Vikash Jha’s Post

🌍 Earth is often called the 'Blue Planet,' but did you know there's another fascinating blue world about 60 light-years away? Meet HD 189733b, a giant gaseous planet similar to Jupiter but much hotter, with surface temperatures soaring to 980°C (1800°F). 💨 This extreme exoplanet experiences winds up to 6,400 km/h (4,000 m.p.h.), making it a truly inhospitable place for life as we know it. What's even more astonishing is that it rains molten glass on HD 189733b! These rainstorms of glassy silicate particles give the planet its unique blue hue. ✨ HD 189733b is part of the "hot Jupiter" category, massive planets that orbit very close to their stars. These hot Jupiters are relatively easy to spot because they cause a significant drop in their star's light when they pass in front of it; HD 189733b, for instance, causes a three percent dip in its star's brightness. The wonders of our universe never cease to amaze! 🌌 #Astronomy #Space #Exoplanets #Science #Innovation #Curiosity #BluePlanet #HD189733b #HotJupiter

This is an image of Pluto captured by the New Horizons Spacecraft during its flyby of Pluto and its moons in July 2015. New Horizons observed a large, young, heart-shaped region of ice on Pluto and found mountains made of water ice that may float on top of nitrogen ice. It now appears that Pluto is a complex world with mountains, valleys, plains, craters, and apparently even glaciers. Pluto is small and is classified as a dwarf planet. It is only about 1,450 miles across. Pluto is smaller than Earth's moon. This dwarf planet takes 248 Earth years to go around the sun. Pluto is very cold! The temperature on Pluto ranges from -387 to -369 Fahrenheit (-233 to -223 Celsius). Many astronomers think that the surface of Pluto is covered with frost. The main constituent of Pluto’s gases is molecular nitrogen (N2), the same as on Earth. Molecules of methane and carbon monoxide have also been detected on Pluto. But no oxygen has been detected at Pluto yet. Pluto's surface is covered by a combination of nitrogen-rich ice and water ice. Pluto is thought to have a subsurface ocean about 100 kilometers deep. #Astronomy #Pluto

Space fact: The Moon is moving away from Earth at about 1.49 inches (3.78 centimeters) per year. And as it moves away, its orbital period increases and Earth’s rotation slows down. #SpaceFacts #MoonFacts #AstroTrivia #ScienceFacts #Astronomy #SpaceExploration #DidYouKnow #CosmicDiscoveries

Mercury, the smallest and innermost planet in our solar system, offers a fascinating celestial landscape with distinctive features that have captured the attention of astronomers and space enthusiasts alike. 🪐 With a diameter of about 4,880 kilometers (3,032 miles), Mercury is slightly larger than Earth's moon. 🌕 Composed mainly of rock and metal, it resides just beyond the Sun, subject to extreme temperature variations due to its minimal atmosphere. ☀️ 🤔 Did you know? Despite its scorching daytime temperatures reaching 430°C (800°F), Mercury's nighttime temperatures drop to a freezing -180°C (-290°F)! The planet's extreme conditions make it a captivating subject for scientific exploration. 🚀 https://lnkd.in/g4pu4YDs #planetmercury #solarsystem #spacefacts #planets #galaxies #spaceexploration #celestialwonders #astronomy #adventures #solarsystem #extreme #temperature #space #discoveries #didyouknow #explorethecosmos #agnirva

Did You Know? 🌌✨ A day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus! Venus rotates on its axis very slowly, taking about 243 Earth days to complete one rotation, whereas it takes about 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun. So, a single day on Venus is longer than its entire year! Feel free to share and engage with this fun space fact! #DidYouKnow #SpaceFacts #Astronomy #FunFact #LinkedInLearning

🌠 The Perseid Meteor Shower: A Celestial Spectacle Awaits! 🌠 As we approach the peak of the 2024 Perseid meteor shower on August 12, prepare to be dazzled by one of the most magnificent displays in the night sky. Under clear, dark skies, you’ll have the chance to witness countless meteors streaking through the atmosphere, a cosmic dance of dust from comet Swift-Tuttle. But have you ever imagined what this meteor shower looks like from above, not below? On August 13, 2011, astronaut Ron Garan captured an extraordinary view of a Perseid meteor from the International Space Station, orbiting 380 kilometers above Earth. This awe-inspiring photograph offers a rare perspective, with the meteor appearing as a brief, radiant streak just below the greenish glow of Earth’s horizon. From the station's vantage point, meteors sweep below as they burn up in the atmosphere, their fiery trails racing through the denser air around 100 kilometers above the Earth's surface. This breathtaking image reminds us of the beauty and wonder that the universe offers, not just from our planet but from the space beyond. ✨ This weekend, don’t miss your chance to look up and experience the magic of the Perseid meteor shower. With a dark sky free of moonlight interference, the conditions are perfect for a night of stargazing and meteor-watching. #PerseidMeteorShower #Astronomy #Space #MeteorShower #ISS #Cosmos

Kepler-452b is a super Earth exoplanet that orbits a G-type star. It is the first approximately Earth-sized planet to be found in a Sun-like star's habitable zone. The planet's #star is about 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. Scientists do not know if Kepler-452b can support life or not.#space #universe #astronomy

Exoplanet Kepler-452b is often referred to as an 'Earth 2.0' and is special because at the time it was the smallest known planet in the habitable zone around a Sun-like star. It is the first potentially rocky super-Earth planet discovered orbiting within the habitable zone of a very sun-like star. However, it is unknown if it is entirely habitable, as it is receiving slightly more energy from its star than Earth and could be subjected to a runaway greenhouse effect.#space #universe #astronomy #star

Meet this very demure, very cutesy, potentially habitable, super Earth! 😌 Kepler-22b is an exoplanet that lies 635 light-years away from us here on Earth. It looks a little familiar, doesn’t it? With potential clouds and oceans, Kepler-22b is one of the exoplanets we’ve discovered that is most similar to our home planet! It’s located smack-dab in the habitable zone of its star, meaning there is potential for liquid water. We’re still not sure if this world is watery or rocky, but we do know it is about twice the size of Earth with an orbital period of around 290 days—not too different from ours! 🌎 Exoplanets like Kepler-22b are sprinkled all across our universe, and each and every day, we discover more about them and find new ones altogether! Visit our brand new exhibit, Other Worlds, to learn more about planets within and beyond our solar system! Learn more about Other Worlds and get tickets now: https://lnkd.in/giu6fuTF 🌟 [ 🎨: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech ] #AdlerPlanetarium #Astronomy

Good News! The universe is full of water. Nearly 1/3rd of all exoplanets have densities that can only be explained if they are water worlds. Some of them are as much 70% water by volume too. Crazy high. Even Jupiter's moon Europe has an ocean 40 to 100 miles deep (60 to 150 kilometers) under frozen surface ice. #astronomy #exoplanets #waterworlds