Planets, Comets, Asteroids, etc.

[AndyinPA]

Cool!

[AndyinPA]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/ ... ound-nasa/

Astronomers have discovered a six-pack of planets, formed at least 4 billion years ago and remarkably unchanged since, orbiting a nearby sun-like star. The new planets, described in a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature, could provide a breakthrough in the understanding of how planets form and why there are so many between the sizes of Earth and Neptune, a class known as “sub Neptunes” that is astoundingly common in our galaxy.

These newfound worlds are hot, gassy and unlikely to be pleasant places to visit. Their cozy orbits around the parent star mean they are not in what astrobiologists consider the “habitable zone” of a planetary system. The hunt for Earth 2.0 goes on.

But what makes these planets unusual, in addition to their large number, is that they are locked into a resonance with one another as they orbit the star. One planet, for example, will make precisely three orbits while an adjacent planet makes two.

[Chilidog]

It's obviously a derelict space ship.

It did the Kessel run in 11 parsecs.

[Estiveo]

GAtkg8EWEAA63eO.jpeg (62.43 KiB) Viewed 1081 times

[AndyinPA]

I don't think I'll be here in 2061, but I saw it in 1986.

[Chilidog]

IMG_0984.webp (7.87 KiB) Viewed 842 times

NASA’s spacecraft Juno just had a super-close encounter with the most volcanic world in the solar system—but its stunning first image could be among its last after 56 orbits of Jupiter.

On December 30, the bus-sized spacecraft—orbiting Jupiter since 2016—got very close to Io, the giant moon of Jupiter. It reached a mere 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) from the moon’s surface. However, the spacecraft’s camera has suffered radiation damage and may not last much longer.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecarte ... image/amp/

[AndyinPA]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/202 ... earth-nasa

An asteroid as big as a skyscraper will pass within 1.7m miles (2.7mkm) of Earth on Friday.

Don’t worry: there’s no chance of it hitting us since it will miss our planet by seven times the distance from the Earth to the moon.

Nasa’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies estimates the space rock is between 690 and 1,575 feet (210 and 480 meters) across. That means the asteroid could be similar in size to New York City’s Empire State Building or Chicago’s Willis Tower.

Discovered in 2008, the asteroid is designated as 2008 OS7. It won’t be back our way again until 2032, but that will be a much more distant encounter, staying 45m miles away.

[RTH10260]

Astronomers (some) are worried cause of two larger asteroids that are arriving near Earth, I think it was the above one, and one that will make its appearance around 2029. Cause of concern: both will get a kick of gravity from passing our planet and will slightly change their path. One of the two is said to be on collision course on its return around 2060, the other will visit for a second kick and is said to make physical contact around 2180 (IFF our speck of dirt still exists).

sorry, once again without a link , but it was on the internet Youtube