Items tagged with saturn
Researchers have come across some evidence suggesting Earth had a ring system around 466 million years ago, which may have been a contributor to the global cooling event known as the Hirnantian Icehouse. The hypothesis comes from plate tectonic reconstructions for the Ordovician period, a period of unusually intense...
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A group of French researchers have sensed a disturbance in the force when it comes to Saturn’s moon, Mimas. Mimas bears a stark resemblance to the Empire’s Death Star in the iconic Star Wars franchise, hence why some astronomers have given it that nickname.
The research team, led by French astronomer Valery Lainey...
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While ring formations around small objects in the solar system are not well understood, new research suggests one theory for why thin rings may exist around those that orbit between Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Chariklo, classified as a Centaur, was the first asteroid ever found to have a ring system...
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The Moon will be at its brightest and fullest as it passes by the ringed planet Saturn in the night sky this week. This is the second full Moon of August, making it the year's only Super Blue Moon.
Saturn comes to opposition of Earth's Moon nearly every year. While it takes one Earth year for our home planet to...
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The second full Moon of August will be a Supermoon as well as a Blue Moon all wrapped into one. Along with the incredible Supermoon, Saturn will be its closest and brightest for the year.
The second full moon in a single month is classified as a Blue Moon, according to the definition set by Sky and Telescope...
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Giant megastorms unique to the planet Saturn have scientists pondering what causes the storms to leave impacts on the giant gas planet for a hundred years or more. A new research paper dives into the dilemma utilizing data from the Cassini mission and the Very Large Array (VLA) telescope.
In 2020, NASA stated that...
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August promises to be a stellar end to Summer as sky watchers will be treated to a couple of supermoons, dazzling shows of shooting stars, and more in the night sky. The end of August will feature a full Blue Moon that will be the closest supermoon of the year, the second of four consecutive supermoons.
Sky gazers...
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NASA's James Space Webb Telescope (JWST) continues to dazzle with yet another stunning image of Saturn's spectacular rings. The image was captured by Webb on June 25, 2023, and was part of the observatory's first near-infrared observations of the mammoth-ringed planet.
JWST has been utilized to capture images of...
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Researchers have discovered that Enceladus's ocean should contain phosphorus, one of the basic elements for terrestrial life. The scientists used geochemical modeling to predict just how much phosphorous could be present in the ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus.
Observations by the Cassini spacecraft have already...
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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured data regarding a water vapor plume from Saturn's moon Enceladus, which spans an incredible 6,000 miles. The detection of an immense water emission of this nature is the first seen over such a far-reaching distance. It also gives scientists an idea of how an emission like...
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It appears Saturn was not happy that gas giant Jupiter overtook it as the planet with the most moons earlier this year with 95 known natural satellites. Thanks to an international team of astronomers, however, the ringed planet has taken back its crown with 62 new moons being discovered.
Saturn is adorned with...
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Enigmatic features across Saturn's rings known as spokes tantalize and baffle NASA scientists. The spokes were first discovered by NASA's Voyager mission in the 1980s, and have been observed in the years preceding and following the planet's equinox. As Saturn's autumnal equinox of the northern hemisphere approaches on...
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A team of researchers led by the University of Arizona believe Saturn's moon Enceladus is a prime candidate for potentially harboring alien life. The team thinks that a future mission to Enceladus could provide answers without even landing on the icy surface.
NASA's Cassini spacecraft concluded its historic 13-year...
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NASA's Webb space telescope has revealed an exoplanet's atmosphere in a way never seen before. The highly-advanced telescope viewed the molecular and chemical profile of a distant planet's atmosphere, giving scientists and astronomers an idea of how clouds of this nature may look up close.
The James Webb Space...
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New research indicates that one of Saturn's moons could hold evidence for habitability. The new findings suggest Enceladus's subsurface ocean could hold a key building block for life.
The search for life outside of our own planet has been heating up with new data obtained more and more often. But it is not always...
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A new discovery reveals a unique feature when it comes to some of Saturn's aurorae. Observations made with the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaii Island, shows that some of the ringed planet's aurorae are generated by swirling winds within its own atmosphere.
This unique observation differs from all other...
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A lunar orbiter meant to take pictures of the moon's surface turned its cameras on to Saturn and its rings recently. NASA's Reconnaissance Orbiter captured an image of Saturn as it looked down at the north face of the rings.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) began its mission of capturing images of the moon...
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NASA is always on the lookout for signs of life beyond Earth and new planets it could exist on. Astronomers at NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory may have discovered a new planet the size of Saturn in another galaxy (far, far away).
NASA has recently been crunching new data coming in from its probe Juno currently...
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