compiled by Arlene & David Kaplan

Saturn’s north pole known as “the hexagon” – JPL

Saturn’s Hexagon in Motion
This colorful view from NASA’s Cassini mission is the highest-resolution view of the unique six-sided jet stream at Saturn’s north pole known as “the hexagon.” This movie, made from images obtained by Cassini’s imaging cameras, is the first to show the hexagon in color filters…more

GJ 1132b planet’s thick atmosphere – BBC

Atmosphere found around Earth-sized planet GJ 1132b
Scientists say they have detected an atmosphere around an Earth-sized planet for the first time. They have studied a world known as GJ 1132b, which is 1.4-times the size of our planet and lies 39 light years away. Their observations suggest that the “super-Earth” is cloaked in a thick layer of gases…more

Remains of a 500-year-old explosion – BBC

Violent end as young stars dramatically collide
Scientists have captured a dramatic and violent image of the collision between two young stars that tore apart their stellar nursery. Located in the constellation of Orion, the explosive event happened some 500 years ago sending giant streamers of dust and gas across interstellar space…more

Annie Maunder: A pioneer of solar astronomy – BBC

Annie Maunder: Plaque to be erected for Strabane astronomer
A plaque is to be erected in Northern Ireland to honor a Strabane astronomer who has a crater on the moon named after her.
Annie Maunder worked alongside her husband, Edward Walter Maunder, at the end of the 19th Century….more

Replacing the CMS’s pixel detector – BBC

Huge Large Hadron Collider experiment gets ‘heart transplant’
One of the Large Hadron Collider’s huge experiments has been given what’s described as a “heart transplant”. Officials said the replacement of a key component inside the CMS experiment represented the first major upgrade to the LHC – the world’s biggest machine…more

Rows of plumes rise from ice fractures – NYT

Plumes From Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Hint That It Could Support Life
Could icy moons like Saturn’s Enceladus in the outer solar system be home to microbes or other forms of alien life?
Intriguing new findings from data collected by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft suggest the possibility. Plumes of gas erupting out of Enceladus — a small moon…more