Sunday, April 26, 2015

Direct detection of an exoplanet atmosphere

This article describes the first visible light directly detected from an exoplanet. This is something like seeing what color the sky is in New York is from Los Angeles. 


Thursday, April 16, 2015

Voyager at the edge of the solar system

I have followed the Voyager probes with interest since I was a kid. It made a great impression on me and taught me about the importance of all sorts of things (planetary science, rocketry, propulsion, communication, exploration,...)

After a period of debate, it now appears that Voyager 1 has left the solar system. Scientists have debated exactly where the edge of the solar system lies, until now it seems. Between the shift of magnetic fields (from solar to galactic) and the change in flux of particles (fewer from the sun and more from elsewhere) Voyager appears to now be in a region of space where nothing from Earth has ever gone.

Friday, April 10, 2015

What is weather like on exo-planets?

I find this topic particularly fascinating. Not only can we detect the presence of exo-planets (planets orbiting stars other than our own) we can search for evidence of their atmospheres. And this article is particularly well-written. 

Thursday, April 2, 2015