points

How Lagrange points solved one of physics’ biggest problems

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Paul M. Sutter is an astrophysicist at The Ohio State University, host of “Ask a Spaceman“ and “Space Radio,” and author of “Your Place in the Universe” (Prometheus Books, 2018). Sutter contributed this article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. There aren’t a lot of guarantees in life, and there are even fewer in space. Everything is moving; … Read more

Climate tipping points: Frozen peatlands could begin releasing carbon sooner than thought

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We had calculated that frozen peatlands would remain stable until the 2070s, but a new analysis suggests they may begin thawing as early as the 2040s Environment 14 March 2022 By Adam Vaughan Scandinavian mountain range, above the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images Vast expanses of peatland in frozen soil … Read more

Lead Exposure May Have Lowered The IQ of Half of Americans Since 1940

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Childhood lead exposure in the United States is ubiquitous and much more concerning than previous estimates have suggested, according to a new study. When researchers analyzed leaded gas use from 1940 and combined it with data on blood-lead levels from the mid 1970s, they found more than 54 percent of Americans alive in 2015 had … Read more

‘Tatooine-like’ planet spotted from Earth points to future discoveries

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A ground-based telescope’s detection of a known Tatooine-like planet could herald new discoveries of similar planets, researchers say. Observers spotted Kepler-16b — an exoplanet that orbits two stars, similar to a world portrayed in the original series of “Star Wars” — using a relatively modest 75-inch (193-centimeter) telescope. The telescope is situated at Observatoire de … Read more

It’s Official! A New Trojan Asteroid Has Been Discovered Sharing Earth’s Orbit

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Earth has officially been joined in its orbit around the Sun by a new trojan asteroid. Named 2020 XL5, this chunk of rock is only the second object of its type ever to have been conclusively identified. Its discovery suggests that perhaps Earth trojans may be more common than we knew, and offers new insights … Read more

NASA’s Next-Generation Asteroid Impact Monitoring System Just Got Switched On

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When it comes to avoiding asteroid-inflicted apocalypse, we’ll take all the help we can get, and NASA’s next-generation asteroid impact monitoring system, which has just been activated, has us sleeping a little bit easier in our beds.   Called Sentry-II, the new system can take data collected from telescopes and work out the path of … Read more