Topic: Jupiter (Planet)
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
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What makes a planet livable? Five things scientists look for.
Scientists have so far detected at least 550 planets outside the solar system – and another 2,000-plus await confirmation. But how to pick out the ones that may be Earth-like havens for life? Here's what one team looks for in assessing any planet's potential habitability and its similarity to Earth's properties.
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Quadrantid meteors and 11 other big skywatching events of 2012
What lies ahead sky-wise for 2012? Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist, selected what he considers to be the top 12 "skylights" for this coming year,
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In Pictures Timeline of American rockets
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In Pictures Space photos of the day: Dwarfs
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In Pictures Space photos of the day: Uranus
All Content
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Why you should care about Lake Vostok
If scientists find life in Antarctica's Lake Vostok, an ancient freshwater body locked beneath two miles of ice, it will greatly boost hopes of the existence of life on other worlds.
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How Lake Vostok could transform our understanding of life as we know it
Russian researchers in Antarctica say they have successfully drilled through more than two miles of ice to reach a vast lake that has been sealed off from light or air for at least 14 million years. If living organisms are found in the lake, it would greatly boost hopes of finding life on other worlds.
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Ancient Antarctic lake thought to harbor prehistoric life, Hitler clones
In its reporting on the efforts of a Russian drilling team to reach a subglacial lake in Antarctica, Russian state media has revived an old conjecture about a secret Nazi cloning facility on the southern continent.
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Scientists drill past Antarctic ice to reach buried lake. What lies beneath?
Lake Vostok has been capped with Antarctic ice for at least 15 million years. Now scientists have drilled 13,000 feet to reach its surface. They'll soon learn what life forms have adapted to that cold, dark locale.
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Russians reach mysterious lake 2.4 miles below Antarctic ice
Russian scientists confirmed they have drilled down to a 20-million year old freshwater lake far below the surface of Antarctica. Could this lake hold clues to life on other planets or moons?
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Newfound alien planet 'best candidate to support liquid water'
A planet recently discovered orbiting a nearby star is located in the star's 'habitable zone,' meaning that it could support life as we know it.
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NASA discovers 26 new alien planets in 11 solar systems
The findings nearly double the number of bona fide planets found outside our solar system by the Kepler space observatory.
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The Vote Is moon base really the 'weirdest' Newt Gingrich idea? Maybe not.
Newt Gingrich once wrote a bill that proposed to clarify when a moon base could apply for statehood. He admitted the bill was a bit odd Wednesday. But it might now prove to be a stroke of brilliance.
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Huge asteroid may be packed with water ice
The surface of Vesta — the second-largest object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter — appears to be quite dry. But water ice may lurk underground over roughly half of the huge space rock's area, particularly near the poles, researchers said.
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Amazing planets: mini solar system, 'Star Wars' lookalike among new finds
The catalogue of newly found planets is becoming richer by the day. By one new estimate, virtually all the billions of stars in the Milky Way could have a planet orbiting them.
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Most stars in our galaxy have planets, study suggests
Rocky, roughly earth-like planets orbiting stars seem to be the rule, rather than the exception, an new study reveals.
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Scientists discover a real-life Tatooine orbiting two suns
But there are probably no jawas, moisture farmers, sand people, banthas, dewbacks, womp rats, sandcrawlers, a Pit of Carkoon, nor a strange old hermit who lives beyond the Dune Sea.
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Scientists discover three smallest alien planets yet
All three exoplanets are thought to be rocky like Earth. However, their closeness to their star makes them too hot to be in the habitable zone, the area around a star neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist on the surface.
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Space station crosses in front of moon in amazing photograph
In one series of photos, NASA photographer Lauren Harnett captured images of the moon at the exact moment that the space station passed across its face in what scientists call a 'transit.'
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A real-life 'Avatar'? Search begins for moons that could support life.
With scientists already looking for Earth-size planets orbiting in distant stars' habitable zones, a new project is using similar techniques to look for moons, too.
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Quadrantid meteors and 11 other big skywatching events of 2012
What lies ahead sky-wise for 2012? Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist, selected what he considers to be the top 12 "skylights" for this coming year,
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Smallest-ever exoplanets found, one step closer to Earth-twin
These planets, while roughly the size of our planet Earth, are circling very close to their star, giving them fiery temperatures that are most likely too hot to support life, researchers said.
12/22/2011 01:04 pm -
Could the new Earth-like planets harbor life?
Scientists have discovered a pair of Earth-sized planets orbiting a distant star. Could these planets, dubbed Kepler 20e and Kepler 20f, support life?
12/21/2011 02:10 pm -
First Earth-size planets found around distant star – in a bizarre solar system
For the first time, NASA's Kepler spacecraft has found two Earth-size planets outside our solar system – a landmark achievement. But the planets are in a solar system that baffles scientists and could overthrow current models of planet formation.
12/20/2011 07:02 pm -
Extrasolar planet: 18 new huge alien planets discovered
Extrasolar planet discoveries have boosted by 50 percent the number of known planets orbiting massive stars. Extrasolar planets are those outside of our solar system.
12/05/2011 10:13 am -
Mars rover gets 'engine' upgrade: Curiosity fueled by nuclear power
The next Mars rover, Curiosity, is scheduled to launch Saturday. It's the first Mars rover to jettison solar panels for nuclear power, meaning it can go places and do things others couldn't.
11/22/2011 05:21 pm -
Europa: secret lakes could fuel life on Jupiter moon
New research suggests that lakes of liquid water could be buried in the icy crust of Europa, a moon of Jupiter. The processes that create the lakes could also provide nutrients crucial for life on Europa, the scientists say.
11/16/2011 06:45 pm -
Moon, Jupiter to shine near each other tonight
Moon meet Jupiter, Jupiter meet moon. The two most brilliant objects in our current night sky will make for an eye-catching duo tonight, weather permitting.
10/13/2011 07:52 pm -
New images of protoplanet Vesta reveal mountain bigger than Everest
Planetary scientists are getting an initial look at the protoplanet Vesta via NASA's Dawn mission, revealing a surprising range of features – including long parallel troughs around the equator.
10/12/2011 07:55 pm -
Where did Earth's water come from? Comet Hartley 2 offers new clues.
The composition of comet Hartley 2 suggests that comets might have been a bigger source of Earth's water than previously thought. It's also challenging models of solar system formation.
10/06/2011 05:51 pm
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