Environmental Graffiti

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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Are Jupiter and Saturn Brown Dwarfs, Not Planets?

COROT spacecraft approaching a star field that contains brown dwarfs Image by D Ducros/CNES Our early science classes taught us the difference between stars and planets, the description and properties of each were clear. Now astronomers have found objects in the Milky Way that are neither planets nor stars. [...]

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