SETI Institute’s Post

"Newly Found World Could Be Planetary Formation Breakthrough - When scientists found the first exoplanets over 30 years ago, the discovery defied all expectations. In the following decades, with the advent of NASA's Kepler and TESS missions and numerous ground-based observatories, the exoplanet count has risen to nearly 6,000 confirmed worlds and some 7,200 candidates. Press releases on newly confirmed planets tend to be about exciting or strange places, and this week's SETI Live is no exception. Discovered in TESS data, Gliese 12 b is a recently confirmed exoplanet the size of Earth or Venus, orbiting a red dwarf star every thirteen days and "only" about 40 light-years away from our solar system. This close-in, rocky world could potentially be studied using the JWST for more precise information on its size and atmospheric composition (if there is an atmosphere). "Two separate teams of researchers confirmed the planet, and today, senior planetary astronomer Franck Marchis is joined by the two lead authors from one of those teams - Shishir Dholakia, a doctoral student at the Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, and Larissa Palethorpe, a doctoral student at the University of Edinburgh. Join Franck, Shishir, and Larissa in what promises to be an interesting conversation about Gliese 12 b's discovery, confirmation, and potential for understanding planetary formation and evolution." NASA press release: https://lnkd.in/gD4bmt98 paper "Gliese 12 b, a temperate Earth-sized planet at 12 parsecs discovered with TESS and CHEOPS " https://lnkd.in/gWp_bn4v SETI Institute "Gliese 12 b: A Promising Earth-to-Venus-Sized Exoplanet"

Named after the Roman god of the underworld, Pluto was first discovered on February 18, 1930, by the American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh. Check out our newest article about the former planet: Pluto 🌟 Link: https://lnkd.in/d49JivQw #astronomy #astrophysics #pluto

Please have a read of our latest article for the Kruger2Canyon news where we discuss some of the weird and wonderful exoplanets that have been discovered. https://lnkd.in/gDbzHu3p

🪐 Pluto: Small but Mighty in Mysteries! Did you know that Pluto has a heart-shaped glacier that's the size of Texas and Oklahoma combined? 🖤 Named Tombaugh Regio, this vast icy plain is not only a defining feature of Pluto's surface but also a source of significant scientific intrigue. This heart isn't just for show; it plays a crucial role in Pluto's climate and atmospheric composition. Studies suggest that this glacier is composed of nitrogen ice, which, due to Pluto's elliptical orbit, undergoes a complex cycle of sublimation and condensation, contributing to the dwarf planet's thin atmosphere. This process showcases the dynamic and surprisingly active geological processes on a celestial body so far from the Sun. ☀️ What implications do you think such discoveries have for our understanding of the outer solar system? Could the mysteries of Pluto's heart-shaped glacier lead us to rethink what we know about planetary science and the conditions necessary for life? Share your thoughts or any cosmic facts you find fascinating below! 🌌✨ #DidYouKnow #Pluto #SpaceExploration #Astronomy #TombaughRegio #OuterSpace

Astronomers discovered a big crash between giant asteroids in the Beta Pictoris system, which is far away from Earth. This crash made a lot of dust—100,000 times more than the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs on Earth. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists saw that the dust from this crash had spread out a lot since it happened. Beta Pictoris is younger than our solar system, which is much older and calmer now. This discovery helps us understand how planets form in different solar systems. #digibble #Astronomy #AsteroidCollision #BetaPictoris #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #SpaceDiscovery #PlanetFormation #CosmicDust #Astrophysics #YoungSolarSystem #SpaceExploration

What is the Difference Between Helioseismology and Asteroseismology? #SpaceEconomy #NewSpace #NewSpaceEconomy #Space #CommercialSpace

Seagull Nebula over Pinnacles' Peak Image Credit & Copyright: Dheera Venkatraman Explanation: The bird is bigger than the peak. Nicknamed for its avian shape, the Seagull Nebula is an emission nebula on the night sky that is vast, spanning an angle over five times the diameter of the full moon and over 200 light years. The head of the nebula is catalogued as IC 2177, and the star cluster under its right wing is catalogued as NGC 2343. Consisting of mostly red-glowing hydrogen gas, the Seagull Nebula incorporates some dust lanes and is forming stars. The peak over which this Seagull seems to soar occurs at Pinnacles National Park in California, USA. The featured image is a composite of long exposure images of the background sky and short exposure images of the foreground, all taken consecutively with the same camera and from the same location. #PhoenixDelivers #nasa

Beyond the Big Bang: Navigating the Vastness from Our Solar System to Multiverses. #SpaceExploration #SolarSystem #Multiverse #Metaverse #Universe #Cosmos #Astronomy #Astrophysics #ParallelUniverses #ScienceFiction #Exploration #Cosmology #VirtualReality #InterstellarTravel #FutureTech #Galaxies #Planets #Exoplanets #SimulationTheory #InfinitePossibilities #Astrobiology #QuantumPhysics #CosmicWonders #InfiniteWorlds #DigitalRealms #Existence #BeyondOurWorld #Infinity

Next #SETILive: Exploring a Hot, Young World TODAY, Apr 25, 2:30 PM PDT / 5:30 PM EDT In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have identified an Earth-sized planet closer and younger than any previously known. Positioned remarkably close to both our planet (73 light-years away) and a Sun-like star, this newly found world offers a unique opportunity for scientists to study the evolution of planets. Catalogued as HD 63433 d, this hot exoplanet orbits its star in 4.2 days, making it one of the closest orbiting Earth-sized worlds. With its young age and proximity, HD 63433 d promises invaluable insights into planetary formation and evolution, unlocking mysteries about the processes shaping worlds beyond our own. A paper detailing the planet and its discovery was recently published in The Astronomical Journal. Communications specialist Beth Johnson speaks with lead authors Melinda Soares-Furtado and Benjamin Capistrant about this amazing discovery and the implications for planetary formation studies. WATCH LIVE: https://buff.ly/3Ud4BQr

#Quasars “Quasars are the blazing centers of active galaxies and are powered by a supermassive #blackhole feeding on humungous quantities of gas… they are an extreme form of what #astronomers call "active galactic nuclei", or AGN for short. “ What you need to know about the brightest objects in the universe: find out more at https://lnkd.in/dBaX7deY Video: The Secerets of the Universe #Space #Science #SpaceScience #Spaceculture #Knowledge #scienceandtechnology #astronomy #astrophysics