The galactic journey of our solar system
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 16-May-2025 19:09 ET (16-May-2025 23:09 GMT/UTC)
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers investigate the extreme weather patterns and atmospheric properties of exoplanet LTT 9779 b. New JWST observations with NIRISS reveal a dynamic atmosphere: powerful winds sweep around the planet, shaping mineral clouds as they condense into a bright, white arc on the slightly cooler western side of the dayside. As these clouds move eastward, they evaporate under the intense heat, leaving the eastern dayside with clear skies.
The Red Planet’s iconic rusty dust has a much wetter history than previously assumed, find scientists combining European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA spacecraft data with new laboratory experiments on replica Mars dust. The results suggest that Mars rusted early in the planet’s ancient past, when liquid water was more widespread.
A team of international researchers including Dr Jake Taylor from the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford, has used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to explore the exotic atmosphere of LTT 9779 b, a rare ‘ultra-hot Neptune’. The results have been published today (25 February) in a compelling new study in Nature Astronomy.
Scientists have found Siamese fighting fish are typically kept in containers just one-quarter the size they need to thrive, challenging decades of retail practice in the ornamental fish industry worldwide.