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Hot Topic
Solar System
Outer Solar System
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Voyager 2 in Trouble?
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| Topic: Outer Solar System |
05/09/10 |
| The Voyager 2 spacecraft, launched in 1977, is now having problems talking to Earth. Engineers are trying to figure out how to resume normal communications with this envoy at the edge of the solar system. |
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Picking Planets from Potatoes
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| Topic: Outer Solar System |
04/24/10 |
| New research indicates that there may be many more dwarf planets similar to Pluto in our solar system than previously thought. Studying these distant objects can help astrobiologists understand the basic properties of our solar system and the effects that dwarf planets might have on other celestial bodies, such as Earth. |
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Summer on Triton
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| Topic: Outer Solar System |
04/13/10 |
| The first ever infrared analysis of the atmosphere of Neptune's moon Triton has shown that summer is in full swing in its southern hemisphere. Observations revealed season variations in carbon monoxide and methane in the moon's thin atmosphere. |
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A New Peek at Pluto
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| Topic: Outer Solar System |
02/05/10 |
| New images from the Hubble Space Telescope show that Pluto is undergoing seasonal changes. This change of seasons is evident in the surface color and brightness of the dwarf planet. The images are helping scientists understand planetary processes in our solar system, and will be used to calculate exposure times for the cameras aboard NASA's New Horizons missions when it arrives at Pluto. |
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Haumea Hot Spot
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| Topic: Outer Solar System |
09/16/09 |
| A dark red spot discovered on the dwarf planet Haumea, which orbits beyond Neptune, appears to be rich in minerals and organic compounds. Studying the composition of objects like Haumea can help astrobiologists understand the inventory of compounds in our solar system that may have played a role in life's origins. |
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Catching Pluto's Breath
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| Topic: Outer Solar System |
03/04/09 |
| Scientists have made surprising discoveries about the atmosphere of the dwarf planet Pluto. The atmosphere contains unexpectedly large amounts of methane and is much warmer than the surface of Pluto itself. |
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The Perception of Pluto
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| Topic: Outer Solar System |
08/17/08 |
| Scientists recently gathered to debate the recent IAU decision to demote Pluto from 'planet' status. Pluto may be small, but objects like Pluto still undergo important geophysical processes that can teach us about planetary formation. |
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Renaming Pluto
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| Topic: Outer Solar System |
06/15/08 |
| The International Astronomical Union has defined new rules for naming and categorizing dwarf planets. Those similar to Pluto and with orbits beyond Neptune will now be named 'plutoids'. |
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The Solar System's Ice Machine
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| Topic: Outer Solar System |
07/20/07 |
| Frigid geysers may be spewing material up through cracks in Charon and coating parts of its surface in ice crystals. The new observations suggest that liquid water might actually persist deep below the ultra-cold surface of Charon. |
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Eris Outweighs Pluto
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| Topic: Outer Solar System |
06/17/07 |
| Astronomers have discovered that the dwarf planet Eris is more massive than Pluto, and is likely composed of rock and ice. Objects in this little-known region of space, known as the Kuiper Belt, are important relics of the early Solar System and can teach us about a period of time when the Earth was first forming. |
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