This Planet Smells Funny

Sept. 13, 2010:  Giant planet GJ 436b in the constellation Leo is missing something.

Would you believe swamp gas?

To the surprise of astronomers who have been studying the Neptune-sized planet using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, GJ 436b has very little methane (CH₄).

"Methane should be abundant on a planet of this temperature and size, but we found 7000 times less methane than what the models predict," says Kevin Stevenson of the University of Central Florida (UCF). Stevenson was lead author of a paper reporting the result in the April 22, 2010, issue of Nature...

Goddard Scientists Explore Desert RATS

What's it like to explore the surfaces of other planets? Two scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., are finding out by taking part in the annual Desert Research and Technology Studies, or Desert RATS, project, here on Earth. They will travel to the Arizona desert, a field location chosen to simulate possible sites of future planetary exploration missions. It's a cheaper, easier way for NASA to test equipment and train crews, and those who participate learn a lot about what will or won't work during real flight missions...

Plants and the Carbon Capture Question

Plants are complicated 

Planting trees, as everyone knows, is a good way to offset climate change. The more greenery on Earth, the better, since vegetation act as carbon sinks, essentially sucking up the excess CO₂ and storing it in leaves, stems, and root systems...

New Report Seeks to Improve Climate Forecasts

September 09, 2010

From farmers to government officials in charge of efficiently managing Earth's precious water and energy resources, people all over the world rely on accurate short-term climate forecasts on timescales ranging from a few weeks to a few years to make more informed decisions. But today's climate forecast systems have limited ability to operate on such timescales. That's because it's difficult to realistically represent the complex interactions between Earth's ocean, atmosphere and land surface in the climate models from which forecasts are developed...

Amateur astronomers are first to detect small objects impacting

Just as sunspot 1105 was turning away from Earth on Sept. 8, the active region erupted, producing a solar flare and a fantastic prominence. The eruption also hurled a bright coronal mass ejection into space. The eruption was not directed toward any planets...

Amateur astronomers are first to detect small objects impacting

Amateur astronomers working with professional astronomers have spotted two fireballs lighting up Jupiter's atmosphere this summer, marking the first time Earth-based telescopes have captured relatively small objects burning up in the atmosphere of the giant planet. The two fireballs – which produced bright freckles on Jupiter that were visible through backyard telescopes – occurred on June 3, 2010, and August 20, 2010, respectively...

NASA Data Shed New Light About Water and Volcanoes on Mars

PASADENA, Calif. -- Data from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander suggest liquid water has interacted with the Martian surface throughout the planet's history and into modern times. The research also provides new evidence that volcanic activity has persisted on the Red Planet into geologically recent times, several million years ago...

Fireballs Light Up Jupiter

Sept. 9, 2010:  In a paper published today in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, a group of professional and amateur astronomers announced that Jupiter is getting hit surprisingly often by small asteroids, lighting up the giant planet's atmosphere with frequent fireballs...

NASA's Aqua Satellite Sees Smoke Plume from Fourmile Canyon Fire

September 8, 2010

The Fourmile Canyon Fire continues to burn west of Boulder, Colorado on September 7 casting a long line of smoke to the east that was visible from NASA's Aqua satellite in its orbit around the Earth...

Deadly Tides Mean Early Exit for Hot Jupiters

Bad news for planet hunters: most of the "hot Jupiters" that astronomers have been searching for in star clusters were likely destroyed long ago by their stars. In a paper accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journal, John Debes and Brian Jackson of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., offer this new explanation for why no transiting planets (planets that pass in front of their stars and temporarily block some of the light) have been found yet in star clusters. The researchers also predict that the planet hunting being done by the Kepler mission is more likely to succeed in younger star clusters than older ones...

NASA Goddard Receives the Webb Telescope's Guiding Light from Ca

GREENBELT, Md. -- The Canadian Space Agency has delivered a test unit of the Fine Guidance Sensor to the James Webb Space Telescope to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md...

NASA Goddard Receives the Webb Telescope's Guiding Light from Ca

GREENBELT, Md. -- The Canadian Space Agency has delivered a test unit of the Fine Guidance Sensor to the James Webb Space Telescope to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md...

NASA Satellites Reveal Surprising Connection Between Beetle Atta

If your summer travels have taken you across the Rocky Mountains, you've probably seen large swaths of reddish trees dotting otherwise green forests. While it may look like autumn has come early to the mountains, evergreen trees don't change color with the seasons. The red trees are dying, the result of attacks by mountain pine beetles...

NASA Satellite Data Aids United Nations' Ability to Detect Globa

In the midst of a difficult fire season in many parts of the world, the United Nations' (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization has launched a new online fire detection system that will help firefighters and natural hazards managers improve response time and resource management...

Asteroid Cornucopia

New research from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveals that asteroids somewhat near Earth, termed near-Earth objects, are a mixed bunch, with a surprisingly wide array of compositions. Like a piñata filled with everything from chocolates to fruity candies, these asteroids come in assorted colors and compositions. Some are dark and dull; others are shiny and bright. The Spitzer observations of 100 known near-Earth asteroids demonstrate that the objects’ diversity is greater than previously thought...