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4 days ago | 
saltwire.com | Glenn Roberts
Advertisement 1Far beyond Neptune, a new dwarf planet has been located, making scientists question if its wide orbit is a result of a potential Planet Nine • • Article contentAs a result of the International Astronomical Union’s 2006 demotion of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet, our solar system now consists of eight planets, nine dwarf planets, 891 confirmed moons or natural satellites, and countless asteroids and comets.
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1 week ago | 
saltwire.com | Glenn Roberts
A new theory suggests Jupiter was once significantly bigger than it currently is and played a key role in the formation of Earth • Article contentWe all know Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system — but did you know it was once even larger?
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2 weeks ago | 
saltwire.com | Glenn Roberts
Skip to ContentAdvertisement 1NASA's GRAIL mission saw two spacecraft, nicknamed Ebb and Flow, do a deep study into the surface of the moon • Article contentLunar scientists know a great deal about the moon’s surface. Extensive surface mapping, numerous robotic lunar surveys, and a number of manned lunar landings have provided a vast wealth of information about the moon’s surface features.
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3 weeks ago | 
saltwire.com | Glenn Roberts
Advertisement 1Near-Earth Objects, like meteors and asteroids, are closely watched by astronomers, but these 'mini moons' could soon be added • • Article contentCollectively referred to as Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), there are a multitude of objects orbiting the Earth, both natural and man-made.
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1 month ago | 
saltwire.com | Glenn Roberts
Advertisement 1The Milky Way galaxy, which Earth is part of, is just one example of many galaxies that astronomers have discovered • • Article contentWhile in most galaxies, the vast rotating “islands” of stars that float throughout the universe are massive in size, you might be surprised to learn that, like the stars of which they are composed, galaxies actually come in a variety of sizes. They can range from supermassive to very small. Our own Milky Way Galaxy is rather average-sized.
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1 month ago | 
saltwire.com | Glenn Roberts
Advertisement 1The sun goes through 11-year maximum and minimum cycles. We're currently in a max cycle, but other cycles may be influencing the sun too • • Article contentSomething is going on with the sun. Solar scientists and space weather researchers are noting a recent change to our sun that has the potential to dramatically impact Earth. Most people have all heard about the sun’s 11-year solar cycle, even if they don’t fully understand the phenomenon.
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1 month ago | 
saltwire.com | Glenn Roberts
Advertisement 1Meteorites — space rocks that survived passing through the atmosphere — aren't rare, but how do you know if you've found one? • • Article content“Meteorites” are space rocks that have survived passage through Earth’s atmosphere and have landed on the planet’s surface.
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1 month ago | 
saltwire.com | Glenn Roberts
Advertisement 1Lyrid meteors expected soon as scientists learn more about 'singing' stars • • Article contentWe all know that stars shine; go outside on any clear night and look above you to observe these bright, twinkling — caused when the star’s light passes through varying and moving atmospheric density layers above Earth — points of light. But did you know that some of those points of light you are looking at actually sing?
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2 months ago | 
saltwire.com | Glenn Roberts
Advertisement 1The "far side" of the moon remains a mystery to those of us peering up from Earth, but NASA and other space agencies are learning more • • Article contentThe “dark side” of the moon is actually a misnomer. The other side of the moon — the side that faces away from the Earth, which we never see when looking at the moon — is only occasionally “dark,” despite the appellation.
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2 months ago | 
saltwire.com | Glenn Roberts
Skip to ContentAdvertisement 1NASA's Lucy spacecraft's mission is to help us understand the solar system by taking a closer look at asteroids • • Article contentBack in the 1960s, British rock band The Beatles put out a song titled ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. The song’s letters, LSD, were said at the time to be a reference to the popular 60s counter-culture psychedelic drug Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly referred to as “acid” or simply LSD, something the Beatles denied.
