pale blue dot
In his video titled “Why Exomoons Are So Important,” astrophysicist David Kipping passionately elucidates five compelling reasons behind the significance of exploring exomoons. With a career-long dedication to the subject, Kipping artfully dissects the role of exomoons in shaping our understanding of the cosmos. Delving into themes like habitability, the Rare Earth hypothesis, moon formation, …
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The notion that intelligent extraterrestrial life might exist has always captured the human imagination. But what if they do exist, and what if they find us before we find them? The late physicist Stephen Hawking once expressed deep concern about this possibility, warning that giving aliens our cosmic address could bring death and ruin. But …
In the colossal theater of the cosmos, the idea of Earth’s uniqueness presents an odd phenomenon. Is our home planet a true rarity among the galaxy’s countless stars? Do Earth-like planets, those that share similar size, orbital distance, and sun-like stars as our own, abound in the universe, or do they hold special status as …
Continue reading “Cosmic Oddity: Are Earth-like Planets the True Exotics of the Universe?”
On September 2, 2022, Frank Drake, the American astronomer, and astrophysicist (b. May 28, 1930) died at his home in Aptos, California, from natural causes at the age of 92.
On June 19, 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 Orbiter was inserted into Mars orbit. Both Viking 1 and Viking 2 spacecraft were consisting of an orbiter and a lander.
There are several ways we can measure the progress of human civilization. Population growth, the rise and fall of empires, and our technological ability to reach for the stars. But one simple measure is to calculate the amount of energy humans use at any given time. As humanity has spread and advanced, our ability to …
Continue reading “When Will Humanity Become a Kardashev Type I Civilization?”
Discovered on January 6, 2015, Kepler-442b is a near-Earth-sized exoplanet. Most probably it is a rocky planet and it orbits its star, Kepler-442, within the habitable zone. According to some sources, including Wikipedia, it is an even more habitable planet than Earth. But, that’s not the case, and this claim is just an inaccurate interpretation …
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Are we alone in the universe? Searching for life beyond our Solar System is one of the most ambitious efforts humans have ever undertaken. Because we do not have the ability to travel to distant exoplanets, scientists must rely on indirect clues that could help us find extraterrestrial life. Dr. Edward Schwieterman and his colleagues …
Continue reading “Search for Life Beyond Earth: Developing a Guidebook”
Science writer Pat Brennan has published a great article on the NASA exoplanets website titled “Life in the Universe: What are the Odds?”. In the article, he published a diagram showing the habitable zones of our solar system, and the TRAPPIST-1 system. The amazing thing is how cramped the TRAPPIST-1 system is: the orbits of …
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NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has published the official video of Perseverance Rover‘s first 360-degree view of Mars, and it’s amazing!
