Searches for life on Mars have been hindered by one simple fact: no such creatures have ever been discovered despite our best efforts. This does not indicate lack of effort on our part. One approach involves studying Deinococcus radiodurans bacteria, which have proven resilient against large doses of radiation exposure. Scientists think some microbes on…
Astronomers are eagerly awaiting tonight, when Jupiter makes its closest approach to Earth in 59 years – an event known as planetary opposition. This asteroid may be smaller than many that have gained headlines, yet it comes much closer to Earth than those which remain thousands of miles away. Earth Earth is the sole planet…
Astrobiologists and advocates of human space colonization have long searched for planets similar to Earth in terms of conditions – with water bodies and an atmosphere that offers protection from cosmic radiation. Exoplanets circling stars other than our Sun are now estimated in the thousands, yet finding an Earth-like planet within its host star’s habitable…
Ancient astronomers were mystified by the Red Planet’s seemingly random movement across the sky, sometimes moving in line with its celestial neighbors (prograde motion) or in reverse (retrograde). Although Mars and Earth share many similarities, they differ greatly in many aspects. Atmosphere Mars has an extremely tenuous atmosphere with pressure that is less than 1…
Mars can be seen with the naked eye throughout most of the year and becomes easier and brighter to identify during oppositions, when Earth and Mars come closest together on their orbital paths around the Sun. Planet Earth’s surface is reddish brown in hue and covered with black volcanic sand and dark basalt rocks that…
For spacecraft to reach Mars, they must first escape Earth’s gravity by using powerful rocket fuel and launch at exactly the right moment – both planets orbit around the Sun at different speeds and distances; every 26 months or so they come closer together, making travel to Mars much simpler. Spirit A six-wheeled vehicle equipped…
Last week, scientists announced the discovery of an Earth-like planet orbiting Proxima Centauri — our closest star and source of life — which might support life. This exoplanet represents one of the nearest possible candidate planets for human habitation ever found so far. But how close are we cosmically speaking? To answer that question, we…
Southern Utah’s lunar-esque desert landscape seems tailor-made for Hollywood blockbusters, while also serving as an arena where some of the brightest minds in space simulation try out ideas about what life may be like on Mars. Near Hanksville lies the Mars Desert Research Station. This remote plot of land serves as an analogue of Mars…
Mars may present an immense challenge for microorganisms living here on Earth; yet billions of years ago it may have had temperate conditions capable of supporting life. Scientists have made important discoveries through spacecraft missions and by studying rocks from Mars that have fallen to Earth, suggesting it once supported life. Recent evidence points towards…
