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... that a large basin on Neptune's moon
Triton may have once been filled with liquid water
cryolava, similar to how liquid silicates fill lava lakes on Earth? (2024-05-22)
... that ice in outer space is an
amorphous solid, and this may be the most common phase of ice in the universe? (2024-05-18)
... that in accordance with Hale's law,
sunspot groups have
magnetic fields that align in opposite directions on opposite sides of the Sun's equator? (2024-03-29)
... that Susan Murabana created Africa's first permanent planetarium? (2023-11-18)
... that a newspaper in Kentucky reported that the solar eclipse of November 22, 1900, would pass over Austria instead of Australia? (2023-11-09)
... that scientists traveled thousands of miles to observe the solar eclipse of September 10, 1923, from Santa Catalina Island, but saw only clouds? (2023-11-02)
... that Premana Premadi is the first Indonesian female astronomer to have an
asteroid named in her honor? (2023-10-30)
... that C/1990 K1 (Levy) was the first comet observed by the
Hubble Space Telescope, but only short exposures were obtained as the telescope was not yet able to track Solar System bodies? (2023-09-04)
... that the axial parallelism(diagram pictured) of the Earth's
tilted axis is the reason we have winter, spring, summer and fall? (2022-12-21)
... that in 2021, two asteroids hit Mars, each leaving craters over 100 meters (330 feet) across and being felt as
marsquakes by the
InSight mission thousands of kilometers away? (2022-11-09)
... that some scientists believe we may live in a "dark forest"? (2022-11-02)
... that Kohoutek(pictured) was the first comet to be proven a
dirty snowball? (2022-09-21)
... that amateur astronomer A. O. Granger expanded his home to include the largest observatory and
telescope in the southeastern United States? (2022-08-26)
... that it took five years of observations to find the planet orbiting the star HD 175167? (2021-11-01)
... that the first successful Mars rover, Sojourner(pictured), was named after the Civil War–era African-American abolitionist and women's rights advocate
Sojourner Truth? (2021-10-27)
... that Pierre Kaufmann helped install the first
radio telescope in Brazil, which was later destroyed by cows? (2021-08-21)
... that when Ruth Stokes defended her dissertation on the theory of
linear programming in 1931, she became the first person to earn a doctorate in mathematics from
Duke University? (2021-05-07)
... that astrophysicist and
space-weather specialist Professor Peter T. Gallagher led the building of Ireland's first serious radio telescope, the 3,000-antenna I-
LOFAR, at
Birr Castle? (2020-10-26)
... that Muhammad al-Qunawi wrote a Turkish edition of
Al-Khalili's tables because, according to him, "some of our sons wanted, from this poor man, to learn about
sine tables"? (2020-08-10)
... that astronomer Mustafa ibn Ali wrote mostly in
Ottoman Turkish rather than Arabic, in order to make his field more accessible in the Ottoman Empire? (2020-07-21)
... that the Soviet probe Luna 2, the first human-made object to make contact with the Moon, began a trend of
crash landing missions that continued even after
soft landings were mastered? (2019-07-21)
... that
imaging scientist Katie Bouman first learned of the
Event Horizon Telescope in 2007, while still in high school, and joined the project six years later? (2019-05-10, 2019-08-10)
... that despite having large molecular gas reservoirs, NGC 3665 has a less than expected
star formation rate? (2019-03-29)
... that a record-breaking solar storm of August 1972 is thought to have caused the spontaneous detonation of numerous U.S. Navy
sea mines in North Vietnam? (2018-12-15)
... that the ninth-century astronomer Al-Mahani claimed his estimates of the start times of three consecutive
lunar eclipses were accurate to within half an hour? (2018-07-04)
... that the search for near-Earth asteroids large enough to cause a global catastrophe (example pictured) is almost complete, and efforts now focus on smaller asteroids? (2018-03-23)
... that Greek legends claim Pythagoras(pictured) had a golden thigh, could fly thanks to a magic arrow, was greeted by name by a river, and when bitten by a snake, bit it back and killed it? (2018-03-18)
... that David Meade's prediction of a hidden planet named
Nibiru hitting Earth on September 23, 2017, was based on what he says are coded messages hidden in the
Giza Pyramids in Egypt? (2018-03-09)
... that the
Martian dunes of the Abalos Undae(pictured) may have formed from erosion of Rupes Tenuis, the polar
scarp? (2017-08-23)
... that the star S Coronae Borealis has been estimated as having around 1.34 times the Sun's mass but 308 times its radius? (2017-08-14)
... that the dunes of the Hagal dune field on
Mars (detail pictured) look like dots and dashes, and are called the "Martian Morse Code"? (2017-08-11)
... that the Nili Patera dune field(detail pictured) was the first location on
Mars where evidence was obtained of
dune movement of a minimum of 1 metre (3 ft 3 in)? (2017-07-27)
... that Mayda Insula on
Titan is the first named island beyond the Earth? (2017-07-20)
... that astronomer Sidney C. Wolff was the first woman to direct a major observatory in the United States? (2017-05-17)
... that when amateur astronomer Thomas Bopp co-discovered
comet Hale–Bopp(pictured), he had never seen a comet before and was using a borrowed telescope? (2017-01-16)
... that the constellation Corvus was depicted as a
raven as early as 1100 BCE in Babylonia? (2017-01-13)
... that, unusual for a constellation, the five brightest stars of Apus are red-tinged? (2016-12-24)
... that the components of the TV Corvi system orbit each other every 90 minutes? (2016-12-08)
... that Sairecabur has the world's highest submillimetre telescope and is adjacent to a peak that may have been one of the world's highest volcanoes at over 7,000 metres (23,000 ft)? (2016-11-29)
... that argonium, an ion composed of an argon atom and a proton, was the first
noble gas molecular ion to be found in interstellar space? (2016-10-28)
... that Alan Hale, who discovered
Comet Hale–Bopp(pictured), said that he "predicted" its appearance would trigger suicides—and it turned out
he was right? (2016-10-19)
... that Anders Planman was one of the first people to make systematic astronomical observations in Finland? (2016-09-29)
... that the Chaac-Camaxtli Region of
Io contains a variety of different surfaces, including bright floor material (pictured) probably made of solid
sulfur dioxide? (2015-05-04)
... that the appearance of bright spots in Ganiki Chasma suggests there is active volcanism on
Venus? (2015-05-01)
... that Ovda Regio(pictured),
Venus' largest crustal plateau, covers an area of about 15,000,000 km2 (5,800,000 sq mi)? (2015-04-27)
... that tesserae on Venus are areas of high radar reflectivity? (2015-04-22)
... that shield volcano outflows cover 48% of Lada Terra on
Venus(pictured)? (2015-04-21)
... that if the solar storm of 2012(pictured) had hit
Earth, it might have taken several years to recover from the resulting widespread destruction of electronic equipment? (2015-01-24)
... that magnesium monohydride is a molecule known only as a gas and is found on the sun and other stars? (2015-01-22)
... that solar activity and related events (
solar flare pictured) have been recorded since the time of the
Babylonians in the 8th century BCE? (2014-09-21)
... that Bart Bok and his wife
Priscilla, who were both astronomers, worked together so closely that it was "difficult and pointless to separate his achievements from hers"? (2014-09-11)
... that on a sunny day, one can tell the time on Sutton High Street in London despite not having a watch? (2014-09-01)
... that the Lake Murray Meteorite, discovered in 1933, is the largest Class IIAB
octahedrite found in Oklahoma and the fifth largest found in the world? (2014-09-01)
... that the massive
blue giant star 68 Cygni is surrounded by a ring-shaped
nebula? (2014-08-17)
... that astronomer Adelaide Ames joined the
Harvard College Observatory as a research assistant because she could not find any jobs in journalism? (2014-06-07)
... that the minor planet
Chariklo has a ring system(artist's rendering pictured), making it the smallest body known to be surrounded by rings? (2014-04-16)
... that the meteorite EETA 79001, recovered from the
Elephant Moraine, was found to have come from Mars? (2014-04-16)
... that 7th-grade science students at Evergreen Middle School in Cottonwood, California, helped researchers discover a new series of Martian lava tubes(pictured)? (2014-04-13)
... that Guinevere Planitia, a lowland plain on Venus, has three main volcanoes: Atanua, Tuli, and Var Mons? (2014-04-11)
... that the four member stars of the QZ Carinae star system are (combined) 94 times as
massive as our
Sun? (2014-03-15)
... that the mystery of who came up with the idea behind Urania's Mirror(extract pictured) took over a hundred and seventy years to solve? (2014-03-12)
... that the
black hole inside RX J1131 was the first black hole to have its spin directly measured? (2014-03-11)
... that C-Band All Sky Survey(C-BASS South pictured) aims to map the entire sky with two telescopes? (2014-01-12)
... that the asteroid 2014 AA entered Earth's atmosphere on the early morning of January 2, 2014, less than a day after it was discovered? (2014-01-09)
... that the
white dwarf star GD 61 was once likely orbited by a rocky planet or asteroid with
water? (2013-11-03)
... that the star RR Telescopii increased in brightness by several magnitudes beginning around 1944, but the increase was not noticed until 1948, when it was designated Nova Telescopium 1948? (2013-10-27)
... that Harold Ureyshowed that Earth's early atmosphere might spontaneously produce
amino acids, commonly considered the building blocks of life? (2013-09-29)
... that in the constellation Hydrus there is a star with a possible nine
planets? (2013-09-18)
... that
Phil Plait, the author of Bad Astronomy, attempts to explore common fallacies and popular misunderstandings within the field of astronomy? (2013-05-23)
... that the galactic habitable zone(pictured) may encompass our entire galaxy? (2013-05-16)
... that
NASA has plans to tug an asteroid to the
Moon? (2013-04-20)
... that the spiral galaxy NGC 5585 contains a
supernova remnant that is over 650 light-years long, 300 light-years wide and still expanding? (2013-04-03)
... that Wikipedia was discovered in 2008 between
Mars and
Jupiter? (2013-04-01)
... that NGC 2467(pictured) is also known as the "Skull and Crossbones nebula"? (2013-03-02)
... that HD 140283 is thought to be the oldest known star, being nearly as old as the universe itself? (2013-02-28)
... that micrometeorites contribute most of the extraterrestrial material that comes to Earth? (2013-02-24)
... that coronal clouds from the Sun can damage electric devices, even destroy whole grids, when they reach Earth? (2013-02-24)
... that highly charged HZE ions make up just 1% of
galactic cosmic rays, but they cause as much biological damage to astronauts as
protons, which make up 85%? (2013-01-14)
... that the rovers of the planned Phobos Surveyor are known as "hedgehogs"? (2013-01-13)
... that Northwest Africa 7034(pictured) is a type of
Martian meteorite never before seen, and has more water in it than any other yet discovered? (2013-01-11)
... that HD 179821, a bright star in the
Aquila constellation, is a
supernova candidate? (2013-01-03)
... that the
millisecond pulsarPSR J1311–3430 has the shortest known orbital period among pulsars in binary systems, but that it may eventually vaporize its companion? (2012-11-02)
... that star trail observations of
Polaris(example pictured) have been used to measure the vibrations in telescope mounting systems? (2012-10-29)
... that the stars of the binary system EK Trianguli Australis orbit around a common centre of gravity every 1.5 hours? (2012-10-29)
... that Pre-Tolstojan refers to the oldest period in the history of planet
Mercury from its moment of formation? (2012-10-13)
... that the Eltanin Impact of a small asteroid in the Pacific Ocean resulted in the highest density of deposited meteoritic material on Earth? (2012-10-12)
... that Rogelio Bernal Andreo was the first amateur astronomer to win the Discover Bad Astronomy image of the year with his image "Orion, from Head to Toe" (pictured)? (2012-10-09)
... that the constellation Telescopium has shrunk since its creation in the 1750s? (2012-10-02)
... that when the newly discovered comet C/2012 S1 reaches its
perihelion on 28 November 2013, it may appear brighter than the full moon? (2012-10-02)
... that an
asteroid that Swiss physics teacher Michel Ory thought he had discovered in 2008 turned out to be a periodic
comet as big as
Earth, and the discovery earned him an
Edgar Wilson Award? (2012-09-29)
... that Renoir, a
crater on
Mercury, is one of two with a volcanic plain inside its central peak ring? (2012-08-27)
... that Adam Steltzner(pictured), the lead engineer of the Mars
Curiosity rover
landing, said he spent high school "studying sex, drugs and rock and roll"? (2012-08-26)
... that "perhaps one of the most beautiful and enigmatic places to be found in
Machu Picchu" is its Intihuatana, a solar clock stone? (2012-08-02)
... that navigational instrument maker William Spencer signed a contract in which he agreed not to
fornicate for seven years? (2012-04-29)
... that inventor John Browning provided the first electric lights in London, for the occasion of the visit of the Shah of Persia to
Queen Victoria? (2012-04-28)
... that one of the two theories about the Christmas gamma ray burst places it just 10,000
light years from Earth, but the other theory indicates a distance of 5.5 billion light years? (2012-01-04)
... that during the Hesperian,
Mars changed from a wet, warm world to today's dry, cold, and dusty planet? (2011-07-16)
... that medieval scholar and astrologer David ben Yom Tov refused to contemplate
a divorce until his wife had all of his books and instruments taken away and hidden? (2011-06-24)
... that planet WASP-13b, despite a radius 25% larger than Jupiter's, has less than half the mass? (2011-06-12)
... that asteroid 16113 Ahmed was named for a high school student from New York? (2011-06-11)
... that because of its elongated orbit, the maximum surface temperature of the
extrasolar planetHD 205739 b is thought to vary by about 100 °C? (2011-06-03)
... that a planet was discovered around the star MOA-2009-BLG-387L after it eclipsed a background star, refracting the star's light in a process called
gravitational microlensing? (2011-05-29)
... that the orbit of WASP-43's one planet, which has the smallest orbit known amongst planets of its kind, has been attributed to the star's unusually low mass? (2011-05-28)
... that star WASP-15 has a planet whose large radius cannot be explained without some other factor, such as some form of internal heating? (2011-05-25)
... that the characteristics of the
extrasolar planetMOA-2009-BLG-387Lb are difficult to estimate because data on its host star's characteristics are not well-constrained? (2011-05-22)
... that the anomalously high radius of
extrasolar planetWASP-15b is thought to be caused by some form of internal heating? (2011-05-19)
... that Kepler-5b's extreme temperature, small orbit, and large size have brought attention to the
extrasolar planet as a possible
case study into similar extreme planets? (2011-05-18)
... that
extrasolar planetKOI-428b was confirmed as a planet after astronomers compiled the equivalent to one night of observations on the planet using a 1.93m telescope? (2011-05-13)
... that GJ 3634 b, a recently discovered
Super-Earth in orbit around a red dwarf star, is estimated to be over eight times more massive than Earth? (2011-05-09)
... that the mass of the
extrasolar planetKepler-11g could not be determined because its orbit is too far from those of its sister planets? (2011-04-07)
... that the
exoplanetKepler-9b's "
year" becomes four minutes longer every time it completes an orbit around
its star? (2011-02-22)
... that in 1999, a giant planet was hypothesized to exist in the outer
Oort cloud of the
solar system, but most astronomers are skeptical of its existence? (2011-02-21)
... that
exoplanetKepler-9c has an orbit that decreases by 39 minutes every time it circles its star? (2011-02-20)
... that, in 2004, Paolo Padovani and a team at the European Astrophysical Virtual Observatory (AVO) discovered 30
supermassive black holes which were previously obscured by dust clouds? (2011-01-21)
... that Kepler-10b is the first definitively confirmed rocky
exoplanet? (2011-01-18)
... that
Vikings may have
navigated using a light-
polarizing mineral they called a sunstone to locate the sun in cloudy skies? (2010-12-31)
... that Sextans B is one of the smallest galaxies in which
planetary nebulae have been detected? (2010-12-01)
... that HIP 13044 b(artist's impression pictured), discovered in November 2010, is the first known case of a planet which originated outside of our galaxy, but then got absorbed into it? (2010-11-22)
... that the most massive known
neutron star is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) in diameter, but has a
mass twice that of the
Sun? (2010-11-06)
... that the Antlia Dwarf galaxy may have distorted the shape of its neighbour
NGC 3109 one billion years ago? (2010-11-03)
... that the Tucana Dwarf galaxy is located on the opposite side of the
Milky Way to most of the rest of the
Local Group? (2010-11-02)
... that the Fenton Hill Observatory is home to the RAPTOR telescopes, which can swivel to any point in the sky in less than three seconds? (2010-09-22)
... that astronomers have detected as many as seven planets orbiting the star HD 10180, making it the
exoplanetary system with the most known planets to date? (2010-09-04)
... that C/2009 R1, one of more than fifty comets known as "
Comet McNaught", has been noted for its "impressive green
coma and long
iontail", lending it the appearance of an "apple on a stick"? (2010-06-16)
... that the fall of the Neuschwanstein meteorite(computer graphic pictured) in 2002 was observed by the European Fireball Network and outdoor witnesses through most of Central Europe? (2010-06-08)
... that at the time of its discovery in 2003, GRB 031203 was the faintest
gamma-ray burst ever recorded? (2010-06-06)
... that astronomer Ben Gascoigne(pictured) discovered that the
Milky Way's nearest galactic neighbours, the
Magellanic Clouds, are twice as far away as first thought? (2010-05-17)
... that two high school students used the automated telescope at Leuschner Observatory to record the earliest images of supernova SN 1994I? (2010-03-13)
... that The Mars Project, written by
Wernher von Braun in 1948, has been regarded as "the most influential book" on manned missions to Mars (artist's conception pictured)? (2010-03-10)
... that in August 2001, the
Galileo spacecraft flew through the
sulfur dioxide gas plume of the
Ionian volcano Thor(Io with Thor pictured)? (2010-03-07)
... that the gamma-ray burst (GRB) 090423(pictured), whose light took approximately 13 billion years to reach
Earth, is the oldest and most distant known object in the
Universe? (2010-03-04)
... that with a diameter of 715 km (444 mi), Rembrandt(pictured) is the second largest
impact crater on
Mercury? (2009-11-13)
... that the Ulugh Beg Observatory in
Samarkand,
Uzbekistan enabled astronomers to work out the time of a single year to within 1 minute of modern electronic calculations back in 1437? (2009-11-08)
... that in May 2008, an amateur astronomer discovered an unusual
supernova-like object in the galaxy NGC 300(ultraviolet image pictured)? (2009-09-11)
... that Frank J. Low, an
infrared astronomy pioneer, used data from an infrared telescope flown on a
Learjet to show that planets
Jupiter and
Saturn generate and emit internal energy into space? (2009-07-01)
... that SN 2002cx was classified as a
type Ia supernova, but does not have some features that define a type Ia supernova? (2009-06-30)
... that towards the end of the 18th century, the Gotha Observatory became an international center for
astronomy, and the most modern astronomical institute specifically for its instruments? (2009-05-19)
... that the plane of the ecliptic(effect pictured) is the imaginary plane of the Earth as it orbits the Sun? (2009-05-17)
... that the aerial telescope is a type of very long focal length
refracting telescope built in the second half of the 17th century that did not use a tube? (2009-05-15)
... that over time,
comets expel most of the volatile material from their
nuclei and become extinct comets, small
asteroid-like lumps of rubble? (2009-03-20)
... that images of 243 Ida(pictured) returned from the space probe Galileo, and processed on 17 February 1994, provided the first confirmation of a
moon orbiting an asteroid? (2009-03-07)
... that "
grand design"
spiral galaxyNGC 6118(pictured) containing Supernova 2004dk is nicknamed the "Blinking Galaxy" for its tendency to flick in and out of view with different eye positions? (2008-12-15)
... that C/1743 X1, the Great Comet of 1744 (pictured), is thought to have been the sixth intrinsically brightest on record and went on to develop six tails? (2008-11-22)
... that Henry Fitz was the first
American to make
refractor telescopes and constructed the largest refracting telescopes in America on five different occasions? (2008-11-11)
... that the newly discovered Baby Boom Galaxy(pictured) is seen producing stars at a rate of up to 4,000 per year, compared to our own
Milky Way galaxy that produces an average of just 10 stars per year? (2008-09-13)
... that the Draco Dwarf spheroidal
galaxy is one of the faintest companions of the
Milky Way and the most
dark matter dominated object known? (2008-04-14)
... that in 1976, people reported feeling a floating sensation as they jumped in the air, caused by a Jovian–Plutonian gravitational effect(Jupiter pictured)? (2008-04-01)
... that Gamma, a
gamma-ray telescope, was launched in 1990, 25 years after it was originally conceived? (2008-03-07)
... that after spending fifteen years building the largest telescope in the world, scientists in the
Soviet Union were dismayed to find that BTA-6 performed much worse than the
Hale telescope it was designed to beat? (2008-02-03)
... that the
supermassive black hole at the center of the
quasarOJ287 has been measured to be 18 billion times the mass of the
Sun, six times heavier than the previous record holder? (2008-01-17)
... that the
supermassive black hole at the center of the
quasarOJ287 has been measured to be 18 billion times the mass of the
Sun, six times heavier than the previous record holder? (2008-01-16)
... that Zeta Orionis, or Alnitak, 'the girdle', in
Arabic, is the brightest
O-typeblue supergiant and one of the hottest bright stars in the sky? (2007-12-17)
... that systematic
mapping of the Michelangeloquadrangle on
Mercury has revealed the presence of four nearly obliterated multi-ring
impact basins, possibly the oldest features in the mapped areas of the planet? (2007-12-12)
... that the Tolstoj crater, a 400-km (240 mile) wide
impact crater on the planet
Mercury has an extensive, and remarkably well-preserved, radially-lineated
ejecta blanket? (2007-12-09)
... that the Galaxy Zoo is an online
astronomy project that allows members of the public to help classify previously unseen images of
galaxies? (2007-07-18)
... that the rotation of a star slows down as it grows older? (2007-07-01)
... that the Tootingimpact crater on
Mars was named after the
London suburb of the same name because the discoverer "thought [his] mum and brother would get a kick out of having their home town paired with a land form on Mars"? (2007-05-24)
... that the first computer simulations of
galaxy mergers were conducted by Alar Toomre in the 1970s? (2007-05-21)
... that
stars must have at least 9 times the
mass of the
Sun in order to undergo a core collapse and become a Type II supernova(example pictured)? (2007-05-06)
... that Doppler spectroscopy was used to discover the first
extrasolar planet in 1995 and has since been used to identify more than one hundred exoplanet candidates? (2007-05-03)
... that the passing of the Great Comet of 1577 (pictured) caused almost century-long debate, during which
Galileo argued that comets were merely optical illusions? (2007-03-30)
... that the Starshade is a
coronagraph designed to aid a
space telescope by blocking bright light from stars by a factor of as much as 10 billion? (2006-12-07)
... that although
NASA originally thought that there was only one scalloped margin dome on the planet
Venus(pictured), they have since discovered hundreds of them? (2006-06-27)
... that from 1858
Sydneysiders could set their clocks by the
ball dropped at 1 pm each day at the Sydney Observatory and that the
observatory replaced Fort Philip which was never needed to be used for defending
Sydney? (2006-02-03)
... that the
asteroid7796 Járacimrman, discovered in 1996 on
Kleť Observatory and named after the famous fictitious Czech genius
Jára Cimrman, proved to be the lost asteroid that had already been observed in 1973 on Brera-
Merate Observatory in northern
Italy? (2006-01-09)
... that three of the stars named after people, often thought to have traditional
Arabic names, were in fact named for members of the
Apollo 1 crew? (2005-08-19)
... that Kordylewski clouds are large concentrations of dust that orbit
Earth at the distance of the
Moon? (2004-12-31)
... that J002E3 was at first thought to be a new moon of the Earth when discovered in
2002 but later found to be the
third stage of the
Apollo 12Saturn V? (2004-12-23)
... that Carpenter is a lunar
impact crater located in the northern part of the
Moon, causing it to appear oval in shape when in fact it's nearly circular? (2004-11-22)