Month: August 2021

When one star hosts a rocky planet half the size of Venus, another world that could sport an ocean, and the hint of a planet that could host liquid water on its surface, astronomers take notice. And new research suggests that a stellar system just 35 light-years from Earth could host all of those gems among its four or five known planets. It’s just the sort of neighborhood that can inflame dreams that spotting a second Earth is just around the corner, even as astronomers wade through countless detections of…

Editor’s note: The Geminid meteor shower will light up the night sky in 2021 from Dec. 4-17, peaking Dec. 14, according to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. Find out when, where and how to see this year’s display with our guide to seeing the best meteor showers of 2021, and check out amazing Geminid meteor photos by stargazers.  The Geminids usually put on a dazzling display that wows skywatchers around the world each December. NASA says astronomers consider it one of the “best and most reliable” showers of the…

Curiosity rover snapped this image of a cute textured rock within Gale Crater on sol 3190 (or for Earthlings, July 27, 2021).  (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL) It’s a lizard, it’s a cat, it’s a … whimsical Martian rock!  The Mars Curiosity rover recently got a glimpse of this cute little rock feature in Gale Crater, where the rover has been exploring since 2012. The tiny textured arch is only about 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters) tall, but its idiosyncratic shape had mission scientists excited.  “I continue to be dazzled by the textures…