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In a groundbreaking study, NASA has unveiled a revelation that expands the search for extraterrestrial life. Researchers have identified 17 exoplanets positioned beyond our solar system that might boast subsurface oceans beneath their icy exteriors. The intriguing aspect lies in the possibility of periodic eruptions, resembling geysers, breaking through the frozen crusts of these distant worlds. Subsurface OceansThe research, conducted by scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, included a meticulous analysis of…

A sign warns visitors about sneaker waves in Yachats, Oregon. Credit: Tiffany Woods, Oregon Sea Grant On Jan. 16, 2016, beachgoers up and down the Washington, Oregon and northern California coasts were surprised by multiple "sneaker" waves that inundated beaches, caused injuries and swamped a vehicle. Sneaker waves, also known as…

Debris accumulating on Aldabra Atoll, a remote coral island and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the southwestern Seychelles. These photographs were taken as part of a major 2019 clean-up operation on the island, the Aldabra Clean-Up Project. Credit: Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF). Vast amounts of plastic debris accumulate on beaches across the Seychelles and other small island developing states. Observational analysis (for…

While we have discovered over 5,000 exoplanets to date, most of the information we have about these planets is fairly basic. Researchers typically know about a planet’s mass or radius and its distance from its host star, but little more than that, making it hard to predict what these worlds are actually like. However, new tools and techniques are allowing researchers to learn more about details like a planet’s density, allowing a better understanding of what these places are like. Recently, researchers using data…

Machine learning models are increasingly augmenting human processes, either performing repetitious tasks faster or providing some systematic insight that helps put human knowledge in perspective. Astronomers at UC Berkeley were surprised to find both happen after modeling gravitational microlensing events, leading to a new unified theory for the phenomenon. Gravitational lensing occurs when light from far-off stars and other stellar objects bends around a nearer one directly between it and the observer, briefly…