MS-ESS1-3
Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.
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PlanetsSuccess! The Juno spacecraft is now orbiting Jupiter
After nearly five years, the probe has safely reached its target. Juno will spend 20 months in orbit around the planet so that scientists can probe the many mysteries of this gas giant.
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ClimateJupiter’s stormy weather runs deep
Jupiter is covered in swirling storms. A new 3-D map of the planet’s atmosphere shows those storms start far, far below the clouds.
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PhysicsSpinning black holes may ‘sing’ during a collision
The massive black hole in the movie Interstellar would create a unique gravity-wave signal when gobbling a smaller partner.
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ClimateThis planet’s lightning storms are like nothing on Earth
Radio waves from a faraway exoplanet could signal intense lightning storms there.
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ChemistryKey sugar for life on Earth could have formed in space
Ribose, a sugar in RNA, may have formed in space and then rained down on a young Earth, a new study suggests.
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ChemistryDwarf galaxy spawned heavy elements
A study of nine stars in the dwarf galaxy Reticulum II found heavy elements. They had been produced after a violent stellar event sparked a chemical chain reaction.
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EarthCool Jobs: Mapping the unknown
Scientists find different ways of exploring places humans will never visit — and drawing maps to help us better understand such mysterious places.
By Ilima Loomis -
PhysicsGravity waves detected at last!
Albert Einstein predicted gravitational waves 100 years ago. Now scientists have detected them coming from the collision of two black holes.
By Andrew Grant -
PhysicsHow to catch a gravity wave
Physicists have just announced finding gravity waves. The phenomenon was predicted a century ago by Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Here’s what it took to detect the waves.
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PlanetsBeyond Pluto: A new 9th planet?
A giant planet, perhaps 10 times Earth’s mass, may be orbiting the sun from a great distance. Its existence, orbit and size are all surmised, based on strange effects seen in objects within the distant Kuiper Belt.
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SpacePollution may give ‘first’ stars a youthful look
The oldest stars should be made of only light elements. But these suns may have sucked up heavier elements, giving them a more youthful appearance, a new study finds.
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PlanetsPluto hosts ice mountains, data suggest
Geologic activity appears to have been reshaping Pluto, erasing craters and more.