planet Archives

These are the new rules for the future of the planet

Posted on October 13, 2020 / by [email protected]_84 /

When COVID-19 lockdowns forced the public and businesses to a standstill, the world saw a temporary respite from pollution, a brief drop in global emissions, and a glimpse at the future we could have if we changed the way we impact our environment. How can we make that future a reality? On June 30, a subset of the Fast Company Impact Council, an invitation-only group of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and innovators across industries, considered that question.

In a roundtable discussion led by Fast Company senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, business leaders discussed the Future of the Planet—and what businesses can do to create better sustainability policies. The session participants were, in alphabetical order: Caroline Brown, managing director at Closed Loop Partners; Audrey Choi, chief marketing officer and chief sustainability officer at Morgan Stanley; Jonathan Neman, CEO and founder of Sweetgreen; Gayle Schueller, VP and chief sustainability officer at 3M; Troy Swope,

What Is Mars Opposition? How, When And Where To Watch Red Planet Shine Bright

Posted on October 13, 2020 / by [email protected]_84 /

KEY POINTS

Mars will be in opposition Oct. 13
A planet is in opposition when it aligns with the Earth and the Sun
Viewers can watch the event through Virtual Telescope Project’s Mars opposition viewing

Viewers can observe the Mars opposition Oct. 13 where the planet can be seen in the night sky.

Now that we’ve seen Mars hit its closest approach to Earth on Oct. 6, we can now expect to see it beaming in the night sky this Tuesday, when it will align with Earth and the Sun, giving viewers from Earth the closest view they can get for the next 15 years. The next time we’ll see Mars this close will be in 2035, according to an article by Space.com.

Mars and Earth, as well as all the other planets in the solar system, orbit the Sun at different distances and speeds. But every two years or

How You Can See A Close-Up Of The Dazzling Planet Tonight Through A ‘Virtual’ Telescope

Posted on October 13, 2020 / by [email protected]_84 /

Mars is this week at ″opposition.″ — Mars is this week at “opposition.”

SSPL via Getty Images

Can you see Mars at night? Yes—right now you can see Mars from Earth by looking due east as soon as the Sun sets in the west. Mars is today at opposition so as bright as it ever gets.

However, if you want to get an extra-special close-up then Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona is streaming a special “Virtual Mars Series” of planet-gazing events on YouTube.

During these live webcasts you’ll be able to see real-time close-ups of the red planet through a huge 14-inch “virtual telescope.”

MORE FROM FORBESStop Looking For An ‘Earth 2.0,’ Say Scientists As They Detect An Even Better ‘Superhabitable’ WorldBy Jamie Carter

How, when and where to see live close-ups of Mars streaming on YouTube

The observatory is running three sessions on YouTube . Its “Virtual Mars Series” is free and open to

Planet Mars is at its ‘biggest and brightest’

Posted on October 11, 2020 / by [email protected]_84 /

In all its glory: Mars pictured by Damian Peach on 30 September

Get out there and look up!

Mars is at its biggest and brightest right now as the Red Planet lines up with Earth on the same side of the Sun.

Every 26 months, the pair take up this arrangement, moving close together, before then diverging again on their separate orbits around our star.

Tuesday night sees the actual moment of what astronomers call “opposition”.

All three bodies will be in a straight line at 23:20 GMT (00:20 BST).

“But you don’t have to wait until the middle of the night; even now, at nine or 10 o’clock in the evening, you’ll easily see it over in the southeast,” says astrophotographer, Damian Peach. “You can’t miss it, it’s the brightest star-like object in that part of the sky,” he told BBC News.

Even though this coming week witnesses the

Nights are warming faster than days. Here’s what that means for the planet.

Posted on October 9, 2020 / by [email protected]_84 /

Climate change can have profound impacts across ecosystems, but rising average temperatures are just one factor among many driving those repercussions. A new study published in late September in Global Change Biology found that nighttime temperatures are increasing at a faster rate compared to daytime temps in most land areas across the Earth. That shift can influence everything from predator-prey dynamics to plant growth.

Nighttime ecology is particularly understudied, with most research focused on the daytime activities of organisms.

© Provided by Popular Science
Nighttime ecology is particularly understudied, with most research focused on the daytime activities of organisms.

“Climate change is already messing things up,” says Daniel Cox, an ecologist at the University of Exeter and lead author of the study. “But the 24-hour asymmetry is adding an extra dimension of complexity [for species].”

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Previous analyses have found that the rising greenhouse gases in our atmosphere are not having an even effect on temperatures from day to night. But Cox says this

Astronomers just spotted a planet floating freely in space without a star

Posted on October 6, 2020 / by [email protected]_84 /

Scientists have used gravitational lensing to detect a so-called ‘rogue planet’ that doesn’t orbit a star and floats freely in space.
The planet is relatively small, but researchers can’t tell for certain how far away it is from Earth.
It’s possible that the Milky Way is home to trillions of these free planets.

We think of our solar system as typical, or even “normal,” but in the universe, there’s really no such thing as normal. So many circumstances exist with regard to planets, stars, moons, and other objects that there’s no clear arrangement that the cosmos favors over any other, and there are even free-floating “rogue planets” that have escaped the systems they developed in and are just sort of doing their own thing.

fireworks in the night sky: rogue planet

© Provided by BGR
rogue planet

A new discovery of one such rogue planet was just described in a lengthy research paper. The planet was spotted

Newly Discovered ‘Extreme’ Alien Planet Is Super Hot At 5,800 Fahrenheit, Researchers Reveal

Posted on October 5, 2020 / by [email protected]_84 /

KEY POINTS

CHEOPS has released the results of its observation on alien planet WASP-189b
WASP-189b’s orbit is tilted dramatically and orbits its star every 2.7 Earth days
WASP-189b has temperatures reaching 5,800 Fahrenheit

The European Space Agency’s Characterizing Exoplanet Satellite (CHEOPS) has recently discovered an alien planet about 1.6 times the size of Jupiter. Aside from having a strange orbit, it is also scorching hot.

WASP-189b, the newly discovered alien planet, was first detected in 2018 and has been recorded to have temperatures reaching 5,800 Fahrenheit — almost as hot as Earth’s outer core and is even hot enough to turn iron into gas, ESA’s study revealed.

Aside from having a size comparable to Jupiter, the exoplanet is also considered a “Hot Jupiter” due to its extremely short orbital period (2.7 Earth days). A Hot Jupiter is a gas planet with a “Jupiter-like” size that orbits very close to its

A Life on Our Planet Nails the Planetary Problems But Misses the Political Ones

Posted on October 4, 2020 / by [email protected]_84 /

David Attenborough is 93. Over the course of his lifetime, the beloved natural historian and broadcaster has seen the planet go through unimaginable changes. Atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases have soared, as has the human population, while biodiversity has declined precipitously. He details these shifts in a new documentary released on Netflix on Sunday, which he calls his “witness statement” for the natural world.

David Attenborough wearing glasses and smiling at the camera: David Attenborough in the new film David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.

© Screenshot: Netflix (Getty Images)
David Attenborough in the new film David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.

The new film, David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, beautifully and persuasively argues in favor of a fundamental reshaping of humanity’s relationship with nature. But in doing so, it misses something more subtle: the fact that not all of humanity are equally responsible for exploiting Earth.

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That’s not to say it’s not well worth a watch. The new movie is both deeply moving and

Jupiter Killed Earth-Like Environment On Hellish Planet

Posted on October 4, 2020 / by [email protected]_84 /

KEY POINTS

Jupiter’s early gravitational pull may have killed Venus’ habitable surrounding
Venus has extreme temperatures that can kill any form of life
The case on Venus serves as a warning for Earth to avoid a similar temperature rise

Venus would have been capable of hosting life similar to Earth if not only for Jupiter’s interference in its planetary motion. The planet, named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, was thrown off by the largest planet in our solar system from its original orbit around the sun.

The planet, also dubbed as Earth’s twin, was not as hostile to life forms as to how it is today, if not for Jupiter’s behavior in the solar system, according to a study published in the Planetary Science Journal. The study said Jupiter changed its planetary course, moving closer and then away again from the sun. Since it is a huge

Coffee table books that bring the wonders of our planet into your living room

Posted on October 1, 2020 / by [email protected]_84 /

Spruce up your coffee table by investing in some beautiful books for you and your guests to peruse. Start off your collection by grabbing one (or two) eye-grabbing Earth focused compendiums. Learn more about our planet, gaze at stunning images, and wow your friends while keeping clutter to a minimum. A coffee table book takes us just the right amount of space and will leave your home feeling ordered and organized but never boring. From the plains to the oceans, check out some of our favorite Earth focused books and start planning out your table arrangement.

a view of a city at night: See the world in all sorts of new ways.

© Provided by Popular Science
See the world in all sorts of new ways.

This book is the most extensive collection of Art Wolfe’s work and you don’t want to miss it. Wolfe has dedicated his life to exploring, understanding, and photographing the world’s richest