Sep 2, 2019 Planets and moons in the Solar System exhibit electrical scarring. Lichtenberg figures are discussed many times in previous Picture of the Day articles. They are forking shapes that lightning bolts make when they strike Earth or some man-made object. Their unique configuration can be seen in acrylic…
The Planet Mars — our closest planetary neighbor, and a source of enormous mystery for space science and academia. In our previous episode, our guest Ev Cochrane summarized some of the incredible identities given Mars in ancient myth, astronomical traditions and religion. For decades, Cochrane and his colleagues, including David…
Aug 30, 2019 Venus is a highly energetic domain. The European Space Agency’s Venus Express was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on November 9, 2005. It subsequently entered orbit around Venus on April 11, 2006. Its mission was designed to answer several questions about the enigmatic planet: 1. Why…
Aug 28, 2019 Magnetic fields in space are difficult for astronomers to explain. In a previous Picture of the Day, physicists from Princeton University’s Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPL) announced that “turbulence” in plasma creates magnetic fields. However, they do not understand how those small fields can coalesce into one large…
Earlier this month, investigators with NASA’s historic Osiris-REx mission held a press conference reporting some of their initial findings at the asteroid Bennu. Like all of the recent space missions to comets, planets as well as asteroids, the findings have provided surprise after surprise to investigators. In this interview with…
Aug 27, 2019 Nebulae are electrical phenomena. As written in previous Pictures of the Day, plasma behavior is unfamiliar. It is sometimes difficult to see the differences between plasma and a gas. Plasma’s similarities to gas are overshadowed by its failure to correspond with gas kinetics. Since the light frequencies…
Aug 26, 2019 The Universe is composed primarily of dark matter, according to modern cosmologists. More than 95% of all that exists cannot be seen by even the highest resolution instruments. Their premise is based on several assumptions. For example, current estimates conclude that the Universe is 13.7 billion years…
Aug 22, 2019 Enceladus reveals an electric circuit with Saturn. Recently, the Picture of the Day discussed the discovery of heavy molecules in the geyser eruptions from the south pole of Enceladus. Similar to those found elsewhere, such as the dwarf planet, Ceres, the molecules are probably the result of…
Aug 21, 2019 Some stars fluctuate erratically. According to astrophysicists, a nova explosion occurs when a white dwarf star draws matter away from a companion star onto its surface. Gravity then compresses the material against the white dwarf’s rigid exterior, where it reaches fusion temperatures because of the extreme pressure….
It’s perhaps one of the great unresolved yet overlooked mysteries facing academia and science — the extraordinary identities of planets in myth and tradition. Nothing in the familiar ideas about our history can explain the incredible patterns, found in extensive cross-cultural comparison, of words, phrases, imagery and storytelling describing a…
