SurfWax News Index  |  Track News  |  Save/Exchange Information |  About Us

    Archive:
    News and Articles on Planets

    Latest News: Planets

    Towards Other Earths: 32 New Exoplanets Found  Oct 20, 2009
    6-metre telescope, reports on the incredible discovery of some 32 new exoplanets, cementing HARPS's position as the world s foremost exoplanet hunter. This result also increases the number of known low-mass planets by an impressive 30 ... Over the past five years HARPS has spotted more than 75 of the roughly 400 or so exoplanets now known. (Science Daily)

    New website aims to identify unknown objects  Oct 20, 2009
    Meteors and fireballs, bright planets, mirages, even manmade objects such as the International Space Station have all been misidentified in the past simply because the public are unaware of what is above their heads. Local astronomical societies can forward curious members of the public who think they have seen something to Ailleris website, and in return scientists and larger societies such as the British Astronomical Association can use the website to gather data on reports of fireballs or... (Astronomy Now Online)

    John Kelly: Stakes high for NASA's moon program  Oct 20, 2009
    Or, he could scrap or scale back the manned space program in favor of sending more robot probes to distant planets or more satellites to study Earth's climate change. With the launch coming at such a critical political juncture, people inside and outside the space program have a lot of questions. (Florida Today)

    Click to read:Scientists Release New Polar Ice Findings  Oct 18, 2009
    The direct result of that is the warming up of the surface of the planet slightly, when the sun spot activity begins to resume that will have an even more significance in the warming of the planets surface. Humans don't even have to be involved, unless someone is looking for a way to make a quick buck with more scare science. (CBS News)

    CORRECTING and REPLACING BioWare Announces January 26 Launch Date for Mass Effect 2 Together with Exciting Pre-Order Incentives  Oct 17, 2009
    The Mass Effect trilogy is an emotionally charged science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will once again step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding their crew of some of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that its potentially suicidal. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)

    December 21, 2012  Oct 17, 2009
    What makes me more iritated is that dopey Krupp goes along with the idea that we only have 8 planets now. Its sad my children are going to grow up being taught political astronomy in schools and I will have to show them what its really about and what ancient civilizations have known for thousands of years. (SkyAndTelescope.com)

    Hampton's win causes four-way tie for first place  Oct 17, 2009
    The visiting Planets (4-3, 2-1), ranked No. 5 in Class AAA, drop into a four-way tie for first place with Hampton (4-3, 2-1), Franklin Regional and Knoch. Hampton jumped out to a 10-0 lead with an 18-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 73-yard run by Andrew Bly in the fourth quarter. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)

    Glitch Delays Rollout of NASA's New Rocket  Oct 17, 2009
    Friday, October 16, 2009. Illustration of the Ares I-X test launch from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. (Fox News)

    Looking Up: Clouds come and go, but stars shine on  Oct 17, 2009
    Most of the planets in our solar system, and at least one moon, have weather. A tour of these worlds would definitely make you never complain again about our highs and lows, fronts and storm systems. (Belmont Citizen Herald, MA)

    Orionids Meteor Shower Starts This Weekend  Oct 17, 2009
    The mass of a comet is basically a fifty-fifty combination of dirt and ice left over from when the planets were forming about 4. 5 billion years ago, the McDonald Observatory's Cochran explained. (National Geographic)

    Satellite reveals surprising cosmic 'weather' at edge of solar system  Oct 17, 2009
    IBEX was launched Oct. 19, 2008, to produce the first all-sky maps of the heliosphere, which reaches far beyond the solar system's most distant planets ... IBEX shows that energetic neutral atoms are produced toward the north pole of the ecliptic (the plane traced by the orbit of the planets around the sun), as well as toward the heliosphere tail pointed toward the constellations of Taurus and Orion. (EurekAlert!)

    IBEX discovers that galactic magnetic fields may control the boundaries of our solar system  Oct 17, 2009
    This solar wind inflates a giant bubble in interstellar space called the heliosphere the region of space dominated by the Sun's influence in which the Earth and other planets reside ... The IBEX mission just completed the first global maps of these protective layers called the heliosphere through a new technique that uses neutral atoms like light to image the interactions between electrically charged and neutral atoms at the distant reaches of our Sun's influence, far beyond the most distant... (EurekAlert!)

    When the buck charges, world of markets turns bullish  Oct 17, 2009
    At this point, the planets are aligning for Australia to become a destination shop of international markets. Certainly those that are heading overseas for their annual holidays in December-January will be delighted by the prospect of reaching parity with the US dollar. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)

    FIREBALL PICTURE: Meteor Explodes Over the Netherlands  Oct 16, 2009
    Earth is constantly being bombarded by smaller debris from comets, asteroids, and even other rocky planets in the solar system. But a fireball of this size and brightness is likely seen anywhere in the world only every 20 to 25 years, Jurriens estimates. (National Geographic)

    Titanic task: Hockey Season Preview  Oct 16, 2009
    Mars won its first Penguins Cup last season and, although the Planets also must replace plenty of talented players who graduated, they and Serra figure to be the favorites to reach the final. Because they just fell short by losing in the semifinals last season, the Eagles figure to have more of a built-in hunger than the Planets ... The Planets' top players are forward Mike Mazzotta, goalie Tyler Stepke and defenseman Tyler Whiteford. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)

    Interstellar Wind Probe Finds Ribbon Structure  Oct 16, 2009
    This region is where charged particles from the sun, called the solar wind, flow outward far beyond the orbits of the planets and collide with material between stars. The energetic neutral atoms travel inward toward the sun from interstellar space at velocities ranging from 100,000 mph to more than 2. (Science Daily)

    NASA Spots Mystery Emissions at Edge of Solar System  Oct 16, 2009
    NASAs IBEX Spots Mystery Emissions at Edge of Solar System. Thursday, October 15, 2009. (Fox News)

    Space exploration: European Ministers in Prague prepare a roadmap towards a common vision  Oct 16, 2009
    It has expanded its robotic presence in the solar system with probes visiting several planets such as (Mars Express) and Venus (Venus Express) and the Moon (Smart-1). More recently, the combined launch of Herschel and Planck marked a new step forward in our understanding of the origin and evolution of the universe. (Scientific American)

    Hubble joins morning planet round-up  Oct 16, 2009
    Four planets are visible in the eastern pre-dawn sky tomorrow ... Mercury is the most difficult of the six inner planets to spot. (Florida Today)

    PG North: Mars duo makes history on the golf course  Oct 15, 2009
    Locher, a junior, and Fitzpatrick, a senior, became the first set of Planets teammates to qualify for a WPIAL championship tournament when they each finished among the top 12 finishers at a WPIAL semifinal tournament on Sept. 29 ... " Fitzpatrick and Locher are two of the biggest reasons why the Planets had a chance to win a share of a section title for the first time in team history. Mars defeated Knoch last week to win the Division I Section 8 title. Mars played in the team semifinals... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)

    1st EU-ESA International Conference on Human Space Exploration  Oct 15, 2009
    It has expanded its robotic presence in the solar system with probes visiting several planets such as Mars (Mars Express) and Venus (Venus Express) and the Moon (Smart-1). More recently, the combined launch of Herschel and Planck marked a new step forward in our understanding of the origin and evolution of the universe. (NASA Watch)

    Sci-Fi's Coolest Worlds  Oct 15, 2009
    With Avatar's Pandora on our radar, we chart our other favotite sci-fi planets ... And one thing that seems certain is that the alien world depicted in the film, Pandora, is poised to join the ranks of sci-fi's best designed and most epically memorable planets ... We've seen a lot of alien landscapes and futuristic planets over the years, but which ones are the major worlds that have been most influential in sci-fi film. (IGN FilmForce)

    Elvis hairloom a snip for fans  Oct 14, 2009
    Scorpio: The personal planets change the astroscape completely today bringing happiness, good vibes and as it favours friendships and intimate relationships - you may find that they are a real highlight for you today ... Sagittarius: The planets bring favour to your professional and partnership areas. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)

    LISD sets Oct. 7 meeting to refinance debt  Oct 14, 2009
    Leander ISD's bond counsel Leon Johnson of Southwest Securities has advised that "the planets have lined up just right" and by quickly re-funding some of its bonded debt, the district could save about 24 million. LISD Trustees will have a special meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Cedar Park Middle School to take action on refinancing bonds from 1993, 1994 and 1998. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)

    Asteroid Is Actually A Protoplanet, Study Of First High-resolution Images Of Pallas Confirms  Oct 14, 2009
    "We think of these large asteroids not only as the building blocks of planets but as a chance to look at planet formation frozen in time." ... They were able to see that its surface has areas of dark and light, indicating that the water-rich body might have undergone an internal change in the same way planets do. (Science Daily)

    Young Science  Oct 14, 2009
    Preschooler Sean Oshiro eagerly sat at a table with five of his classmates as their teacher brought out milk, food coloring, dishwashing liquid and other supplies for an experiment called Swirling Planets ... At the UH Children's Center, Bock cleaned up after the Swirling Planets experiment as 4-year-old Sean and Bock's other pint-sized pupils happily hurried off to another activity ... Swirling Planets: Get jar lids of different sizes. (Honolulu Advertiser)

    Russian Spacecraft with Circus Tycoon Lands...  Oct 13, 2009
    Russian Spacecraft With Circus Tycoon Lands Safely. Sunday, October 11, 2009. (Fox News)

    Proposed pre-K class targets 'achievement gap'  Oct 13, 2009
    "It was kind of like all of the planets came together at the same time," she said. The school board will discuss the proposed program tonight (Tuesday) and formally vote on adopting it Oct. 27. (Palo Alto Online, CA)

    Mars or Europa? Which could show life first?  Oct 13, 2009
    Here are the primeval worlds and shrinking planets discovered beyond our solar system. Microbial life that could eke out an existence also seems unlikely to survive the cosmic radiation that scours the surface of Mars. (MSNBC -- Technology)

    Copenhagen must result in more aid to poor countries  Oct 12, 2009
    The reputable scientists (aka climatologists - not someone with a PhD in art history etc) will tell you that history shows the planets temperature rises and falls in cycles, is totally predictable and the only thing that makes it appear that the temperature is rising worldwide is the fact that the temperature guages that used to sit in parks surrounded by greenery are now surrounded by concrete and bitumen. Therefore lets stop talking about this stupid topic and put the same energy into fixing... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)

    Space flyby captures Mercury crater  Oct 12, 2009
    Mercury is the smallest and densest of the terrestrial planets and closest to the sun ... Mercury is the smallest and densest of the terrestrial planets and closest to the sun. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

    2nd largest asteroid in Solar System protoplanet  Oct 11, 2009
    LOS ANGELES, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The second largest asteroid in the Solar System is actually a protoplanet, a building block to the actual, larger planets, a new study suggests ... According to the planet formation theory, protoplanets are a cloud of gas, rocks and dust particles that are in the process of forming into a planet ... Protoplanets get in the way of each other's orbits slightly, collide with the impacts gradually forming a real planet. (Xinhuanet, China)

    Russian Spacecraft With Circus Tycoon Lands Safely  Oct 11, 2009
    Sunday, October 11, 2009. Oct. 11: The Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft lands near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan. (Fox News)

    A world redrawn: When America showed up on a map, it was the universe that got transformed  Oct 11, 2009
    Surrounding the earth, successively, were spheres of water, air, and fire; then individual spheres for the moon, the sun, and the planets; and finally, at the outer limits, a single sphere studded with stars, beyond which lay a realm of pure abstraction, or God. Each of these celestial spheres rotated around the earth at its own pace. (Boston Globe)

    The Importance of Extremophiles  Oct 11, 2009
    Life on other planets isn't likely to be as comfortable as here on Earth and look to extremophiles to determine how exactly life elsewhere in the universe might have developed. Some places scientist think might harbor extremophile life in the solar system include the permafrost of Mars, hydrothermal vents on Jupiter's moon Europa, the methane and ethane oceans of Saturn's moon Titan and the cloud surface of Venus. (Suite101.com)

    Mars shuts out Franklin Regional, 14-0  Oct 10, 2009
    If it seemed as if Mars was penalized so much last night that the Planets were flagged even while in the locker room at halftime, that's because they were. Mars had 14 penalties for 122 yards, including 5 yards for delay of game after school officials reset the clock when halftime homecoming festivities went on too long. But Austin Miele and the Planets' defense were good enough to overcome the deluge of yellow flags that seemed to be falling with greater frequency than the steady rain ... " It... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)

    Turnbull cruises for bruises  Oct 10, 2009
    The planets are lining up in ways that will cause the Opposition Leader. Opposition leader's confused flock looks unlikely to knock him off his. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)

    Moon Probe Update: Craft Did Spot Impact Crater  Oct 10, 2009
    Friday, October 09, 2009. An artist's illustration of NASA's LCROSS mission to crash two probes into the moon and kick up moon dirt on Oct. 9, 2009. (Fox News)

    O2 in Europa's Ocean  Oct 10, 2009
    Europa's Ocean Has Oxygen, May Support Life. Friday, October 09, 2009. (Fox News)

    More turning to psychics for economic advice  Oct 10, 2009
    Astrology is based on the idea that an individual's life is reflected by the position of the planets at the exact time and place he or she was born ... Benson said the planets are in conflict in a way they haven't been since the Great Depression and that the economy will get worse before it gets better ... Astrologer: An individual who studies the divination of the supposed influences of the stars and planets on human affairs. (AZCentral -- Business)

    * In search of water, NASA prepares to bomb the moon  Oct 10, 2009
    It tells us something about how water was delivered to the moon and other planets in a sort of cosmic rain, meaning impacts from comets over eons. . (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)

    Malcolm in the muddle  Oct 10, 2009
    The planets are lining up in ways that will cause the Opposition Leader much heartache in the months ahead, writes Phillip Coorey. When Peter Costello announced in June he would not contest the next election, the Liberal organisation and senior frontbenchers wanted him to serve out his term. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)

    NASA 'Bombs' Moon  Oct 10, 2009
    NASA Probes Hit Moon Twice, Few Pictures Yet. Friday, October 09, 2009. (Fox News -- Business)

    Science Fair  Oct 10, 2009
    ASTRONOMY: Planet-Seeking Space Telescope The was designed for a very specific mission, to detect Earth-like planets, potentially capable of hosting life. ENERGY: Wind-and-Solar-Power BatteryResearch scientists at Ceramatec have created a sodium-based battery being developed by Coors and Watkins will make for the average homeowner. (USA Today -- Tech)

    Colbert Space Treadmill Built, Ready for Action  Oct 9, 2009
    Thursday, October 08, 2009. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott leads the way as spaceflyers test out the new COLBERT treadmill on the International Space Station. (Fox News)

    Spitzer spies giant ring around Saturn  Oct 9, 2009
    Until now the largest-known planetary rings were Jupiter s gossamer rings and Saturn s E ring sheets of dust that extend to about 5 10 times the radius of their respective planets ... Understanding the relationship between moons and rings is crucial to understanding how planets, including our own, form and evolve. (Astronomy Now Online)

    For Future Superconductors, A Little Bit Of Lithium May Do Hydrogen A Lot Of Good  Oct 9, 2009
    Metallic hydrogen is thought to be present in the interiors of planets like Jupiter and Saturn because of the intense gravitational forces and pressures that are found there. On Earth, researchers have tried to pry loose hydrogen's electron by squeezing it between the facets of a diamond anvil cell under pressures up to 3. (Science Daily)

    Iridium flares light up evening sky  Oct 9, 2009
    Four planets are visible in the Saturday morning sky just before 7 a.m.. Mercury is only about 10 degrees above the horizon, with Saturn only two degrees above it. (Florida Today)

    Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Moon  Oct 9, 2009
    Images taken by an Indian satellite earlier this year suggested there was indeed water on the moon; confirming the discovery would be a major boon for scientists who dream of humans inhabiting the Moon, Mars and other planets someday. 1 of 10. (Time.com)

    Shoot the Moon: NASA Plans Lunar Dust-Up  Oct 9, 2009
    Knowing from a while back that they could make hydrogen fuel from water and transporting fuel was a huge problem for long distances and escaping gravity into a planets orbit it stands to reason. water on the moon drama. (CBS News)

    NASA to Moon: Get Ready, Here We Come  Oct 9, 2009
    Friday, October 09, 2009. Artist's rendering shows the Centaur upper stage rocket separating from its shepherding spacecraft on a trajectory toward the moon. (Fox News)

    Huge New Ring Spotted Around Saturn  Oct 9, 2009
    "Similar structures should also adorn the other gas giant planets," the researchers added. Galileo first potted Saturn's colorful rings in 1610 with his telescope, and almost any amateur planet-spotter can see the densest of the giant planet's rings. (Newsmax)

    Shoot the Moon  Oct 8, 2009
    NASA to Crash Probe into Moon to Find Water. Wednesday, October 07, 2009. (Fox News)

    > read more  Oct 8, 2009
    Apart from the nearly full Moon, Jupiter, the King of Planets, has the evening sky pretty much all to itself ... If you do, you'll be rewarded by views of three planets that are giving Jupiter stiff competition for stargazers' attention ... What's really exciting, however, is its changing arrangements with sibling planets Mercury and Saturn in the days ahead. (SkyAndTelescope.com)

    Probes set to deliver 1-2 punch to moon  Oct 8, 2009
    "It helps us understand how water may have been delivered to the planets and where it may be hiding.". Though it is expected to be too light in Florida to see the two impacts after sunrise Friday, a group of Florida Tech students plan to try using small telescopes and the university's 32-inch Ortega telescope. (Florida Today)

    Destination Venus  Oct 8, 2009
    Page last updated at 16:30 GMT, Wednesday, 7 October 2009 17:30 UK. Russia plots return to Venus. (BBC News -- Europe)

    Highlights: Gateway edges Fox Chapel with late goal, 1-0  Oct 8, 2009
    Lexie Mastro scored twice for the Planets. Also in Section 2, Pine-Richland (6-5-3, 5-3-3) got two goals from Stacey Weismann in a 5-1 victory against visiting North Hills (6-7-1, 3-7-1). (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)

    Dirty Stars Make Good Solar System Hosts  Oct 7, 2009
    6, 2009) Some stars are lonely behemoths, with no surrounding planets or asteroids, while others sport a skirt of attendant planetary bodies. New research published this week in The Astrophysical Journal Letters explains why the composition of the stars often indicates whether their light shines into deep space, or whether a small fraction shines onto orbiting planets ... "When you observe stars, the ones with more heavy elements have more planets," says co-author Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, Curator... (Science Daily)

    First rocky planet found outside solar system  Oct 7, 2009
    "We think it has no atmosphere to redistribute the heat," Hatzes told CNN from Barcelona, Spain, where he is attending the "Pathways Towards Habitable Planets" conference ... "What makes this exciting is you compare the density of this planet to the planets in our solar system, it's only Mercury, Venus and Earth that are similar," Hatzes, of the Thuringer observatory in Germany, told CNN. ... The planet was first detected early in 2008 by the CoRoT satellite, a 30-centimeter space telescope... (CNN -- International)

    ManTech continues tech support at NASA facility  Oct 7, 2009
    JPL spacecraft have visited all of the planets from Mercury to Neptune. ManTechs teammates on the JPL contract include Alejo Engineering Inc., Aspen Products Inc., Fettig Research Evaluation Enterprises Inc., Fierheller Engineering Corp., KG Magnetics Inc., Newson Consulting Inc., Maden Technologies, Millennium Engineering Integration Co., MORI Associates Inc. and WestWind Engineering Inc.. (FCW.com)

    NASA to Crash Probe Into Moon to Find Water  Oct 7, 2009
    Wednesday, October 07, 2009. Univ. of Maryland/F. Merlin/McREL. (Fox News)

    First Family to See First Light  Oct 6, 2009
    "Dear Mr President, I understand all the difficult things that are occurring in the country and world today. Even in the hardest times I know that we as a country have always tried to engage in the positive aspects of life while dealing with the negative. That is why I am writing this letter. I have heard that every President adds something to the White House albeit a room or a bowling alley or something else. 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy and I thought an idea would be to place a... (SkyAndTelescope.com)

    Facelift for Scotland's 'Hubble'  Oct 6, 2009
    "The instrument was designed for viewing the planets and it can see as far as Neptune. The clouds on Jupiter are quite spectacular, as are Saturn's rings.". The work to restore the telescope is being carried out in Ayrshire, while companies from Glasgow and Hamilton have been involved in rebuilding the dome. (BBC News)

    8 amazing bionic animals  Oct 6, 2009
    Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: How many planets do you get with your Happy Meal. At McDonald's restaurants in Britain, you get nine which spices up an old debate. (MSNBC -- Technology)

    Our changing view of the moon  Oct 6, 2009
    The moon, like the sun and the five planets visible to the naked eye, was wrapped into the mythology of many ancient cultures, and considered a deity by some to the Egyptians it was Thoth, to the Greeks, Artemis, and to the Hindus, Chandra. Artemis was the twin sister of the sun god Apollo, and in Hellenic tradition she held sway over childbirth, fertility and the hunt. (MSNBC -- Technology)

    John Kelly: Time runs short on space plan  Oct 6, 2009
    This approach enhances international cooperation, sets the stage for future multinational missions to the planets, and insures mankind's return to space to stay. Most important, it assures America an inspiring, and meaningful manned space program THAT IT CAN ACTUALLY AFFORD.. (Florida Today)

    Sun Sign Compatibility for Aquarius...  Oct 6, 2009
    If an Aquarius and Pisces match seems doubtful, keep in mind that the Pisces person may also have three Gemini planets within the Birth Chart, thereby contributing to a better overall compatibility rating. Astrology enthusiasts may also enjoy. (Suite101.com)

    Water Lust: Why All the Excitement When H2O Is Found in Space?  Oct 5, 2009
    "But I think its discovery on specific planets or other bodies in the solar system has a significance beyond whether or not we're surprised that it's there. It gives us permission to speculate on whether or not there is other chemistry that would be relevant to the origin or the sustenance of life." ... Sushil Atreya, who studies the formation of planets and the evolution of their atmospheres at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor's Laboratory, breaks it down this way: "Liquid water acts as... (Scientific American)

    WPIAL Class AAA: West Allegheny beats New Castle, 28-21  Oct 3, 2009
    Austin Miele rushed for 180 yards on only 14 carries and scored on runs of 11, 64, 5 and 41 yards, as the Planets (3-2, 1-0) pounded the host Golden Rams (0-5, 0-1) in a Greater Allegheny Conference opener. Randy Seebacker added touchdown runs of 2 and 9 yards for the Planets. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)

    Scientists wonder if theres life in Mars rocks  Oct 3, 2009
    "Environmental conditions were similar on the young terrestrial planets and traces of early Martian life may have been similarly preserved as silicified microfossils," the scientists write in their study, which appeared in the September issue of the journal Geobiology. On Earth, some fossils are created when microorganisms are caught in concentrated flows of silica and other minerals near hydrothermal sources. (MSNBC -- Technology)

    On moonless nights, look for the not-so-bright sights among stars  Oct 3, 2009
    Jupiter, the bright king of the planets, rules the south side of the sky these chilly October evenings ... Bright planets such as Jupiter, for instance, are unaffected by light pollution. (Boston Globe)

    Laser Technique Has Implications For Detecting Microbial Life Forms In Martian Ice  Oct 3, 2009
    This L.I.F.E. technique, which required minimal, inexpensive, off-the-shelf equipment, demonstrated a promising, feasible strategy for detecting photosynthetic activity of microbes via orbital monitoring of ice formations on Earth, on Mars, and in frozen regions of planets in nearby star systems. The technique could also be employed by an interplanetary rover conducting on-site analyses and sample collection. (Science Daily)

    LISD sets Oct. 7 meeting to refinance debt  Oct 3, 2009
    Leander ISD's bond counsel Leon Johnson of Southwest Securities has advised that "the planets have lined up just right" and by quickly re-funding some of its bonded debt, the district could save about 24 million. LISD Trustees will have a special meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Cedar Park Middle School to take action on refinancing bonds from 1993, 1994 and 1998. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)

    Don't miss special effects of the harvest moon  Oct 2, 2009
    The moon always travels close to the ecliptic, the path of the sun and planets in the sky, the ecliptic is at a particularly shallow angle to the horizon. The result is that never gets too far above the horizon all night long for a number of nights in a row, putting it literally "in your face.". (MSNBC -- Technology)

    Alien World Rains Rocks  Oct 2, 2009
    Last month is became the first planet outside our solar system to be most other known exoplanets are gas giants ... Observers have recently spotted sodium in the atmospheres of two other exoplanets. (Fox News)

    What (Maybe) Didn't Kill the Dinosaurs: Comets  Oct 2, 2009
    Specifically, they found that the relatively nearby objects of the inner Oort cloud can be kicked into the reaches of the outer cloud via interactions with the massive planets. Those newly far-flung comets, suddenly enjoying a longer orbit and greater gravitational perturbations from interstellar space, can find their orbits so changed that, by the time they pass through the planetary region again, they slip past the gas giants. (Scientific American)

    Useless Knowledge: Planets align in today's quiz  Oct 2, 2009
    Useless Knowledge: Planets align in today's quiz ... How many planets are now considered to be in our solar system ... Which two planets don't have a moon. (Montana Standard, MT)

    World's Most Sensitive Astronomical Camera Developed  Oct 1, 2009
    (July 13, 2007) Astronomers who used powerful telescopes in Arizona and Chile in a survey for planets around nearby stars have discovered that extrasolar planets more massive than Jupiter are extremely rare in other. (Feb. (Science Daily)

    It's raining pebbles on recently discovered exoplanet  Oct 1, 2009
    Using the data from both planets, they were able to calculate that COROT-7b has an average density about the same as Earth's. "This means it is almost certainly a rocky planet made up of silicate rocks like those in Earth's crust," said Fegley. (India Times, India)

    2016 Olympics could be one of the last, warns governor  Oct 1, 2009
    " Ishihara, whose late brother Yujiro was one of Japan's leading screen idols, said that he had been astonished when he attended a conference many years ago and asked respected scientists how many other planets resembled Earth. "They replied 2000. Well then I asked them why have we not seen spaceships and extra terrestrial beings descending on earth. (Yahoo! Asia News)

    NASA Wants to Mine Moon Water  Oct 1, 2009
    NASA Wants to Mine Moon Water. Wednesday, September 30, 2009 Jeremy Hsu. (Fox News)

    James Webb Space Telescope Begins To Take Shape At Goddard  Oct 1, 2009
    The James Webb Space Telescope is the next-generation premier space observatory, exploring deep space phenomena from distant galaxies to nearby planets and stars. The Webb Telescope will give scientists clues about the formation of the universe and the evolution of our own solar system, from the first light after the Big Bang to the formation of star systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth. (Science Daily)

    Pebble Rain: Exoplanet Has Bizarre Atmosphere  Oct 1, 2009
    Astronomers have found nearly 400 extra-solar planets, or exoplanets, in the past 20 years ... Using the data from both planets, they were able to calculate that COROT-7b has an average density about the same as Earth's ... Observers have recently spotted sodium in the atmospheres of two other exoplanets. (Science Daily)

    Billionaire Clown Heads for Space Station  Sep 30, 2009
    Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Sept. 30: Canadian billionaire entertainer Guy Laliberte is seen prior to the launch of the Soyuz-FG rocket in Kazakhstan. (Fox News)

    Probe's pass and brake at Mercury  Sep 30, 2009
    " Tail of MercuryAll the terrestrial planets are believed to have formed at the same time by common processes - but Mercury itself is a bit of an oddball. Messenger, the first spacecraft to target the innermost planet since Mariner 10 in the 1970s, is an attempt to solve some of Mercury's mysteries. The planet is so dense that more than two-thirds of it has to be of an iron-metal composition. PLANET MERCURY Closest planet to the Sun; smallest in Solar System Visited by Mariner 10 in 1970s; by... (BBC News -- Americas)

    Latest News: Planets

    Back to Astronomy News

[ Terms Of Use | Privacy | About ]
©1998-2009 SurfWax, Inc.
All rights reserved. Patents pending.



Copyright SurfWax, Inc. 2009