SPACERIUM

2021 Space Discoveries Amateur astronomer discovers a new moon around Jupiter A previously-unknown moon has been detected around the largest planet in the solar system. Jupiter  is a giant, so it gravitationally attracts many objects into its vicinity. Earth has one major moon, Mars has two: but Jupiter boasts at least 79 moons, and there may be dozens or hundreds more of them that astronomers have yet to identify. The  latest discovery  was made by amateur astronomer Kai Ly, who found evidence of this Jovian moon in a data set from 2003 that had been collected by researchers using the 3.6-meter Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) on Mauna Kea. Ly they confirmed the moon was likely bound to Jupiter's gravity using data from another telescope called Subaru.  The new moon, called EJc0061, belongs to the Carme group of Jovian moons. They orbit in the opposite direction of Jupiter's rotation at an extreme tilt relative to Jupiter's orbital plane. NASA will return to Ve...

  Dark Energy In the late 1990s, astronomers found evidence that the expansion of the universe was not slowing down due to gravity as expected. Instead, the expansion speed was increasing. Something had to be powering this accelerating universe and, in part due to its unknown nature, this “something” was called dark energy. What Is Dark Energy? In the late 1990s, astronomers found evidence that the expansion of the universe was not slowing down due to gravity as expected. Instead, the expansion speed was increasing. Something had to be powering this accelerating universe and, in part due to its unknown nature, this “something” was called dark energy. Hubble plays an important role in verifying, characterizing and constraining dark energy. Both Hubble and ground-based observations measures a special type of stellar explosion, a white dwarf supernova, to measure accurate distances to galaxies.  ​ A galaxy located a billion light-years away provides a data point for the universe ...

 Zombie Planets Zombie planets, also known as "pulsar planets" or "planets around pulsars," are a fascinating and relatively rare astronomical phenomenon. Here's a more detailed description and some interesting facts about zombie planets: ​ Description: Zombie planets are exoplanets that survive the catastrophic death of their parent stars and continue to exist in orbit around a highly dense remnant called a pulsar. Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars formed after massive stars undergo a supernova explosion. These pulsars emit intense beams of radiation from their poles, resembling lighthouse beams, due to their rapid rotation. If a planet is close enough to the pulsar but outside its destructive beam, it can potentially survive as a "zombie planet." ​ Facts: Host Star Demise: Zombie planets are the remnants of planetary systems that were once part of a massive star. When the star runs out of nuclear fuel, it undergoes a supernova, releasing an ...