planet

Jupiter, the giant in our solar system, has fascinated humans since we first looked up to the skies. We got our first glimpse of Jupiter 45 years ago, and since then, astronomers haven't been able to get enough of the giant planet. Unfortunately, Jupiter is not easy to travel to: at 338 times Earth's mass, Jupiter has the largest magnetic field in the solar system, meaning that anything that gets close (by close we mean millions of miles) will get fried by radiation, including life-saving electronics for humans. For now, we'll have to be satisfied with observing it from afar - and with the advancements in space travel technology and camera technology, we've got pretty incredible photos to feast our eyes on. 

Global warming and pollution are two of the biggest threats our home planet has ever faced. This illustrated project by WeSupply brings the cutets bear in order to show us that together we can make a difference. WeSupply is the socially & environmentally conscious marketplace that empowers you to make a difference in the fight against global warming & pollution. For every item we purchase, sell and rent, they pledge to clean up 1 pound of trash & plant 1 tree by using scalable, automated solutions. Big like from us! 

When scientists found what looked like a landslide on Mars, they thought they stumbled upon evidence that water, and therefore life, might have existed on Mars in the past. However, recent studies show that this probably isn't the case. It looks like we're not any closer to extraterrestrial life yet (but there's still hope).

Just in time for Halloween, NASA has released two new horror-movie-esque posters for exoplanet HD 189733 b and zombie star PSR B1257+12, which exist outside our Solar System, so that only sophisticated telescopes could reach them. That means that no-one can hear you scream out there. 

NASA's Curiosity Rover, which has been hanging out on Mars for the past seven years, has just taken an adorable, out of this world (ha ha) selfie. We think it's the best selfie a robot has taken yet.  

In 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars and it's been rolling around the surface of the planet ever since. Aside from taking samples and doing science experiments, Curiosity also has a camera attached to it. It's been discovering new things about Mars and taking some pretty awesome photos. Check them out below. 

A supermassive black hole in another galaxy 375 million light years away just tore apart and swallowed a star, and amazingly, a satellite captured pictures of it happening. Although black holes are known for doing crazy things, this is next level: it only happens once every 10, 000 to 100,000 years. In other words, it's a once in a lifetime event, and you can see it happening right here on the interweb.

Who doesn't love a good GIF? I know I do, especially if it's jam packed with interesting things to get my mind thinking. Check out the twelve most interesting GIFs from r/damnthatsinteresting for past week and prepare to have your little brain overflow with interesting things. 

The winners of the Royal Observatory Greenwich's Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2019 competition have been announced, and these photographs are out of this world (literally). We gathered the winning photos for each section so you didn't have to search for them, and they are A M A Z I N G. From insane details of the sun to long exposure photos of the stars moving in the sky, these photos are the best of the best when it comes to astrophotography. Look in awe and enjoy the beautiful universe and the incredible skill of these photographers. I tip my hat to them (especially the 11 year old photographer!). 

Have you ever wondered what the surface of an asteroid looks like? Well wonder no more, because the world has been blessed with pictures of Ryugu, a diamond-shaped asteroid the Japanese Space Agency has a spacecraft hanging around. The photographer is a little shoebox-sized probe named MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout) who bounced around the asteroid and snapped some pics for us. Thanks, buddy. 

Scientists have just discovered a completely new mineral, never seen before, inside a million year old meteorite that landed on Earth 70 years ago. 

Jupiter is a striking feature of our Solar System. The largest planet by far, and home to incredible storms larger and more powerful than anything on Earth, Jupiter has recently been thrown into focus with some incredible new images. Recent looks have shown us developments that have thrown what we know about the planet into disarray. Slowly, using information gathered by the Juno space mission, scientists are discerning exactly what is going on with the planet, and the changes it's undergoing that we have never seen before.

But one of the most striking features of Jupiter is it's moon Io. And scientists were very fortunate that Juno happened to be passing by as an incredible eclipse occurred.

Amazing what a mere collection of water and ice and a few rocks can turn into. Saturn's rings are one of the most incredible sights in the night sky, and in space overall. Though their make up is unremarkable, since the 1970s when the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft visited the system and gave us our first close-up look. 

What's more amazing is that unlike many other celestial bodies in our universe, that we need to physically reach in order to get a clear picture of, Saturn is close enough that we can get images like those below.

It's easy to forget that the universe isn't a smattering of tiny white lights in the sky, but actually a crazy place full of exploding stars, black holes and probably, aliens. As technology brings us closer to the predictions in science fiction classics, exploration (and eventually colonization) of the moon is becoming a reality. The moon has been getting some coverage in the media recently, and we're here to remind you that it's actually more than a sliver in the sky; the moon is the closest astronomical body to Earth and it's really beautiful. Here are fifteen photos and bits of information to remind you how cool the moon is. 

Though downgraded to dwarf planet status, Pluto has been on the comeback trail of late. Many issues arose with the reclassification in 2006, including that only 424 of the 9000 members of the international organization in charge of making such decisions voted. In addition, immediately after the resolution, hundreds of planetary scientists petitioned against the changed classification. The problem began when the body changed the definition of what constitutes a planet, and due to Pluto lacking several of these features, it was demoted.

A recent mission to Pluto by NASA called New Horizons, recently gave us our closest and clearest look of Pluto and the surrounding planetary bodies in its area and orbit.