that the dark streaks across the Chelyabinsk meteorites are caused by a process called shock darkening. Yet only around 2% of a common type of meteorite called chondrite meteorites show signs of shock darkening, and the source of these space rocks has remained a mystery.Now, scientists have identified the asteroid 1998 OR2 as a potential source of shock-darkened meteorites.…

Strange, dark-veined meteorites rained down on Earth when a fireball exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2013. The origin of these unusual meteorites has remained a mystery, but now, planetary scientists have discovered a possible source: a mile-and-a-half-long near-Earth asteroid.Scientists know that the dark streaks across the Chelyabinsk meteorites are caused by a process called shock darkening. Yet only around 2% of a common type of meteorite called chondrite meteorites show signs of shock darkening, and the source of these space rocks has remained a mystery.Now, scientists have identified the asteroid 1998 OR2 as a potential source of shock-darkened meteorites.…

An analysis of samples collected from the asteroid Ryugu has revealed its origins and birthplace.The findings show that even though Ryugu is now classified as a near-Earth object, its journey to the inner solar system began hundreds of millions of miles away and billions of years ago.Asteroids like Ryugu are composed of unspoiled material left over from the formation of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago. This means they contain information about the chemical state of the early solar system that could lead to a better understanding of how our cosmic backyard has evolved. Related: Bits of asteroid Ryugu are…

Records of eclipses observed around 1,500 years ago have revealed the history of Earth’s rotation and how our planet’s movement has changed through recent human history.Researchers searched through records from the Byzantine Empire  — the eastern half of the Roman Empire that continued on after the fall of the Western Roman Empire — from  the fourth to seventh centuries A.D. — and identified five total solar eclipses seen around the Eastern Mediterranean, pinpointing their probable times and locations. Previously, solar eclipse accounts from this time were sparse. Because eclipses can provide information about our planet’s movement, records like these can be…