Pluto's atmosphere is going through a strange transformation, scientists are finding.
The icy dwarf planet, which lies over 3 billion miles (4.8 billion kilometers) away from Earth in the Kuiper Belt, caught astronomers' attention as it passed in front of a star back in 2018.
With the star backlighting Pluto, the team of researchers was able to make observations of the dwarf planet and its atmosphere. With this unique view, they came to a surprising conclusion, which they describe in a new study.
The astronomers found evidence that Pluto's atmosphere is starting to disappear.
Using telescopes at multiple sites in both the U.S. and Mexico, the team observed Pluto and its thin atmosphere, which is primarily made of nitrogen, like that of Earth. Pluto's atmosphere is supported by the vapor pressure of ices on the dwarf planet's surface. So, if ice warms up on Pluto, it can dramatically alter the density of its atmosphere.
For about 25 years, Pluto has been moving farther and farther away from the sun, so its surface temperature has been going down. And with these recent observations, the researchers found evidence showing that Pluto's atmosphere is actually refreezing back onto its surface as the dwarf planet gets colder and colder.
Oct 10, 2021
Strange Solar System Object is part-asteroid, part-comet
Scientists have identified a rare solar system object with traits of both an asteroid and a comet.
The object, dubbed 2005 QN173, orbits like any other asteroid, but most such objects are rocks that don't change much as they loop through the solar system. Not so for 2005 QN173, which was first spotted in 2005 (hence the name), according to new research. Instead, it looks like a comet, shedding dust as it travels and sporting a long, thin tail, which suggests that it's covered with icy material vaporizing away into space — even though comets usually follow elliptical paths that regularly approach and retreat from the sun.
Oct 09, 2021
PM Modi to launch 'Indian Space Association'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, digitally launch the 'Indian Space Association' (ISpA).
Indian Space Association (ISpA) is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies.
ISpA is represented by leading home grown and global corporations having advanced capabilities in space & satellite technologies.
Founding members of ISpA include Nelco (Tata Group), Bharti Airtel, Larsen & Toubro, Mapmyindia, OneWeb, Walchandnagar Industries and Ananth Technology Limited.
Core members include BEL, Godrej, Hughes India, Centum Electronics, Azista-BST Aerospace Private Limited and Maxar India.
Oct 08, 2021
UAE Annouces Probe Targeting Asteroids between Mars and Jupiter
United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced its plan to send a probe on an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter for collecting data regarding origins of the universe.
If this mission is successful, UAE will join the elite club of the European Union, Japan and the United States. These countries have already completed its mission either an asteroid or a comet.
UAE's mission would remain behind on the asteroid and transmit back the information regarding the composition of asteroid on the Earth.
Project will be launched in 2028 and will landing on asteroid in 2033.
During a five-year journey, spacecraft will travel around 3.6 billion kilometres.
It will need to slingshot first across Venus and then Earth for gathering enough speed to reach an asteroid located around 560 million kilometres away.
China's Moon Mission Returned Youngest ever Lava
The rock samples brought back from the Moon in December by China's Chang'e-5 mission were really young.
It's all relative, of course, but the analysis shows the basalt material - the solidified remnants of a lava flow - to be just two billion years old.
Compare this with the samples returned by the Apollo astronaut missions. They were all over three billion years of age.
China's robotic Chang'e-5 mission was sent to a site on the lunar nearside called Oceanus Procellarum.
It was carefully chosen to add to the sum of knowledge gained from previous sample returns - the last of which was conducted by a Soviet probe in 1976.
Starscapes Launches Second Astronomical Observatory in Bhimtal, Uttrakhand
Starscapes, India's first and only chain of observatories, has come up with its news launch; a second, new, public observatory in Uttarakhand. The new observatory 'Stargate Observatory Bhimtal' by Starscapes Experiences Pvt Ltd is situated in Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal Main Road. The place is easily accessible from all the main tourist spots present in the district.
Oct 07, 2021
NASA to Launch Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission
American Space Agency, NASA has announced to launch "asteroid-killing Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft" in November 2021.
The spacecraft will be launched, aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
It will be launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
Under this mission, NASA will build advanced technologies which would protect the Earth from hazardous asteroid collision.
NASA is planning for this spacecraft because astronomers and scientists have been warning that; asteroids might cause most damage if proper defence system is not developed against them. For instance, an asteroid collision caused the extinction of dinosaurs from planet 66 million years ago.
+91-85588-96644
