Scientists solved the mystery of the sun's blue color in 1831!
Scientists have solved the long-standing mystery of the sun's blue color in the Earth's sky in 1831. Researchers from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland said in a new study that the main cause was a massive eruption of the Javaritsky volcano on Simushi Island, which is disputed between Russia and Japan.
The eruption of this volcano in 1831 released a large amount of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. This caused a global drop in temperatures and caused unusual weather. According to scientists, the ash and gas produced during the eruption scattered the sun's rays, creating a blue color.
The study, published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), allowed the researchers to determine the duration and intensity of the eruption by analyzing the ice cores. “It was a real ‘eureka moment’ for us when we were analyzing the volcanic ash and the ice cores together in the laboratory,” said study co-author Will Hutchinson.
The world experienced the 'year without a summer' in 1815, when Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted in a massive eruption. The eruption spewed a huge amount of gas and dust into the atmosphere, which lowered temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere by 1 degree Celsius.
Scientists have warned that the economic damage from a major volcanic eruption could reach trillions of dollars. However, the cooling climate effects caused by such an eruption would be temporary. The Earth would then return to a warmer state due to greenhouse gas emissions. Such research is opening new horizons in human space and climate monitoring, as well as early warning.
The whole idea of Jupiter's clouds has changed!
Scientists' ideas about Jupiter have recently changed, according to a study conducted by a combination of professional and amateur astronomers.
Scientists say that the previous conventional wisdom about the planet's clouds is incorrect.
Jupiter's clouds were previously thought to be made of ammonia ice. However, a new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research suggests that the planet's icy clouds may actually be made of ammonium hydrosulfide and smog.
For this study, the research team used data from the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile. The team used spectroscopic analysis to determine the various compounds present in these gases on Jupiter from the wavelengths of light emitted by MUSE.
What research reveals about the mystery of the birth of Pluto's largest moon, Charon !
The birth of Pluto's largest moon, Charon, is based on a unique cosmic event—the 'kiss and capture' theory. A brief icy collision between Pluto and Charon occurred billions of years ago, a new study suggests. That event permanently trapped Charon in Pluto's orbit.
The study was led by NASA postdoctoral researcher Adin Denton, who works at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona. According to Denton, this "kiss and grab" theory will help us better understand the formation of planets and moons. The study found that previous models did not take into account the structural strength of icy minor planets like Pluto and Charon during collisions.
The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience. Scientists have long thought that Charon's birth mechanism was much like Earth's moon. It was thought that satellites like the moon or Charon were formed as a result of a violent collision. But while these models worked for Earth and the moon, they did not work for Pluto-Charon. This is because Pluto and Charon are much smaller and colder than Earth-Moon. They are mainly made of rock and ice.
"Pluto and Charon are different in their structural properties. When we took into account the actual strength of the ice and rock, we discovered a completely different phenomenon," Denton said.
According to Denton, most planetary collisions are either 'hit and run' or 'graze and merge'. But Charon's collisions were 'kiss and bind'. This means that after the collision, they are temporarily stuck together and then separated, but gravitational forces keep them permanently connected.
One of the highlights of this study is that the predictions for Charon's orbit match up well. Erik Asfög, another author of the study, said that this model correctly explains two things at once: the process of Charon's capture and its current orbit.
This discovery will force scientists to think about new aspects of cosmic collisions and satellite formation.