Rare display of five planets aligned in our skies
In an unusual celestial show, five planets all at once and visible to the naked eye have begun a nightly parade over the Pacific Northwest. » More …
In an unusual celestial show, five planets all at once and visible to the naked eye have begun a nightly parade over the Pacific Northwest. » More …
A brilliant moon should be all that Rudolf needs to guide Santa’s sleigh over the Pacific Northwest this Christmas. For the first time in almost four decades, a full moon will hang high in the sky, making the landscape glow – especially where there is snow. » More …
Scientists at Washington State University and the University of Idaho are helping students figure out how to farm on Mars, much like astronaut Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, attempts in the critically acclaimed movie “The Martian.” » More …
With plumes of matter rising up to 186 miles (300 km) above the surface, Io is considered a prime candidate as a hotspot for extreme extraterrestrial life.
“Everyone right away tends to categorically exclude the possibility of life on Io,” said astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch at Washington State University. Conditions on Io might have made it a friendlier habitat in the distant past. If life did ever develop on Io, there is a chance it might have survived to the present day, Schulze-Makuch suggested. » More …
In the paper, called The Overprotection of Mars, co-authors Alberto G. Fairén of the Department of Astronomy, Cornell University and Dirk Schulze-Makuch of the School of the Environment, Washington State University argue that the level of planetary protection needed to go to ‘sensitive areas’ would be prohibitively expensive to achieve. » More …