ScienceDaily: Astronomy News |
- Unexpected magic by cosmic rays in cloud formation
- Blue light observations indicate water-rich atmosphere of super-Earth
- Bizarre alignment of planetary nebulae
| Unexpected magic by cosmic rays in cloud formation Posted: 04 Sep 2013 06:35 AM PDT Physicists suggested that cosmic rays, energetic particles from space, are important in the formation of clouds. Since then, experiments have demonstrated that cosmic rays actually help small clusters of molecules to form. But the cosmic-ray/cloud hypothesis seemed to run into a problem when numerical simulations of the prevailing chemical theory pointed to a failure of growth. |
| Blue light observations indicate water-rich atmosphere of super-Earth Posted: 04 Sep 2013 06:32 AM PDT Astronomers and planetary scientists have observed planetary transits of super-Earth GJ 1214 b (Gilese 1214 b). The team investigated whether this planet has an atmosphere rich in water or hydrogen. The observations show that the sky of this planet does not show a strong Rayleigh scattering feature, which a cloudless hydrogen-dominated atmosphere would predict. When combined with the findings of previous observations in other colors, this new observational result implies that GJ 1214 b is likely to have a water-rich atmosphere. |
| Bizarre alignment of planetary nebulae Posted: 04 Sep 2013 06:32 AM PDT The final stages of life for a star like our Sun result in the star blowing its outer layers out into the surrounding space, forming objects known as planetary nebulae in a wide range of beautiful and striking shapes. One type of such nebulae, known as bipolar planetary nebulae, create ghostly hourglass or butterfly shapes around their parent stars. A new study by astronomers now shows surprising similarities between some of these nebulae: many of them line up in the sky in the same way. |
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