[ weird things ] | space
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astronomers find a fossil from the early days of the solar system
# space

astronomers find a fossil from the early days of the solar system

A tiny, roughly kilometer sized rock might not seem like much of a discovery, but it’s an important confirmation of our models of planetary formation and solar system evolution.

this weird star system is, literally, flipping awesome
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this weird star system is, literally, flipping awesome

A binary system observed by ALMA isn’t wonky, it’s the first example of an anomaly we only thought was possible until we saw it with our own eyes: a polar protoplanetary disk.

why the hunt for planet nine is still underway
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why the hunt for planet nine is still underway

A recent paper imagines a new explanation for the strange motions of Trans-Neptunian Objects observed by astronomers for the last 200 years, but it doesn’t mean that we won’t still search for Planet Nine.

wonky star systems may be born that way
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wonky star systems may be born that way

A nearby baby star has been discovered with a warped protoplanetary disk — a feature that may reveal the true nature of the solar system’s planetary misalignments

yes, uranus got wrecked but that’s not even the half of it
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yes, uranus got wrecked but that’s not even the half of it

A massive collision seems to be the only plausible reason why Uranus is the oddball it is, and now we have an idea of what it might have looked like. So what do we do with this data?

why saturn’s majestic rings won’t be around for much longer
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why saturn’s majestic rings won’t be around for much longer

Saturn’s rings are young and might be gone almost as quickly as they appeared in planetary terms, according to the latest research by NASA.

the fun, excitement, and challenge of recording alien winds
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the fun, excitement, and challenge of recording alien winds

InSight’s recording of Martian winds isn’t what you’d hear if you were on the planet yourself. And if you start asking why, you’ll find out some bizarre and fascinating things about how winds work on alien worlds.

do we really want to try and terraform mars?
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do we really want to try and terraform mars?

We’ve dreamt of turning Mars into Earth 2.0 for decades. But is it possible? Or even worth the effort?

why black holes have magnetic storms like stars
# space

why black holes have magnetic storms like stars

New observations of the center of our galaxy have, for the first time, revealed hotspots in the disk of chaotic gas orbiting our Milky Way’s supermassive black hole.

when it’s what’s on the inside that counts
# space

when it’s what’s on the inside that counts

How do we know what the insides of Venus or Jupiter look like? The short answer is that we don’t. The longer answer is that we make a fairly accurately guess.

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