solar system

Mapping the energy transport mechanism of chalcogenide perovskite for solar energy use

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For solar cells to be widely used in the coming decades researchers must resolve two major challenges: increasing efficiency and lowering toxicity. Solar energy works through a process that converts light into energy called the photovoltaic effect. Certain light sensitive materials when packaged together in a “cell” have the ability to convert energy from light … Read more Mapping the energy transport mechanism of chalcogenide perovskite for solar energy use

Western-led team investigates interstellar bodies originating from beyond our solar system

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Astonishingly, not one but two interstellar asteroids have been detected entering our solar system since 2017. The first was given the Hawaiian name ‘Oumuamua, meaning ‘messenger from afar,’ after its discovery by Canadian astronomer Robert Weryk. The second, 2I/Borisov, was named for its discoverer Gennadiy Borisov. Paul Wiegert from Western University’s Institute for Earth & … Read more Western-led team investigates interstellar bodies originating from beyond our solar system

Voyager 2 reaches interstellar space

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Voyager 1 has a companion in the realm of the stars. Researchers at the University of Iowa report that the spacecraft Voyager 2 has entered the interstellar medium (ISM), the region of space outside the bubble-shaped boundary produced by wind streaming outward from the sun. Voyager 2, thus, becomes the second human-made object to journey … Read more Voyager 2 reaches interstellar space

ESO telescope reveals what could be the smallest dwarf planet yet in the solar system

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Astronomers using ESO’s SPHERE instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed that the asteroid Hygiea could be classified as a dwarf planet. The object is the fourth largest in the asteroid belt after Ceres, Vesta and Pallas. For the first time, astronomers have observed Hygiea in sufficiently high resolution to study its surface … Read more ESO telescope reveals what could be the smallest dwarf planet yet in the solar system

New standard of reference for assessing solar forecast proposed

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Being able to accurately forecast how much solar energy reaches the surface of the Earth is key to guiding decisions for running solar power plants. While day-ahead forecasts have become more accurate in recent years, the solar community lacks a unified verification procedure, and assessing how one forecast compares to another is difficult. New work … Read more New standard of reference for assessing solar forecast proposed

The Outer Solar System origins survey: a search for distant collisional remnants

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The distant Solar System contains a large reservoir of objects beyond the orbit of Neptune, which are the icy remnants of planetary formation. These small icy bodies are challenging to discover, but their orbital properties and surface composition provide critical information about the formation and evolution of the Solar System. The Outer Solar System Origins … Read more The Outer Solar System origins survey: a search for distant collisional remnants

Meteorite strikes made life on Earth possible

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geoMeteorites from the far reaches of the Solar System delivered large amounts of water, carbon and volatile substances to the Earth. Only then could the Earth host life. Dr. María Isabel Varas-Reus, Dr. Stephan König, Aierken Yierpan and Professor Dr. Ronny Schönberg from Tübingen University’s Isotope Geochemistry Group, and Dr. Jean-Pierre Lorand from the Université … Read more Meteorite strikes made life on Earth possible

Researchers recreate the sun’s solar wind and plasma ‘burps’ on Earth

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A new study by University of Wisconsin-Madison physicists mimicked solar winds in the lab, confirming how they develop and providing an Earth-bound model for the future study of solar physics. Our sun is essentially a big ball of hot plasma – an energetic state of matter made up of ionized gas. As the sun spins, … Read more Researchers recreate the sun’s solar wind and plasma ‘burps’ on Earth

Laboratory analysis of meteorites have shown evidence that asteroids migrated towards the asteroid belt from the outer solar system

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The international research team including W. Fujiya (Faculty of Science, Ibaraki University), P. Hoppe (Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany), T. Ushikubo (Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology: JAMSTEC), and Y. Sano (Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo) estimated the amounts of dry ice … Read more Laboratory analysis of meteorites have shown evidence that asteroids migrated towards the asteroid belt from the outer solar system

Tokyo Tech-led study shows how icy outer solar system satellites may have formed

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Using sophisticated computer simulations and observations, a team led by researchers from the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at Tokyo Institute of Technology has shown how the so-called trans-Neptunian Objects (or TNOs) may have formed. TNOs, which include the dwarf planet Pluto, are a group of icy and rocky small bodies—smaller than planets but larger than … Read more Tokyo Tech-led study shows how icy outer solar system satellites may have formed