November 29, 2012

The Countdown, Episode 10 - Makemake's Shadow, Mars or Bust, a Super Jupiter, Monster Quasar, Moon Mash-Up

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Story 5

In 2005, the dwarf planet Makemake passed between the Earth and a very bright star, casting a shadow known as an occultation. A new study of data collected from the occultation reveals that Makemake lacks an atmosphere.

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Rare Apparition of Dwarf Planet Makemake Reveals a Largely Airless World

Story 4

Internet billionaire and SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced his plans for a future Mars colony of 80,000 people. The price tag for a flight to the Martian colony: $500,000.

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Martian Colony Designed by Private Space Flight Company

Story 3

Astronomers have discovered a giant gaseous planet about 13 times the size of Jupiter. The "super jupiter" is challenging previous notions of how planets form in solar systems with large stars.

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"Super-Jupiter" Discovery Dwarfs Solar System's Largest Planet

Story 2

The Very Large Telescope, belonging to the European Southern Observatory, has caught a glimpse of the most powerful quasar ever discovered.

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Biggest Black Hole Blast Ever Could Solve Cosmological Mystery

Story 1

The moons of gas giants like Neptune and Uranus are arranged in a pattern where the smallest moons are closest to the planet and become gradually larger as you move farther out. This pattern has baffled scientists, but a new model explains how it could have emerged from rings of gas and dust similar to Saturn's.

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Solar System's Moons May Have Emerged from Long-Gone Planetary Rings

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