Solar System

NASA Video Shows Giant Solar Filament Exploding from the Sun

A new video has been released by NASA that shows our very own Sun sending out a giant solar filament, extending its visible hemisphere by close to half. The incident occurred last week and demonstrates the raw power and influence the Sun has on Earth and the rest of the solar system.

Organic Molecules Discovered in Young Star System

Astronomers have detected the presence of two molecules in the disc surrounding the star designated MWC 480, in a region that is similar to the Kuiper Belt around our Sun. The discovery of these building blocks of life in a young star shows that the conditions that create organic molecules can happen across the cosmos.

With the Help of ALMA Astronomers Find Complex Organic Molecules in Infant Solar System

While researchers have long believed that the circumstances and the molecular structures involved in the creation of our Sun and of our Earth were unique, it appears that far off in space there may be another solar system brimming with potential for life someday. Utilizing the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) researchers with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory have detected for the first time ever the complex organic molecules necessary to create life in a protoplanetary disk surrounding an infant star only a million years into its formation.

Jupiter and Its Moons Set to Put on Astronomical Show

In February, Mars and Venus put on quite a show in the skies above. Determined not to be outdone, Jupiter, the fifth and largest planet in our solar system, will put on a show of its own along with its moons during the month of March.

NASA Receives Proposals for More Solar System Exploration

NASA has received dozens of new proposals for robotic missions for launch in 2021 to explore different parts of the solar system. Scientists have submitted concepts for sending probes to the moon, asteroids, comets and other planets for a chance to win $450 million in federal funding for their mission.

Thanks To Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter NASA Reveals What Lies on the Dark Side of the Moon

Ever wonder what lies on the dark side of the moon? It’s a perspective unlike any that humans have ever seen, and it has been a question that researchers and civilizations have asked for thousands of years. But now, thanks to data collected by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA is showing us exactly what lies on the dark side of the moon, and the view of our solar system whirling around it.

Dust on the Ocean Floor Reveals Ancient Supernova

Scientists have made a startling discovery while exploring the ocean floor that could change how we understand supernovae. Researchers now believe that exploding stars, often far beyond the confines of our solar system, have deposited extraterrestrial dust at the bottom of the oceans, and that could give us better insights into the composition of far off galaxies.

New Horizons Prepares for Pluto Flyby

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has began its long-awaited encounter with the tiny dwarf planet Pluto. Researchers have announced that the craft is entering the first of several approach phases that will culminate on July 14 with the first ever close-up flyby of the dwarf planet, located 4.67 billion miles from Earth.

Meteorites and the History of Our Solar System: Not Everything Is As It Seems

Scientists have long believed that meteors were fundamental to the origins of our planets. Meteors contain minuscule spherical grains known as chondrules, and many have believed these chondrules collided with particles of dust and gas coalescing into protoplanets. However, according to a new study published this week in the journal Nature, this hypothesis may not be true.

What the Taurus Constellation Can Teach Us About Our Solar System’s Birth

There are creationist theories, Big Bang theories, and even more temporarily defined hypotheses about how the planets of our solar system came to be, but modern research has yet to find conclusive empirical evidence to show us exactly how our solar system’s birth happened, 4.5 billion years ago. That is, until now!

Binary Stars Merge and Beat Supermassive Black Hole

Nearly every Sci-Fi film about deep space has warned about the perils of coming up against a black hole. And if there’s anything we’ve learned, or that astronomy has taught us, it’s that these supermassive vortex’s have quite a strong pull—something most planets and stars cannot bare to go through. But as it so happens, it turns out that cosmic coupling may be one solution for solar systems looking to avoid certain death.

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