Environmental Graffiti

Earth’s Cousins Orbiting a Distant Star

The CoRoT space mission has recently confirmed two Super Earth Planets. Much smaller than the usual exoplanets which are gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, these planets likely have rocky surfaces with large bodies of water. Environmental Graffiti gives the lowdown on these incredible new cosmic discoveries. Could life exist elsewhere in the galaxy?

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The Hubble Telescope’s Final Mission

Hubble's last Service Mission was an astounding success. Instruments and insulation blanket were repaired and upgraded, and new capability was added to this truly exceptional orbiting observatory. Hubble Space Telescope, whose importance rivals that of the first optical telescope made by Galileo, will continue to probe the mysteries of the universe through 2013. Strap yourself in for a blow-by-blow account of what Service Mission 4 and what it achieved.

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The Moons of the Ringed Gas Giant: Saturn

On February 24, 2009, four of Saturn's moons transited the planet. A fortuitous line of sight allowed the Cassini spacecraft to capture Dione, Enceladus, Mimas and Titan in a single, extraordinary photograph. Remarkable space probe data allow us to better understand this dynamic and complex planet.

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Peering into the Beginnings of the Universe

Scheduled to launch in April 2009, the Herschel and Planck space telescopes bring capabilities never before available to study the origins of stars, galaxies and the universe. The expected data might revolutionize both astrophysics and philosophy.

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The Densest Planet

Space telescopes have catalogued a universe of previously unknown wonders and mysteries. The list still grows monthly and certainly far away planets orbiting other stars are hypnotically fascinating. Will any of these prove up as 'Earth-like' with an environment that could support DNA, cellular tissue, life-as-we-know-it?

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