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A joint European and Russian mission to Mars is being postponed from July until sometime in 2022, as the coronavirus pandemic is preventing scientists from resolving a few technical difficulties, the European Space Agency said March 12. “We cannot fly in 2020,” ESA director general Jan Wörner says. “This is a disappointment for me personally, […] More
Some puzzling planets called superpuffs could be Saturns in disguise. These exoplanets appear very large given their masses, suggesting that they have densities like cotton candy. Astronomers have struggled to explain how these planets could have turned out so fluffy (SN: 11/30/15). “People had been thinking of complicated ways to explain these mysterious planets,” such […] More
Meet Perseverance, NASA’s next ambassador to the Red Planet. The Mars rover’s new name was announced March 5, after a six-month “Name the Rover” competition that drew more than 28,000 entries from students in kindergarten through high school. Students were asked to make their name suggestions in essays. The winning entry came from 7th grader […] More
Searching the cosmic microwave background could reveal other giant spheres of icy debris HIDDEN TREASURES This map of the cosmic microwave background taken by the Planck satellite could also hide signs of exo-Oort clouds — planetary graveyards surrounding other stars. Planck/ESA and NASA, IPAC Infrared Science Archive Share this: This article is only available to […] More
