A team of astronomers has found the first Earth-sized planet outside the Solar System that has a rocky composition like that of Earth. This exoplanet, known as Kepler-78b, orbits its star very closely every 8.5 hours, making it much too hot to support life. The results are being published in the journal Nature. This Earth-sized [continue reading]
October 31, 2013 The Galactic Ghoul, a spooky cloud in Cygnus Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S.Carey (Caltech) The Galactic Ghoul (designated DR 6) is a star-forming cloud of gas and dust that is home to a young open star cluster, located some 3,900 light-years away in the northern constellation of Cygnus (the Swan). The DR 6 nebula is [continue reading]
October 29, 2013 NGC 4490 & 4485, interacting galaxies in Canes Venatici Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona (http://skycenter.arizona.edu/gallery/Galaxies/NGC4490) NGC 4490 (left) and NGC 4485 (right) are two interacting galaxies, located some 40 – 50 million light-years away from Earth in the small northern constellation of Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs), [continue reading]
Planets rich in carbon, including so-called diamond planets, may lack oceans, according to NASA-funded theoretical research. This artist’s concept illustrates the fate of two different planets: the one on the left is similar to Earth, made up largely of silicate-based rocks with oceans coating its surface. The one on the right is rich in [continue reading]
October 28, 2013 IC 5148, a planetary nebula in Grus Image Credit: ESO IC 5148 (also known as IC 5150 and nicknamed the Spare Tyre Nebula) is a planetary nebula of a couple of light-years across, located some 3,000 light-years away near the ‘neck’ of the southern constellation Grus (the Crane). It is moving towards [continue reading]
October 27, 2013 NGC 4019, an edge-on galaxy in Coma Berenices Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA NGC 4019 (also known as IC 755) is a barred spiral galaxy of some 49,000 light-years across, located about 70 million light-years away in the constellation of Coma Berenices (Berenice’s Hair), while it is receding from us at approximately [continue reading]