Tag

Outgassing

All articles tagged with #outgassing

space1 month ago•70 min saved

Methane Revelation: JWST Detects Methane on Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

JWST observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, taken near and after perihelion, detect methane for the first time on an interstellar object. The methane-to-water ratio is higher than in most solar-system comets, and the methane appears after perihelion because it is buried deeper in the nucleus and only sublimates with extended solar heating; concurrently water vapor declined as the comet crossed the snow line, while CO2 and methane persisted, suggesting 3I/ATLAS formed in a different environment and preserves primordial methane ice, providing insight into other planetary systems.

via Space|

#3iatlas #interstellar #jwst

space1 month ago•11 min saved

Oumuamua: The First Interstellar Visitor Still Defying Explanation

In 2017, the first confirmed interstellar object, Oumuamua, passed through the Solar System on a hyperbolic path and showed a tiny non-gravitational push without a visible tail. Natural explanations (e.g., venting hydrogen or nitrogen ices) exist, and Avi Loeb's artificial-origin idea remains controversial; since then Borisov and ATLAS behaved like comets, but Oumuamua remains an unresolved puzzle, underscoring data limits and the hope that Rubin Observatory will help settle what it could not.

via Space Daily|

#avi-loeb #interstellar-object #oumuamua

science-and-technology2 months ago•6 min saved

Artemis II uncovers evidence the Moon isn’t dead after all

After Artemis II’s lunar flyby and splashdown, onboard instruments detected a transient outgassing event near the Aristarchus Plateau that thickened the Moon’s exosphere and produced a faint glow, complemented by spikes in noble gases. If verified, this could be the strongest evidence yet of present-day lunar activity, guiding future landers and missions to study lunar volatiles and surface processes.

via Iowa Park Leader|

#aristarchus-plateau #artemis-ii #lunar-exosphere

space3 months ago•74 min saved

Hubble records comet’s spin flip as jets reverse its rotation

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope tracked comet 41P/Tuttle–Giacobini–Kresák and observed its rotation reverse due to jets of gas and dust, with the spin slowing between 2017 observations and then flipping to a much faster rate (about 14 hours) by December 2017. Scientist David Jewitt explains that uneven jets act like tiny thrusters, reversing the comet’s spin, an unprecedented finding that may signal structural changes or breakup; the results were published in The Astronomical Journal.

via Space|

#41ptuttle-giacobini-kresak #comets #hubble-space-telescope

astronomy4 months ago•54 min saved

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveals methanol-rich fingerprint from another star

ALMA observations show the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is unusually rich in methanol, released from both the nucleus and icy grains in the coma. The methanol-to-hydrogen cyanide ratio is higher than in Solar System comets, suggesting 3I/ATLAS formed under colder or chemically different conditions in another planetary system, providing a chemical fingerprint from a different star.

via Space|

#3iatlas #alma #astronomy

space5 months ago•3 min saved

Mercury’s Bright Lineae Hint at Ongoing Surface Activity

A new study surveying 402 slope lineae on Mercury, analyzed via machine learning from 100,000 images captured between 2011 and 2015, finds that bright streaks cluster on sun-facing crater slopes and often originate from hollows, suggesting ongoing surface activity driven by volatile materials from beneath the crust. If confirmed, Mercury would not be geologically dead, with future ESA/JAXA observations expected to test this active-surfaces hypothesis (Nature Communications Earth & Environment, 2026).

via ScienceAlert|

#geology #hollows #lineae

science6 months ago•3 min saved

Comet 3I/ATLAS Shows Unexpected Acceleration

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is experiencing a small, normal non-gravitational acceleration caused by outgassing as it approaches the Sun, which affects its orbit but does not indicate any artificial propulsion or spacecraft activity.

via IFLScience|

#3iatlas #comet #interstellar

science1 year ago•2 min saved

Massive Comet from Oort Cloud Exhibits Jets as It Approaches Earth

A giant comet, C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein), the largest ever detected from the Oort Cloud at 137 km wide, is approaching the inner Solar System and has exhibited active jets of carbon monoxide, providing new insights into its behavior as it nears Earth, with closest approach in 2031, though it won't be visible to the naked eye.

via ScienceAlert|

#bernardinelli-bernstein #c2014-un271 #comet

science1 year ago•2 min saved

Space Station Seals Module After Russian Craft Causes Foul Odor

A mysterious odor from a recently docked Russian cargo spacecraft prompted the International Space Station crew to seal off the module and use air scrubbers. The smell, attributed to outgassing, raised concerns due to the confined environment of the ISS, although no threat to the crew was reported. Outgassing can release odorous gases in space, potentially affecting equipment and health, highlighting the importance of using low-outgassing materials in space missions.

via ScienceAlert|

#international-space-station #odor #outgassing

environment2 years ago•1 min saved

Arctic Ocean's Carbon Emissions Escalate with Warming Waters

Warming waters in the Arctic Ocean, particularly in the Beaufort Sea region, are causing the ocean to release more carbon dioxide than it absorbs, according to a study by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The culprit is the runoff from Canada's Mackenzie River, which carries carbon and sediment into the ocean, resulting in outgassing. The warmer temperatures in recent years have led to increased thawing and runoff, triggering a net release of carbon dioxide equivalent to the annual emissions of 28,000 gasoline-powered cars. This study highlights the significant impact of small changes in the ocean on the global carbon cycle.

via The Inertia|

#arctic-ocean #carbon-sink #environment