Recently, a mysterious planet Nine was hypothesized to linger about in the outskirts of our solar system. Even with our most sophisticated equipment, we had largely been oblivious to its presence. But, deep theoretical evidence based upon the gravitational perturbations caused in the outer regions of the solar system that confirm predictions and account for […]
Read more "Planet Nine and the Obliquity of the Solar System"As transient lifeforms, we are normally not fully equipped to apprehend the unimaginable stretches of space around us. This is largely due to the limits of perception imposed by our own brains. What our senses define and register is nothing but a mere figment of the entire vastness of the universe around us. As time went on […]
Read more "How Big Is the Universe?"Last Sunday on May 22nd, Mars reached its opposition, an astronomical phenomenon which happens every 2 years. Since the orbit of Mars is located outside the orbit of Earth, the Earth, Mars, and the Sun periodically occur in a straight line leading to opposition of Mars, wherewith it lies on the opposite side of the […]
Read more "Mars Closest to Earth in a Decade"It is that time of year again where those “once in a lifetime” kind of astronomy hoaxes begin circulating on social media and wow an uninformed crowd. Here’s a hoax which I came across today purporting that Saturn will appear closer to Earth than the moon to offer an spectacular sight. Anyone with a basic understanding […]
Read more "Yet Another Facebook Hoax"“What a delightful irony it will be if the real age of sail has yet to dawn – not only on the oceans of Earth, but also in the far wider seas of space” This is how Arthur C. Clarke envisioned the future of interstellar exploration in the great anthology of essays, poems, and essays […]
Read more "A Sail Through the Cosmos"Food supply would certainly be one of the most important things to consider in any sustainable life support system destined for long duration space flights or future space habitation plans. Future life-support technologies for Mars missions and beyond hinge upon the ability to regenerate food products, a major hurdle which has so far not been […]
Read more "Food in Space"The mere happenstance of a coincidental sequence of events, put together by the blind works of nature, has serendipitously manifested itself in this fascinating complexity around us today, that only appears to bear the illusion of an orderly calibration of deliberate design. This happenstance of undirected natural processes has led to self-directed sentient beings, pondering […]
Read more "The Happenstance of Existence"Rogue planets wander about in interstellar space, detached from their stars and dislodged from their orbits to float freely into the desolate void of the cosmos! A mechanism which presents a very intriguing phenomenon for astronomers. Although such planets are quite elusively hard to detect owing to their relatively faint nature, a number have been discovered. […]
Read more "The Wandering Planet"As our sense-extending technologies continually project the far elusive reaches of the universe into the confines of our cognition, we find ourselves constantly defining the word observable. NASA’s long-awaited Hubble successor, the James Webb Telescope, is finally taking shape as it promises to give us an unprecedented glimpse into the history of our early universe. Just today […]
Read more "Peering Back into the Cosmos"Jupiter’s spectacular surface is further embellished by a vast cosmic wonder, a signature feature that wonderfully complements the planet’s majestically colourful layers. The largest known storm in the Solar System, Jupiter’s Giant Red Spot has always been exceedingly fascinating since its discovery in 1655 by Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini. Located below Jupiter’s southern equatorial belt, it […]
Read more "The Raging Cosmic Superstorm"