Ten years after launching, the European Space Agency Rosetta spacecraft caught up to its target: Comet 67P. In 2014, Rosetta, now 250 million miles from Earth, traveled along with the comet while it made its way around the Sun measuring its increased activity including classic comet tail formation as it approached the sun. At one... Continue Reading →
Our solar system comes with planets of all sorts of sizes and compositions. Not long ago, it was possible to debate if there were any other planets in the Universe other than those of our solar system. Now, there doesn’t seem to be any question that other planets, called exoplanets, do exist. The... Continue Reading →
There are spacecraft and rovers at work right this moment collecting data on planets, moons and other solar system bodies. These sophisticated instruments are beaming back data to Earth on a nearly daily basis. Much of that data would not be easy for most of us to interpret but the images they send back give... Continue Reading →
After the Mars Science Laboratory, otherwise known as the Curiosity rover, dropped down the rabbit hole and safely landed on the surface of Mars there was much ado about the first images and hints at a watery past. Since then the rover has left the public eye but the rover has been no slouch,... Continue Reading →
To say that the Universe is a big place would be a huge understatement. It is difficult to fathom just how big it is. When we hear that there are an estimated 10 sextillion to 1 septillion stars in the Universe we have few reference points to compare to those numbers. A number followed by... Continue Reading →
Naturalis Historia 