When astronomers measure the rotation speed of planets, like the Earth, it is an elementary task. To do this, they see how long it takes for a certain point on the surface to come into view again. Though, the gas giants in the Solar System, like Jupiter and Saturn, are a little more difficult for planetary […]
The Solar System may have been more crowded than it is today, riddled with super-Earths in the inner solar system, revolving around the Sun just beyond Mercury. According to scientists, this previous generation of multiple planets were destined to destruction by Jupiter, the large gas giant that separates the inner and outer solar system. In a […]
In the afternoon of Saturday, December 6, 2014, at 12 noon Pacific Standard time, the spacecraft New Horizons started the process that would wake itself from its imposed nine-year hibernation as it prepares to expand our knowledge of the most outer planet in our solar system. After an hour and a half, the spacecraft beamed […]