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| An artist's impression of dust disk around the white dwarf GD 362. Image credit: Gemini Click to enlarge |
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| Dusty Old Star Could Feeding From a Dead Planet |
| Sep 9, 2005 - Astronomers have spotted a dusty disc around an old, dead star. This star is similar to what our own star will look like billions of years from now. What's unusual, however, is this dust cloud. It should have disappeared long ago; either sucked into the star, or blasted away by intense radiation. One theory is that a planet is still orbiting the dead star, and is continuously shedding material to create this dust. (Full Story) |
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| Full Frame Rhea |
Sep 9, 2005 - The frame-filling view of Saturn's moon Rhea was taken by Cassini on August 1, 2005. Although in this image, Rhea looks quite similar to our Moon or the planet Mercury, it's actually covered in thick ice which would melt if it ever got as close to the Sun as Mercury. Rhea is 1,528 kilometers (949 miles) across, and you can see one of its larger craters, Izanagi, near the middle of the moon.
(Full Story) |
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| The surface of the Moon is exposed to space radiation. Image credit: NASA Click to enlarge |
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| Radiation on the Moon |
| Sep 9, 2005 - When humans return to the Moon in the next decade, they'll be facing a dangerous combination of cosmic rays and solar flares. Astronauts will need to avoid getting too much radiation, so NASA is working to better understand risks. The upcoming Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will carefully measure and map the Moon's radiation environment. It will also have a special instrument designed to simulate how this radiation will affect the human body. (Full Story) |
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