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| Sea Ice May Be Increasing in the Antarctic |
| Aug 16, 2005 - A new NASA-funded study has discovered that sea ice in the Antarctic might actually be on the increase as global temperatures go up. There has been overwhelming evidence that sea ice is decreasing in the Arctic ocean, but scientists didn't realize there might be a difference between the two poles. As temperatures rise, it seems to create more precipitation around the southern pole, which falls as snow. The weight of the snow pushes sea ice below sea level, and causes the snow to melt and then freeze as additional ice. (Full Story) |
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| Artist's impression of the Milky Way. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R Click to enlarge |
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| New Look for the Milky Way |
Aug 16, 2005 - Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers have created a detailed survey of the structure of the Milky Way. Based on this evidence, they think the shape of the Milky Way is more complex than a plain old spiral. Our galaxy seems to have a long central bar, approximately 27,000 light-years in length. From our vantage point going around the Sun, we see this bar at a 45-degree angle.
(Full Story) |
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| Xanadu on Titan |
| Aug 16, 2005 - NASA's Cassini spacecraft took this image of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, on July 7, 2005. In it, it's possible to see the bright Xanadu region on the moon's right side - where the Huygens probe. Scientists think this area consists of upland terrain that isn't contaminated by the darker material visible in the low lying regions. Near the moon's south pole, Cassini has previously found what looks like a large lake of hydrocarbons. (Full Story) |
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