Tag

Atmosphere

All articles tagged with #atmosphere

science-tech23 hours ago•12 min saved

Megaconstellations Could Turn Earth's Atmosphere Into a Crematorium

Researchers warn that the rapid push to satellite mega-constellations—SpaceX and other operators planning up to a million satellites—could cause vast amounts of debris to re-enter and burn up in the upper atmosphere, releasing alumina and other particulates that heat the atmosphere and deplete ozone, with potentially lasting climate impacts. Ground debris and casualty risks rise as more satellites are launched, and a million-satellite scale could significantly alter atmospheric chemistry. The piece calls for global regulation and a defined atmospheric carrying capacity for launches and re-entries, plus full lifecycle environmental assessments, urging SpaceX to take a leadership role.

via The Conversation|

#atmosphere #megaconstellations #ozone-depletion

space2 days ago•97 min saved

JWST maps Uranus’s auroras and tilted magnetosphere in unprecedented detail

JWST mapped Uranus's upper atmosphere during a ~15-hour rotation, revealing two bright auroral belts around the planet's magnetic poles and a mid-latitude depletion region, along with a three-dimensional view of ion temperature and density up to about 5,000 km above the cloud tops. The data show Uranus’s highly tilted magnetosphere drives distinctive auroral patterns and that the atmosphere has cooled since the 1990s, offering clues about ice giants and exoplanet atmospheres.

via Live Science|

#atmosphere #auroras #james-webb-space-telescope

space4 days ago•8 min saved

Regional Dust Storms Drive Hidden Water Loss on Mars

New research links an intense regional dust storm in Mars' northern summer to a surge of water vapor into the upper atmosphere, boosting hydrogen escape and contributing to the planet’s long-term water loss. Observations from the 2022-2023 Martian year show water vapor up to ten times typical levels and hydrogen at the exobase about 2.5 times higher than in previous years, indicating that short, localized events can influence Mars’ climate evolution as much as global storms, challenging earlier emphasis on southern summer dynamics.

via SciTechDaily|

#atmosphere #dust-storm #hydrogen-escape

space8 days ago•3 min saved

JWST maps Uranus's upper atmosphere in 3D, revealing auroras and magnetic quirks

Using JWST's NIRSpec, an international team mapped Uranus's upper atmosphere in 3D for the first time, detailing how temperature and ion density vary up to 5,000 km above the clouds. The study finds peak temperatures around 3,000–4,000 km and ion-density maxima near 1,000 km, with two bright auroral bands and a magnetic-field driven depletion region. The average upper-atmosphere temperature is about 426 K (roughly 150 C), and the atmosphere continues to cool since the 1990s, offering new insight into the energy balance of ice giants.

via European Space Agency|

#atmosphere #auroras #ionosphere

science8 days ago•2 min saved

Uncontrolled Falcon 9 Reentry Deposits Lithium into Upper Atmosphere, Study Finds

Researchers using lidar near Saxony, Germany, detected a lithium plume 58–60 miles up about 20 hours after an uncontrolled Falcon 9 reentry, with lithium concentrations roughly tenfold above background; the study, published in Nature, notes that metals from spacecraft (lithium and other alloys) may alter upper-atmosphere chemistry, but the environmental impact remains uncertain and warrants further research.

via Gizmodo|

#atmosphere #falcon-9 #lidar

science23 days ago•34 min saved

Jupiter's Hidden Oxygen Revealed by New Atmospheric Model

Using a high-detail computational model that combines chemistry and hydrodynamics with data from NASA's Juno and Galileo missions, researchers estimate Jupiter contains about 1.5 times the Sun's oxygen, supporting icy-material formation theories; the model also finds gas diffusion is far slower than previously thought, highlighting how much remains unknown about the giant planet's interior.

via Yahoo News Canada|

#atmosphere #galileo #juno

space25 days ago•2 min saved

Jupiter Found to Be 1.5x Oxygen-Rich Compared to the Sun

Using data from NASA's Juno and Galileo missions, researchers built a combined chemistry–hydrodynamics model of Jupiter's atmosphere. They find Jupiter may contain about 1.5 times the Sun's oxygen—far more than earlier estimates of roughly one-third—much of which is in water. The study also shows gas diffusion in Jupiter's atmosphere could be 35–40 times slower than previously thought, a result that informs theories about how the planet formed from icy material near the frost line.

via Futurism|

#atmosphere #juno #jupiter

science27 days ago•4 min saved

Jupiter’s Hidden Oxygen Upends Our View of Its Formation

Scientists built the most detailed model yet of Jupiter’s atmosphere by merging chemistry with hydrodynamics, estimating about 1.5 times more oxygen than the Sun, which helps resolve debates about Jupiter’s composition and its formation, and suggesting the planet’s atmospheric circulation is far slower than previously thought.

via ScienceDaily|

#atmosphere #hydrodynamics #jupiter

space29 days ago•3 min saved

Oxygen Clues Rewrite Jupiter’s Formation Story

New 1D chemistry and 2D hydrodynamic models suggest Jupiter contains about 1.5 times more oxygen than the Sun and that its atmospheric circulation is slower than previously thought, refining theories of gas-giant formation; the work builds on NASA’s Juno data revealing complex weather and a possible fuzzy core, as the mission continues through 2025 with a planned end that preserves the moons from Earth microbes.

via Universe Today|

#atmosphere #juno #jupiter

space1 month ago•4 min saved

Mars Atmosphere Could Backstop Human Water Supply on the Red Planet

A study in Advances in Space Research suggests Martian atmospheric moisture could serve as a backup water source for future crewed missions, alongside underground ice as the primary long-term option; it evaluates moisture-harvesting technologies, energy needs, and deployment challenges, advocating a layered approach that combines ice, soil moisture, and atmospheric capture to support sustainable exploration and potential settlement.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#atmosphere #colonization #mars

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Earth's Elements May Have Seeded the Moon's Hidden Resources

Scientists suggest Earth's magnetic field has transferred atmospheric particles to the moon over billions of years, potentially leaving a record of Earth's past in lunar soil and providing resources for future lunar explorers.

via SciTechDaily|

#atmosphere #earth #lunar-soil

science1 month ago•7 min saved

Webb Telescope Reveals Surprising Atmosphere on Ancient Lava Planet

NASA's JWST has provided the strongest evidence yet that the ultra-hot super-Earth exoplanet TOI-561 b, despite its extreme conditions, possesses a thick, volatile-rich atmosphere, challenging previous assumptions about small, hot planets losing their atmospheres. The findings suggest this planet has retained its atmosphere, possibly due to a balance between atmospheric escape and magma ocean absorption, opening new questions about planetary evolution in harsh environments.

via SciTechDaily|

#atmosphere #exoplanet #james-webb-space-telescope

science1 month ago•1 min saved

Spectacular Space Fireworks and Rare Atmospheric Phenomena Captured from Orbit

NASA astronauts have captured rare space-based images of Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), such as blue jets and red tentacles, occurring above thunderstorms at high altitudes, providing new insights into atmospheric electrical phenomena and their impact on Earth's chemistry.

via European Space Agency|

#atmosphere #lightning #nasa

science2 months ago•3 min saved

JWST Discovers Thick-Atmosphere Lava Planet Defying Expectations

New observations from the JWST reveal that the rocky exoplanet TOI-561 b, despite its extreme proximity to its star, retains a volatile-rich atmosphere and is likely covered by a global magma ocean, challenging previous assumptions about such 'dead rock' planets.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#atmosphere #exoplanet #jwst

science2 months ago•3 min saved

Are We Truly Alone in the Galaxy? Experts Weigh In

Recent research suggests that truly Earth-like planets with the right atmospheric conditions for complex life are extremely rare, especially around red dwarf stars, and the likelihood of discovering intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations may be much lower than previously thought, possibly even nonexistent in our galaxy.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#atmosphere #earth-like-planets #exoplanets