Shine Bright like a Diamond ~Planet~

Posted on April 17, 2021 by adisonfields
Carbide Planets May Be Made Of Silica and Diamonds | Astronomy, Planetary Science | Sci-News.com
Diamond Planet

That’s right, there exists a planet that appears to be one giant diamond.  55 Cancri e was discovered in 2004, orbiting a nearby star in our galaxy.  This star is actually visible to the naked eye in the night sky and is a part of the constellation Cancer.  Based on its mass, radius, and host star’s composition, it is now believed that this star is made up of mainly carbon (along with iron, silicon carbine, and potentially silicates).  This carbon is in the form of diamond and graphite, making at least one third of the planet’s mass pure diamond.  This is the first “diamond planet” to be found around a sun-like star, making it a very interesting discovery.  This type of planet is extremely different from Earth, which has an oxygen rich interior and very little carbon.  55 Cancri e is a super-Earth, meaning it is twice as wide but with a mass eight times greater.  It also orbits its host star in just 18 hours, as opposed to Earth’s 365 days.  The reason for this speedy orbit is its close proximity to its star, making the planet so hot it would not be able to sustain life.  Unfortunately, we will likely not be living on a huge diamond any time soon.  Personally, I think that would have been very cool, though it would have likely made diamonds worth effectively nothing.  Regardless, the next time you see a massive celebrity engagement ring, just know that it’s nothing compared to 55 Cancri e.  If they were really cool, they’d find a way to buy a whole diamond planet.

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The New Space-Based Instrument of American Imperialism– The Space Force

Posted on April 17, 2021 by wslopes
More insight into the Space Force’s history and purpose

At first glance, I thought the newest branch of the US Military, Donald Trump’s “Space Force”, was going to be tasked with things such as dealing with more existential threats from Space, such as a life ending asteroid or something. While I was confused as to why this would warrant a 6th branch of the military, I did think it was a worthy problem to research. This assumption proved naive, after learning that it is actually just a consolidation of the Defense Department’s orbit-focused operations. In hindsight it’s quite obvious that this branch was meant to begin developing space-based warfare, but I somewhat optimistically hoped it wasn’t the case. Nonetheless, my thoughts on it are mixed. Spending $15 billion dollars a year on this new (hypothetical) type of warfare seems advantageous if other countries are developing similar programs, so we aren’t left behind. It’s hard to reconcile spending this much money on a, again, hypothetical version of war when there are concrete things that could use that kind of money today, from underfunded schools to climate change prevention. This being said, $15 billion is just a drop in the bucket of the trillions our government spends in a year, and it is definitely not significant enough and an expense to lead to any real issues. 


While my opinion on the Space Force as a concept is up in the air, the one aspect I definitely don’t like is how it is essentially a new wave of American Imperialism. In a doctrine published by the branch, they stated their goal is “the control and exploitation of the space domain” for “the prosperity and security of the United States.” This just seems like an extension of American overreach and entitlement, as the ways they would accomplish these goals would be through increased surveillance of foreign, sovereign states. The Space Force could be a source of immense patriotism and scientific advancements, but it is stained by this American need to impose on a global scale. At the same time, I am really curious to see what they develop, and the implications this new branch has on, not only international relations, but the capabilities of science and technology. Hopefully in the coming years I can come to take pride in the Space Force, but for now I will continue being wary of it.

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Radiant Rings

Posted on April 17, 2021 by brynicdew

The rings of the Jovian planets are absolutely stunning, almost making you wish Earth had a few of its own! Every Jovian planet has its own group of rings to stare at.

One of Saturn's ring has played tricks on astronomers for years
Saturn Rings

Saturn is quite famous for its bright, illustrious seven rings. These rings are named A-G in the order they were discovered. Surprisingly, data from the Cassini spacecraft suggest that the rings may be relatively young, only about 100 million years old. I couldn’t even imagine what Saturn would look like without its rings.

Rings of Jupiter - Wikipedia
Jupiter Rings

Jupiter has a 4 sets of massive rings that surround it. Jupiter’s rings are incredibly faint and composed of tiny dust, making it hard to observe. When observed from infrared light, the rings are seen to have a reddish color.

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A Dwarf Planet is Still Cool!

Posted on April 17, 2021 by adisonfields
Pluto holding a grudge - Daily LOL Pics
Pluto’s Vengeance

On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union changed Pluto’s status from planet to dwarf planet.  This caused an outrage amongst the public.  Memes were created and shared expressing Pluto’s sadness at its “demotion” from planetary status.  Textbooks had to be changed and the general public was oddly passionate over an object in space’s official title.  Nevertheless, people were unhappy and felt as though Pluto was being treated unfairly.  While I understand feeling emotionally attached to a floating object in space billions of miles away from us, it is important to understand why this change was made.  Firstly, when Pluto was discovered and classified as a planet, it was considered to be odd.  It has a much more eccentric orbit than any of the other planets.  In the following years, more and more Kuiper Belt objects were discovered, and the question had to be asked: where was the cut off going to be for classifying a world as a planet?  The IAU then created an executive committee to meet and officially define “planet.”  Eventually, they voted and decided that there would be three categories of worlds in the solar system, two of which being planets and dwarf planets.  From then on, Pluto and all similar Kuiper Belt worlds would be considered dwarf planets.  Technically, Pluto and its neighbors are considered dwarf planets because they only meet two of the three criteria of being a full-sized planet.  It is in orbit around the sun and has enough mass to have a nearly round shape, but it is not massive enough to “clear its neighborhood.”  This means that it does not have enough gravitational force to have no other worlds of comparable size in its vicinity in space. It is for this reason that Pluto is officially considered a dwarf planet.  Despite your personal beliefs, I think Pluto is quite happy with its dwarf planet status, as it is still a very intriguing world with much left to be discovered. 

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Who Owns Space?

Posted on April 17, 2021 by weatherbysofferings
NASA - Big and Bright 'Perigee Syzygy' Moon Occurs Saturday
Will there soon be mining settlements dotting this surface? (Source)

One of my foremost interests in life is politics, and whenever we’re engaged in astronomy, I can’t help but to view it through that lens. As such, one question has been nagging me – how is ownership and control of certain places defined in space?

One of the foundational pieces of legislation on the matter is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which most of the world’s space faring nations are party to. The most important aspect of this treaty, for our purposes, is that it explicitly states that no government can lay claim to ownership of any “celestial object.” Nor can any military activity take place on these objects. As we have approached the modern day however, many issues have arrived with the fairly simplistic treaty. If one can’t “own” or “control” an object in space, what are they allowed to do? Is mining okay? According to a 2015 US law, ensuring that private companies can keep material resources from celestial objects, yes! Indeed, President Trump said that the US will begin mining the Moon for materials as part of its settlement. China has made similar statements. Materials are allowed to have ownership claimed then. So in this simplistic set of rules, ownership of material is just based on who gets what first. Perhaps this will eventually be the de-facto way of “owning” places on the Moon or elsewhere in – it belongs to whoever gets there and sets up first.

But this is hardly a sustainable policy. It might work at first, when contention for places is low because of the wide array of possible locations and the few competitors, but eventually, legislation beyond the ’67 Treaty will become unavoidable. What happens when two countries or companies, expanding their already established territory, try to set up on the same asteroid or piece of lunar land? Moreover, can companies claim ownership of territory in space, since the treaty only precludes governments from claiming sovereignty? Might this lead to a sort of anarcho-capitalist system in which profit reigns? Elon Musk, after all, is set to be one of the pioneers of Mars’ colonization, and his company is private. The answer, right now, is that no one really knows. The framework set in place by the ’67 treaty is too vague and outdated. As we progress forward, true means of legal arbitration and ownership in space will have to be put forward – or bad things could happen.

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Shepherd Moons

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Mykayla
Image Source

Saturn is known for its rings. For years, astronomers wondered what they were. Now we know that the rings of Saturn are made up of lots of icy particles ranging from the size of a grain of sand to a boulder. These particles comprise many different individual rings. The rings are flat, and appear to be in “sheets” around the planet. In between some rings are gaps that are caused by particles that are a bit larger than others––these are known as gap moons. Gap moons are small moons that gravitationally force the particles near them in a certain direction. By doing this, they create a gap in which only the moon resides.

One type of gap moon is a shepherd moon. Shepherd moons are moons that are on either side of a ring, forcing particles inward toward that ring and outward away from themselves. They guide the particles into line, and the ring in between them becomes very narrow.

I like shepherd moons because they remind me of Jesus. There are many verses in the Bible that talk about the Lord as our Shepherd (Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34:31 Luke 12:32, etc.). I like this picture of God as Shepherd because it reflects His gentleness. A shepherd’s job is to guide and protect his flock. He does not use brutality, but instead uses his shepherd’s staff to nudge and tap the sheep to walk in the way that the shepherd knows is best. It is not his intention to harm the sheep or to lead it astray. In the same way, Jesus plays this role in our lives, gently nudging us along the path that He set out for us long before we were born. He is wise, and He cares about each individual that He created.

The shepherd moons, guiding particles this way and that using their gravity, offer a representation of this truth in a way that is very comforting to me! I am thankful for all of the ways, big and small, that I can see God in His creation!

What intrigues or interests you about Saturn’s rings? Did you know about the gap moons or shepherd moons? Do you find the rings to be beautiful? Let me know in the comments! As always, thank you so much for reading!

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Blog 5: Is there life on Europa?

Posted on April 17, 2021 by mattj3

The moon Europa orbits Jupiter alongside three other unique satellites described as “Jupiter’s Galilean moons”; these moons although similar in size to our moon (especially Io and Europa) display geological activity very different from what is observed on our own. Europa in particular, after telescope observation and satellite missions such as Voyager 1 and 2, was determined to have a surface composition of mostly water ice with very few examples of cratering. Suggesting that through some process Europa’s surface is comparably young within astronomical timeframes. Through this imaging and modeling, it is believed that underneath Europa’s icy outer crust is a vast ocean of water possibly suitable for life.

Life stems from three essential ingredients: water, chemistry, and energy. Each needs to be present to create life as we know it. It is possible that within Jupiter’s moon Europa all three of these ingredients exist. Water, the first building block of life, is essential because as NASA describes, “It dissolves nutrients for organisms to eat, transports important chemicals within living cells, and allows those cells to get rid of waste”. This source of water is believed to be the vast salty ocean beneath Europa’s initial ice water surface. Evidence supporting this belief comes from observations by the Hubble Telescope, as when backlit by Jupiter plums of water discharged from fractures in Europa’s south pole are depicted. This along with observation of surface activity suggest that Europa has a warmer liquid interior. The next input for a biologically active planet is chemistry. Specifically the presences of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, all common elements believed to be present during the formation of the satellite. Lastly, energy is need for life to survive. However, because Europa is so far from the sun its life cannot be supported through photosynthesis. Instead, the radiation received from Jupiter could provide the needed energy for life below Europa’s surface. As the radiation hits Europa’s atmosphere it strips apart water molecules leaving behind oxygen. A reactive element that could be used in a process to produce energy.

Because of this possibility of life, NASA has even announced a new mission to Europa named “Europa Clipper“, that will specifically determine if Europa could contain conditions suitable for life.

Image of Europa from NASA
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Halley in History

Posted on April 17, 2021 by wslopes
Tapestry depicting Halley’s Comet and a worried King Harold II Source

Halley’s comet is one thought to have been noted in history millennia before it was ever realized that it was the same comet passing Earth every 75 years. The first official record of the comet’s passing was 239 BCE by Chinese astronomers, but it’s thought that it might have been recorded by the Ancient Greeks in 466 BCE. Throughout history, it was thought of as a signal of impending downfall from the likes of Roman Emperors, Holy Roman Emperors and even Atilla the Hun. By far its most famous passing of Halley’s comet was in 1066 during William the Conqueror’s Norman conquest of Britain. People at the time saw it as a bad sign for King Harold II, which emboldened William and the Normans, ending in their success. This might be one of the most important events in Western history, and lead to a blending of groups, leading to everything from the Anglo-Saxon ethnic group to the myriad of French in the English language. It is super interesting to see how this one comet, which passes whether there is a war going on or not, has affected so much of our history, while the whole time it is just some rock orbiting the Sun independent of any Earthly happenings. Its wild to think about how much of human history is a product of our misinterpretation of unrelated events, with the passing of Halley’s Comet being one of the most prevalent.

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Ultima Thule: The Space Peanut

Posted on April 17, 2021 by hunterspiveyastr
New Horizons image of Ultima Thule originally taken by NASA

When the New Horizon spacecraft set out into our solar system in January of 2006, we felt like we had a pretty good idea of all the possible things we could find in our solar system. While we may find some surprises, we figured everything would be mostly roundish, and composed of some rocky/icy surface and maybe an atmosphere. However, when we first visited Ultima Thule in 2019, those notions were blown out of the water. Ultima Thule was the first known celestial body that was a fusion of two different planetesimal bodies. With a total length of about 24 miles long, Ultima Thule isn’t an especially large body, and you could drive from one end to another in under an hour if you had a car. Displaying very few craters, Ultima Thule appears to be a very young surface, implying it has little to no geological activity. This would make sense given it’s small size, which would make it difficult to reach internal pressures high enough to heat its interior. While Ultima Thule doesn’t seem to be especially groundbreaking in terms of it’s composition or atmosphere, it does come as a stark reminder that just when we’ve reached a point where we think we can expect everything we might find out in the cosmos, it finds a way to prove us wrong yet again. Given what we’ve seen so far, I am excited to see what other celestial bodies may exist just beyond our sight.

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Living on Titan

Posted on April 17, 2021 by connorrobbwilcox
View of Titan

Titan is the largest moon of Saturn. It is an icy world with an atmosphere thicker and denser than Earth’s (1.5 times the atmospheric pressure of Earth) that has clouds of smog that coat it in a large, cloudy golden haze. So how could scientists think it could be a habitable substitute for Earth for humans?

The answer is because of Titan being much better suited for human beings to survive than any other world, even Mars. Because of it being made of water ice, there is a chance for oxygen extraction by humans, helping with survival. In addition to this, Titan has a high probability of an ocean below the surface, contributing to If we were to attempt to live on Titan, we would not be able to breathe, but we would not need spacesuits to live. We would only need protection from the cold and an oxygen source. However, humans can eventually adapt to the atmosphere due to the relative similarity to Earth’s. The level of galactic radiation on Titan is low because of the far distance from the Sun, making solar flares less dangerous also. This puts Titan as a safer option for humans to live than on worlds like Luna and Mars. We will also be able to use geothermal energy for power as Titan has cryovolcanoes. In all it seems that we will be able to inhabit Saturn’s moon, but only with advanced technology adapting Titan to our needs.

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