Latest news with #Earths
The Advertiser
28-05-2025
- Science
- The Advertiser
Ask Fuzzy: What's happening to Jupiter's spot?
While there are many truly beautiful objects in the night sky, arguably the most stunning is Jupiter. Seen up close from spacecraft such as Cassini, the swirling textured surface looks like something that Van Gogh might have painted. The fifth planet from the Sun is easily visible to the naked eye and is more than twice as massive as the other planets combined. If it were a hollow shell, a thousand Earths could fit inside. Curiously for such a large object, Jupiter also has the shortest day in the solar system, being only 10 hours long. Jupiter's size and rapid spin generates a huge coriolis effect - the same force that shapes cyclones and hurricanes on Earth. The striking colours in thick bands across Jupiter are thought to be plumes of sulphur and phosphorus gases. While it might be beautiful, it would not be a happy place to visit. Aside from being a long way, the atmosphere that includes ammonia ice and ammonium hydrosulfide crystals is not recommended. The planet's rotation causes cyclonic storms with winds over 500 kilometres per hour, forming bands of colour, with spots scattered from pole to pole. With no solid surface to slow them down, these spots persist for many years. The first person to observe a spot on Jupiter was Giovanni Cassini in 1672 when he drew pictures using his primitive telescope. By today's standards telescopes were still unsophisticated in the 1800s when the Great Red Spot was first seen. A drawing from 1831 shows a large oval shape that we now know is a giant storm, twice as wide as Earth. MORE ASK FUZZY: Through the 300 years it's been observed, Jupiter's patterns have been constantly evolving. In recent times, three smaller ovals merged to form the Little Red Spot which is about half the size. Now it seems the Great Red Spot is shrinking. In the late 1800s it spanned about 41,000km and in 1979 the NASA Voyager measured it at 23,335 km. Today, the spot's waistline is only 16,500 km, and getting smaller by 1000 kilometres per year. At this rate it could disappear in the near future. It might be sad for our photogenic neighbour to lose its beauty spot, but who knows, it'll probably grow a new one. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: While there are many truly beautiful objects in the night sky, arguably the most stunning is Jupiter. Seen up close from spacecraft such as Cassini, the swirling textured surface looks like something that Van Gogh might have painted. The fifth planet from the Sun is easily visible to the naked eye and is more than twice as massive as the other planets combined. If it were a hollow shell, a thousand Earths could fit inside. Curiously for such a large object, Jupiter also has the shortest day in the solar system, being only 10 hours long. Jupiter's size and rapid spin generates a huge coriolis effect - the same force that shapes cyclones and hurricanes on Earth. The striking colours in thick bands across Jupiter are thought to be plumes of sulphur and phosphorus gases. While it might be beautiful, it would not be a happy place to visit. Aside from being a long way, the atmosphere that includes ammonia ice and ammonium hydrosulfide crystals is not recommended. The planet's rotation causes cyclonic storms with winds over 500 kilometres per hour, forming bands of colour, with spots scattered from pole to pole. With no solid surface to slow them down, these spots persist for many years. The first person to observe a spot on Jupiter was Giovanni Cassini in 1672 when he drew pictures using his primitive telescope. By today's standards telescopes were still unsophisticated in the 1800s when the Great Red Spot was first seen. A drawing from 1831 shows a large oval shape that we now know is a giant storm, twice as wide as Earth. MORE ASK FUZZY: Through the 300 years it's been observed, Jupiter's patterns have been constantly evolving. In recent times, three smaller ovals merged to form the Little Red Spot which is about half the size. Now it seems the Great Red Spot is shrinking. In the late 1800s it spanned about 41,000km and in 1979 the NASA Voyager measured it at 23,335 km. Today, the spot's waistline is only 16,500 km, and getting smaller by 1000 kilometres per year. At this rate it could disappear in the near future. It might be sad for our photogenic neighbour to lose its beauty spot, but who knows, it'll probably grow a new one. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: While there are many truly beautiful objects in the night sky, arguably the most stunning is Jupiter. Seen up close from spacecraft such as Cassini, the swirling textured surface looks like something that Van Gogh might have painted. The fifth planet from the Sun is easily visible to the naked eye and is more than twice as massive as the other planets combined. If it were a hollow shell, a thousand Earths could fit inside. Curiously for such a large object, Jupiter also has the shortest day in the solar system, being only 10 hours long. Jupiter's size and rapid spin generates a huge coriolis effect - the same force that shapes cyclones and hurricanes on Earth. The striking colours in thick bands across Jupiter are thought to be plumes of sulphur and phosphorus gases. While it might be beautiful, it would not be a happy place to visit. Aside from being a long way, the atmosphere that includes ammonia ice and ammonium hydrosulfide crystals is not recommended. The planet's rotation causes cyclonic storms with winds over 500 kilometres per hour, forming bands of colour, with spots scattered from pole to pole. With no solid surface to slow them down, these spots persist for many years. The first person to observe a spot on Jupiter was Giovanni Cassini in 1672 when he drew pictures using his primitive telescope. By today's standards telescopes were still unsophisticated in the 1800s when the Great Red Spot was first seen. A drawing from 1831 shows a large oval shape that we now know is a giant storm, twice as wide as Earth. MORE ASK FUZZY: Through the 300 years it's been observed, Jupiter's patterns have been constantly evolving. In recent times, three smaller ovals merged to form the Little Red Spot which is about half the size. Now it seems the Great Red Spot is shrinking. In the late 1800s it spanned about 41,000km and in 1979 the NASA Voyager measured it at 23,335 km. Today, the spot's waistline is only 16,500 km, and getting smaller by 1000 kilometres per year. At this rate it could disappear in the near future. It might be sad for our photogenic neighbour to lose its beauty spot, but who knows, it'll probably grow a new one. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: While there are many truly beautiful objects in the night sky, arguably the most stunning is Jupiter. Seen up close from spacecraft such as Cassini, the swirling textured surface looks like something that Van Gogh might have painted. The fifth planet from the Sun is easily visible to the naked eye and is more than twice as massive as the other planets combined. If it were a hollow shell, a thousand Earths could fit inside. Curiously for such a large object, Jupiter also has the shortest day in the solar system, being only 10 hours long. Jupiter's size and rapid spin generates a huge coriolis effect - the same force that shapes cyclones and hurricanes on Earth. The striking colours in thick bands across Jupiter are thought to be plumes of sulphur and phosphorus gases. While it might be beautiful, it would not be a happy place to visit. Aside from being a long way, the atmosphere that includes ammonia ice and ammonium hydrosulfide crystals is not recommended. The planet's rotation causes cyclonic storms with winds over 500 kilometres per hour, forming bands of colour, with spots scattered from pole to pole. With no solid surface to slow them down, these spots persist for many years. The first person to observe a spot on Jupiter was Giovanni Cassini in 1672 when he drew pictures using his primitive telescope. By today's standards telescopes were still unsophisticated in the 1800s when the Great Red Spot was first seen. A drawing from 1831 shows a large oval shape that we now know is a giant storm, twice as wide as Earth. MORE ASK FUZZY: Through the 300 years it's been observed, Jupiter's patterns have been constantly evolving. In recent times, three smaller ovals merged to form the Little Red Spot which is about half the size. Now it seems the Great Red Spot is shrinking. In the late 1800s it spanned about 41,000km and in 1979 the NASA Voyager measured it at 23,335 km. Today, the spot's waistline is only 16,500 km, and getting smaller by 1000 kilometres per year. At this rate it could disappear in the near future. It might be sad for our photogenic neighbour to lose its beauty spot, but who knows, it'll probably grow a new one. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast:
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Jupiter designed the solar system. Here's what the planet was like as a child.
Jupiter, the largest planet orbiting the sun, used to be much bigger and stronger when the solar system was just beginning to take shape, a pair of astronomers say. Two scientists at Caltech and the University of Michigan suggest that early Jupiter was at least double its contemporary size. The primitive version of the gas giant could have held some 8,000 Earths within it, said Konstantin Batygin, lead author of the new study. What's more, young Jupiter probably had a magnetic field 50 times more powerful. A magnetic field is an invisible force surrounding a planet that interacts with charged particles coming from the sun and cosmic rays. To calculate those measurements, the scientists looked at how Jupiter's moons move through space and how the planet spins. This unconventional approach, which didn't rely on traditional models, may fill gaps in the solar system's history. Many scientists refer to Jupiter as the "architect" of the solar system because its immense gravity influenced the orbits of other planets and carved up the cloud from which they all emerged. "More than any other planet, Jupiter played a key role in shaping our solar system," Batygin said in a post on X. "Yet details of its early physical state are elusive." SEE ALSO: Private spacecraft circling moon snaps photo with strange optical illusion NASA's Juno spacecraft snaps images of Jupiter and catches the tiny moon Amalthea as it orbits the planet. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt The paper, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, rewinds the clock to just 3.8 million years after the first solid objects formed in the solar system and the cloud of gas and dust from which everything formed started to evaporate. This period — when the building materials for planets disappeared — is thought to be a pivotal point, when the general design of the solar system was locked in. Jupiter, roughly 562 million miles from Earth today, has nearly 100 moons. But Batygin and his collaborator Fred Adams' research focused on two of the smaller ones, Amalthea and Thebe. Both are inside the orbit of the much larger moon Io, the most volcanically active world in the solar system, according to NASA. These smaller moons have curiously tilted orbits, and their paths around the planet seem to hold clues about how Jupiter and its bevy of moons moved in the past, Batygin told Mashable. As Io migrates away from Jupiter, its gravity causes a kickback — sort of like how a gun recoils when it's fired — that has contributed to the tilts of the smaller moons. "Similar to how our moon gradually moves away from Earth due to tides, Io is slowly drifting outward from Jupiter," Batygin said. By measuring Amalthea and Thebe's tilted orbits, the scientists reconstructed Io's previous position. That location, they said, should help determine the outer edge of the disk of gas and dust that once surrounded the planet. Based on where they believe the disk ended, the researchers extrapolated how fast Jupiter was spinning back then: about once per day, comparable to its spin now. Knowing Jupiter's early spin also helped them calculate its size. By applying the physics rules of spinning objects, they figured out how big Jupiter had to have been to match that rotation. The size of a young planet sheds light on its heat and interior dynamics as well. The scientists have concluded that early Jupiter must have started out extremely hot — about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a far cry from its modern average temperature of about -170 degrees. The heat suggests Jupiter had a much stronger magnetic field. That allowed the team to calculate how fast Jupiter was collecting gas and growing — about the weight of one modern-day Jupiter every million years. "It's astonishing," said Adams in a statement, "that even after 4.5 billion years, enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter's physical state at the dawn of its existence."
Scottish Sun
25-05-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
‘Beach resort' planet with '20C sea' could be future astro-tourist hotspot – but you may be DEAD by the time you arrive
Although this world is relatively close to our own in cosmic terms, it would still take 41 years to get there - while travelling at the speed of light NICE PLAN-ET 'Beach resort' planet with '20C sea' could be future astro-tourist hotspot – but you may be DEAD by the time you arrive Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THERE are planets beyond our own that could be hiding untouched paradises. Exoplanet LHS 1140 b is just one of them - and could make a great beach resort for astro-tourists of the future. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 With a possible ocean temperature of 20C (68F), this planet could host some epic beach days in a few millennia - if humans ever master interstellar travel Credit: B. Gougeon/Université de Montréal 4 Even the closest of exoplanets are too far away to visit with today's technology Credit: Getty First unveiled in 2017, LHS 1140 b is 41 light-years away, and may be humanity's best chance of finding liquid water on a world outside our solar system. There's one pretty big hitch, however - anyone boarding a rocket destined for LHS 1140 b would likely die long before they arrived. If they don't, then they would probably be very old, and not quite up for the water sports that could be on the cards. Even the closest of exoplanets are too far away to visit. And although this world is relatively close to our own in cosmic terms, it would still take 41 years to get there - while travelling at the speed of light. Of course, we haven't yet mastered light speed travel - let alone anything faster. But with a possible ocean temperature of 20C (68F), this planet could host some epic beach days in a few millennia - if humans ever master interstellar travel. Last year, after falling under the James Webb Space Telescope's keen eye, scientists were able to find out more about this distant world. They believe it is a potentially rocky world, much larger than Earth. Best-ever sign of ALIEN life found on distant planet as scientists '99.7% sure of astounding biological activity signal' It has a planet mass of 5.6 Earths and a year that lasts just 25 days, according to Nasa. Data gathered by JWST, the $10 billion telescope Nasa launched into space in 2021, strongly supports LHS 1140 b being an ocean world with a tentative nitrogen atmosphere. However, further observations are needed to fully confirm this. "Detecting an Earth-like atmosphere on a temperate planet is pushing Webb's capabilities to its limits; it's feasible; we just need lots of observing time,' René Doyon, of the International Research & Exchanges Board (iREx) who studied the data, said in a statement last year. 'The current hint of a nitrogen-rich atmosphere begs for confirmation with more data. 'We need at least one more year of observations to confirm that LHS 1140 b has an atmosphere, and likely two or three more to detect carbon dioxide." 4 JWST data further suggests the exoplanet's mass might be made of between 10 and 20 per cent liquid water Credit: NASA LHS 1140 b is a super Earth exoplanet that lies in the so-called 'Goldilocks zone' of its nearest star. This is the area around a star where it's neither too hot nor too cold for a world to host liquid water. When the data was pinged back to Earth - a process that miraculously only takes about five seconds - it was the 'first time [scientists] have ever seen a hint of an atmosphere on a habitable zone rocky or ice-rich exoplanet," according to Ryan MacDonald, a Nasa Sagan Fellow in the University of Michigan's Department of Astronomy, who helped analyse LHS 1140 b's atmosphere. JWST data further suggests the exoplanet's mass might be made of between 10 and 20 per cent liquid water. While that could mean the planet looks like one big snowball - the side facing the sun could have a warm liquid ocean, making it look like an eyeball. Charles Cadieux, a doctoral student at the Université de Montréal and lead author of a paper on the discovery, said at the time: "Of all currently known temperate exoplanets, LHS 1140 b could well be our best bet to one day indirectly confirm liquid water on the surface of an alien world beyond our solar system. "This would be a major milestone in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets." 4 And although this world is relatively close to our own in cosmic terms, it would still take 41 years to get there - while travelling at the speed of light Credit: Getty All you need to know about planets in our solar system Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all... How old is Earth? Plus other facts on our planet How many moons does Mercury have? What colour is Venus? How far away is Mars to Earth? And other facts on the red planet How big is Jupiter? How many moons does Saturn have? Does Uranus have rings? How many moons does Neptune have? How big is Pluto? How hot is the Sun?
The Irish Sun
25-05-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
‘Beach resort' planet with '20C sea' could be future astro-tourist hotspot – but you may be DEAD by the time you arrive
THERE are planets beyond our own that could be hiding untouched paradises. Exoplanet LHS 1140 b is just one of them - and could make a great beach resort for Advertisement 4 With a possible ocean temperature of 20C (68F), this planet could host some epic beach days in a few millennia - if humans ever master interstellar travel Credit: B. Gougeon/Université de Montréal 4 Even the closest of exoplanets are too far away to visit with today's technology Credit: Getty First unveiled in 2017, LHS 1140 b is 41 light-years away, and may be humanity's best chance of finding liquid water on a world outside our solar system. There's one pretty big hitch, however - anyone boarding a rocket destined for LHS 1140 b would likely die long before they arrived. If they don't, then they would probably be very old, and not quite up for the water sports that could be on the cards. Even the closest of exoplanets are too far away to visit. Advertisement READ MORE ON SPACE And although this world is relatively close to our own in cosmic terms, it would still take 41 years to get there - while travelling at the speed of light. Of course, we haven't yet mastered light speed travel - let alone anything faster. But with a possible ocean temperature of 20C (68F), this planet could host some epic beach days in a few millennia - if humans ever master interstellar travel. Last year, after falling under the James Webb Space Telescope's keen eye, scientists were able to find out more about this distant world. Advertisement Most read in Science Exclusive They believe it is a potentially rocky world, much larger than Earth. Best-ever sign of ALIEN life found on distant planet as scientists '99.7% sure of astounding biological activity signal' It has a planet mass of 5.6 Earths and a year that lasts just 25 days, according to Nasa. Data gathered by JWST, the $10 billion telescope Nasa launched into space in 2021, strongly supports LHS 1140 b being an ocean world with a tentative nitrogen atmosphere. However, further observations are needed to fully confirm this. Advertisement "Detecting an Earth-like atmosphere on a temperate planet is pushing Webb's capabilities to its limits; it's feasible; we just need lots of observing time,' René Doyon, of the International Research & Exchanges Board (iREx) who studied the data, said in a statement last year. 'The current hint of a nitrogen-rich atmosphere begs for confirmation with more data. 'We need at least one more year of observations to confirm that LHS 1140 b has an atmosphere, and likely two or three more to detect carbon dioxide." 4 JWST data further suggests the exoplanet's mass might be made of between 10 and 20 per cent liquid water Credit: NASA Advertisement LHS 1140 b is a super Earth exoplanet that lies in the so-called 'Goldilocks zone' of its nearest star. This is the area around a star where it's neither too hot nor too cold for a world to host liquid water. When the data was pinged back to Earth - a process that miraculously only takes about five seconds - it was the 'first time [scientists] have ever seen a hint of an atmosphere on a habitable zone rocky or ice-rich exoplanet," according to Ryan MacDonald, a Nasa Sagan Fellow in the University of Michigan's Department of Astronomy, who helped analyse LHS 1140 b's atmosphere. JWST data further suggests the exoplanet's mass might be made of between 10 and 20 per cent liquid water. Advertisement While that could mean the planet looks like one big snowball - the side facing the sun could have a warm liquid ocean, making it look like an eyeball. Charles Cadieux, a doctoral student at the Université de Montréal and lead author of a paper on the discovery, said at the time: "Of all currently known temperate exoplanets, LHS 1140 b could well be our best bet to one day indirectly confirm liquid water on the surface of an alien world beyond our solar system. "This would be a major milestone in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets." 4 And although this world is relatively close to our own in cosmic terms, it would still take 41 years to get there - while travelling at the speed of light Credit: Getty Advertisement All you need to know about planets in our solar system Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all... How old is How many moons does What colour is How far away is How big is How many moons does Does How many moons does How big is How hot is the
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Jupiter is our solar system's biggest planet by far. It used to be twice as large: Study
Jupiter is already the biggest planet by far in our solar system, but new research suggests it was somehow once even larger than it is now. Twice as large, in fact. To put that into context, those dimensions would make the gas giant big enough to fit 2,000 Earths inside of it – if it were hollow. The shocking findings were part of a recent study in which astronomers effectively peered back in time to discover what Jupiter was like in its early years. The astronomers behind the study – Konstantin Batygin, a professor of planetary science at the California Institute of Technology, and Fred C. Adams, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Michigan – didn't necessarily set out to make such an extraordinary discovery. Rather, the researchers were set on better understanding Jupiter's early evolution and how our solar system developed its distinct structure. "Our ultimate goal is to understand where we come from, and pinning down the early phases of planet formation is essential to solving the puzzle," Batygin said in a press release announcing the findings. "This brings us closer to understanding how not only Jupiter but the entire solar system took shape." Jupiter news: Jupiter's auroras put Earth's to shame. NASA's Webb just got a stunning look at them Jupiter is not only the largest in the solar system, but is so humongous that it's more than twice as massive as the other planets combined. The gas giant is about 11 times wider than Earth alone, with a diameter around its equator of 88,846 miles. And it's size is far from the only extreme feature that defines the fifth planet from the sun. The world is home to gigantic storms bigger than Australia, 100-mph winds pummeling its northern reaches and a rocky moon named Io orbiting it that is notoriously riddled with lava-spewing volcanoes. According to the researchers, Jupiter's gravity, often called the "architect" of our solar system, played a critical role in shaping the orbits of other planets and sculpting the disk of gas and dust from which they formed. The gas giant's influential place in shaping our solar system and is what intrigued Batygin and Adams to take a closer look at Jupiter's primordial state. According to their calculations, about 3.8 millions years after the first solid materials in our solar system formed, Jupiter was twice as large as it is now. Jupiter's magnetic field was also much more powerful at that time, about 50 times stronger than it is today. While Io is among the most well-known of Jupiter's 95 moons, the duo instead studied two tiny moons Amalthea and Thebe to reach their conclusions. The celestial objects are so small, they're not even among Jupiter's four famous Galilean moons, which does include Io. But Amalthea and Thebe orbit the planet even closer than Io and have slightly tilted orbits that allowed the astronomers to analyze "small orbital discrepancies" to calculate Jupiter's original size. "It's astonishing that even after 4.5 billion years, enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter's physical state at the dawn of its existence," Adams said in a statement. Astronomers estimate that Jupiter is steadily shrinking to this day by up to two centimeters a year. This is because of a process by which the planet grows smaller as it gradually cools and its internal temperature drops, causing the planet to lose energy and consistently contract. Batygin and Adam say their analysis provides a snapshot of Jupiter at a critical cosmic moment when the building materials for planet formation in our solar system disappeared, locking in its core architecture. Their results also add context to planetary formation models developed over decades suggesting that Jupiter and other similar gas planets formed through a process called core accretion in which a rocky and icy core rapidly gathers gas. "What we've established here is a valuable benchmark," Batygin said in a statement. "A point from which we can more confidently reconstruct the evolution of our solar system." The findings were published Tuesday, May 20 in the journal Nature Astronomy. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How big is Jupiter? Study suggests gas giant was once twice as large
