Last 31 Days in Astronomy

The news seen between November 11 and December 11, 2007.

NOV-20-2007 •Earth's Rare Moon• According to findings from Spitzer, a moon the size of ours might only occur in 5 to 10% of all planetary systems. This is the conclusion of scientists who say that large amounts of dust, expected after massive collisions like the one that formed the moon, are rarely found. In fact, the 5% estimate may turn out to be high. link

NOV-28-2007 •Lightning on Venus• It might be cloudy on Venus but it isn't always dark. The Venus Express spacecraft, launched by the ESA, has confirmed that the Venusian atmosphere generates a lot of lightning. Christopher Russell from UCLA says that the amount of lightning on Venus may exceed the amount on Earth. The lightning is unusual in that the clouds that generate it are made of sulfuric acid instead of water vapor. The next spacecraft headed to Venus is the Venus Climate Orbit Orbiter which arrives at Venus in 2010. link

DEC-10-2007 •Rovers Hunker Down• The rover Spirit has discovered a patch of nearly pure silica which probably occurred as a result of a hot spring or a fumarole. "Whichever of those conditions produced it, [it] is probably the most significant discovery by Spirit for revealing a habitable niche that existed on Mars in the past" according to Steve Squyres, the PI for the Rovers. Meanwhile both rovers were hit by dust storms and are preparing for the oncoming Martian winter. Spirit took the bigger hit since later winds did not blow off the dust like it did for Opportunity. link