An ancient crater buried beneath the Oklahoma city of Ames has been discovered to be nearly 100 million years younger than previously thought, connecting it to one of the five major mass extinction events in Earth’s history. The crater, which extends about 16 kilometers (10 mi) in diameter, is buried under 2.7 kilometers (9,000 ft) … Read more
Spectroscopic observationsHS 0209+0832 was observed using HST/STIS in the FUV on 10 January 19994. Two exposures of 2,110 s and 1,140 s were taken using the MAMA detector and the E140M grating, covering the wavelength range 1,150−1,710 Å with a resolving power of R ≈ 45,800. We used the Hubble Advanced Spectral Products (HASP) spectrum, which combined the … Read more
A vast region of East Antarctica contains enough ice to cause a dramatic rise in global sea level, but was previously considered relatively stable. Now, a new study urges scientists to take a closer look at the Wilkes subglacial basin, warning that as the climate warms, this hidden Antarctic ice reservoir could become a major … Read more
Hayden Planetarium meteorologist and guest lecturer Joe Rao details some impressive skywatching attractions this month. CONCLUSION Researchers have identified a possible planet within the habitable zone of a star, which would be the hottest star to host a planet in that region. The habitable zone is a term astronomers use to describe the region around … Read more
Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX) postponed Monday’s launch for the Space Development Agency and will retry the mission on Tuesday, continuing its busy launch schedule. SPCX stock surged late last week after completing a series of rapid launches for multiple missions. The mission comes as Musk proposed renaming SpaceX’s artificial intelligence unit to… Copyright … Read more
In a world first, scientists say they have detected a planet that may have formed from the burned remains of its dead host star. The planet is likely a gas giant orbiting a white dwarf called HS 0209+0832 located about 270 light years from Earth, according to the authors of a study published Monday in … Read more
Imagine a scientist sitting you in a device that can detect changes in your brain activity and then plays a cycle of sounds. Over and over again, three low tones are heard, followed by a high one. Then you hear something different: four low tones in a row. The scientist does not have to ask … Read more
A new study finds evidence that Earth may have undergone several episodes of rapid true polar shift over the past 320 million years, with the strongest signals in the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Instead of relying primarily on ancient magnetic fields, the researchers tracked patterns of continental flooding and retreats caused when the solid Earth shifted … Read more
Earth glows like a crescent as a giant aurora writhes over the North Pole in this ultraviolet image from the new Smile spacecraft. Quick Facts What it is: An aurora on the sunlit side of Earth Where it is: Over the North Pole, seen from about 75,000 miles away When shared: September 30 The first … Read more
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have revisited a key piece of Oklahoma geological history, with possible implications for how scientists interpret important events in the history of life on Earth. Beneath the city of Ames, Oklahoma, lies a meteorite impact structure that extends for miles underground. Layers of sediment now cover the … Read more