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ageofdestruction

grave: Surface of Mars, photographed by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 17th September 2007.

Flow material. At 13°S 216°E, on the western edge of Daedalia Planum, east of the Mangala Valles.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/UoA.

distant-traveller

Full view of asteroid Vesta

As NASA’s Dawn spacecraft travels to its next destination, this mosaic synthesizes some of the best views the spacecraft had of the giant asteroid Vesta. Dawn studied Vesta from July 2011 to September 2012. The towering mountain at the south pole - more than twice the height of Mount Everest - is visible at the bottom of the image. The set of three craters known as the “snowman” can be seen at the top left.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCAL/MPS/DLR/IDA

beautifulmars

Plates Sitting at Different Angles in Avernus Colles Region

christinetheastrophysicist

Just two decades after discovering the first world beyond our solar system, astronomers are closing in on alien planet No. 1,000.

Four of the five main databases that catalog the discoveries of exoplanets now list more than 900 confirmed alien worlds, and two of them peg the tally at 986 as of today (Sept. 26). So the 1,000th exoplanet may be announced in a matter of days or weeks, depending on which list you prefer.

That’s a lot of progress since 1992, when researchers detected two planets orbiting a rotating neutron star, or pulsar, about 1,000 light-years from Earth. Confirmation of the first alien world circling a “normal” star like our sun did not come until 1995.

spaceplasma

A Sight to Behold

Kandinsky-esque view of the brightened outline of Titan seen just beyond the limb of Saturn, both split by the thin, nearly edge-on rings. This view was taken from above the ringplane and looks toward the unlit side of the rings.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

ageofdestruction

before i sleep: Asteroid 243 Ida, photographed by Galileo, 28th August 1993.

About 430 million km from the Sun. Galileo was en route to Jupiter, which it reached two years later. More from Galileo.

Image credit: NASA/JPL.

beautifulmars

Wastebasket Crater

infinity-imagined

Io is the first Galilean moon of Jupiter, it is slightly larger than Earth’s moon. Io experiences intense tidal heating due to its elliptical orbit and orbital resonance with Europa and Ganymede. This makes Io the most geologically active moon in our solar system. Io’s interior is composed of molten iron sulphide, and the surface is a crust of sulfur and silicon. Io has more than 400 active volcanoes, which can eject lava plumes more than 500 kilometers above the surface. Some of the material from Io’s volcanic eruptions leaves the moon and orbits Jupiter, producing a plasma torus. Io also has lakes of lava called paterae, which can also create eruptions. The most dramatic paterae are Loki, Tvashtar, and Tupan. The constant volcanic activity creates a thin atmosphere of sulfur dioxide and sodium chloride. Io is an interesting model for exoplanets with intense geological activity, such as COROT-7b.

ageofdestruction

troiae qui primus ab oris: Crescent Dione, photographed by Cassini, 2nd May 2012.

North is down in this image. The large crater on the terminator is 161km-wide Aeneas, at 26°N 46°W. To the right are the Latium and Larissa Chasmata; above them Camilla (left) and Eumelus (right) Craters. At top right, Italus and, above it, the larger Caieta Crater.

Some of the same features, with north as up and lighting from the opposite side.

Composite of 5 images.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/SSI. Composite: AgeOfDestruction.

beautifulmars

Like Rising from the Mist

beautifulmars

Milankovic Crater - The infill and severely eroded rim indicates this crater is extremely old, possibly on the order of millions of years.

ageofdestruction

palazzo: Dione, photographed by Cassini, 30th January 2009.

Features on Dione are named for people and places in Virgil’s Aeneid. The Padua Chasmata (canyons) form an arc at the bottom of Dione. Leading upward and left (south west) are the Eurotas and Palatine Chasmata. Padua is a city in northern Italy; the Eurotas River flowed through Sparta; the Palatine Hill is one of the seven hills on which Rome was founded, and also the origin of “palace" and associated words.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/SSI.

scienceyoucanlove-deactivated20

sagansense

Uranus is the only giant planet whose equator is nearly at right angles to its orbit. A collision with an Earth-sized object may explain Uranus’ unique tilt. Nearly a twin in size to Neptune, Uranus has more methane in its mainly hydrogen and helium atmosphere than Jupiter or Saturn. Methane gives Uranus its blue tint.

Featured Mission: Voyager 2 Most of what we know about Uranus came from Voyager 2’s flyby in 1986. The spacecraft discovered 10 additional moons and several rings before heading on to Neptune.

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