The effects of rising greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, differ from the warmth we feel at the surface because the mesosphere is considerably thinner than the section of the atmosphere we live in. The troposphere, where humans dwell, has been described as a dense blanket by one researcher.
(Photo : dimitrisvetsikas1969 on Pixabay)
According to James Russell, the atmosphere is dense at the Earth s surface, a research co-author and atmospheric scientist at Hampton University in Virginia. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the same way as a blanket does, keeping you warm. In addition, there are many molecules nearby in the lower atmosphere, and they easily capture and transmit Earth s heat, sustaining the quilt-like warmth.
The Last Images From Doomed Space Probes
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To all the space probes we’ve loved before: sorry! You fell into Saturn, drifted into deep space, suffocated in Martian dust all for the greater good of science. Today, we’re memorialising the space explorers that met dramatic endings far, far from Earth.
Cassini, Saturn
Cassini, after orbiting Saturn for 13 fruitful years, was decommissioned in 2017 in one of the most epic ways imaginable, as NASA engineers instructed the probe to plunge directly into the ringed planet. During its lifespan, Cassini illuminated alien realms where methane runs like water and geysers of ice blast into space. It also captured the hauntingly beautiful dance of Saturn’s moons, at least two of which Titan and Enceladus could potentially harbour life.
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(Photo : ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser)
Using this approach, an international team of astronomers headed by a researcher from Queen s University Belfast s Astrobiology Center used the Subaru telescope to look for chemical signatures in WASP-33b s atmosphere.
They discovered hydroxyl, a one-oxygen, one-hydrogen atom molecule (abbreviated as OH). If it reacts with water vapor and carbon monoxide, hydroxyl is expected to play a significant role in the chemical composition of WASP-33b s atmosphere.
Dr. Stevanus Nugroho, the lead researcher at Queen s University Belfast, said, This is the first time OH has been found in the atmosphere of a world outside of our Solar System. It demonstrates that astronomers can not only find this molecule in exoplanet atmospheres but also that they can begin to comprehend the composition of this planetary population in greater detail.
Worlds with hidden oceans give hope for life beyond Earth, scientist says
Secret ocean worlds may be common in other star systems. Listen - 01:49
Saturn s moon Titan is a fascinating place. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
We re pretty fond of Earth, a planet covered in exposed oceans, and we keep looking for far-off planets that might be similar and capable of hosting life. But instead of looking harder, scientists may have to look deeper.
That s one takeaway from a paper that suggests planets and moons with water hidden beneath their crust may be common in other solar systems and that they could potentially host life, vastly expanding the conditions for planetary habitability and biological survival over time. The paper, presented this week by Southwest Research Institute planetary scientist S. Alan Stern, looks at what it calls interior water ocean worlds, or IWOWs (PDF