Chemists Observe Key Reaction To Produce 'Atmosphere's Detergent'
Philadelphia PA (SPX) Sep 30, 2014 -
Earth's atmosphere is a complicated dance of molecules. The chemical output of plants, animals and human industry rise into the air and pair off in sequences of chemical reactions. Such processes help maintain the atmosphere's chemical balance; for example, some break down pollutants emitted from the burning of fossil fuels.
Understanding exactly how these reactions proceed is critical for ...
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Cyanide fog marks winter's onset on Saturn moon Titan
Paris (AFP) Oct 01, 2014 -
A cyanide cloud formed over Titan's south pole as the strange moon of Saturn entered its seven-year winter in 2009, astronomers reported on Wednesday.
An enigma of the Solar System, Titan is studded with lakes of liquid hydrocarbons and a choking nitrogen-methane atmosphere, according to data sent back by a US-European scout mission.
The satellite and its mother planet are so far from th ...
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NASA's Swift satellite sees small star ejecting 'super flares'
Greenbelt, Md. (UPI) Sep 30, 2014 -
Astronomers don't normally use canine clichés, but if they did, they might employ one - it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog - to describe a small but energetic red dwarf in a binary system known as DG Canum Venaticorum, or DG CVn. That's because red dwarfs like DG CVn serve a serious electromagnetic punch in a small package.
Astronomers kn ...
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Europe shortlists four sites for 2019 Mars mission
Paris (AFP) Oct 01, 2014 -
The European Space Agency (ESA) said on Wednesday it had identified four potential sites for landing a rover on Mars in 2019 in its boldest exploration yet of the Red Planet.
The landing is the second part of a two-phase endeavour called ExoMars, a project between ESA and Russia's Roscosmos space agency to look for evidence of life on Mars.
In the first step, an orbital probe will be lau ...
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'Man in the Moon' was born from lava - scientists
Paris (AFP) Oct 01, 2014 -
A dark lunar basin that, seen from Earth, produces the "Man in the Moon" effect, was created by an outpouring of lava and not an asteroid strike, astronomers said Wednesday.
Known as the Oceanus Procellarum - the "ocean of storms" as classical skygazers dubbed it - the vast basin measures nearly 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mile) across.
Until now, the main theory to explain this extraordin ...
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Coppery reds of upcoming lunar eclipse may be accented with turquoise
Washington (UPI) Oct 1, 2014 -
Next Wednesday, Oct. 8, the full moon will turn a coppery red as a lunar eclipse becomes visible across the entirety of the United States.
"It promises to be a stunning sight, even from the most light polluted cities," Fred Espenak, NASA's resident eclipse expert, said in a recent press release. "I encourage everyone, especially families with curious children, to go out and enjoy the ev ...
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Europe sat-nav launch glitch linked to frozen pipe
Paris (AFP) Oct 01, 2014 -
A frozen fuel pipe in the upper stage of a Soyuz launcher likely caused the failure last month to place two European navigation satellites in orbit, a source close to the inquiry said Wednesday.
Confirming a report in French daily Le Monde, the source said investigators suspect a pipe containing hydrazine fuel, used by the Fregat upper stage to drive the satellites to their orbital slots, ha ...
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