Free Republic

“If any extraterrestrial astronomers sent an exploratory spacecraft to our solar system, then the Lagrange points are all possible destinations to send such a spacecraft,” Haqq-Misra told The Debrief. Lagrange points are so stable, spacecraft that need to remain in position use them to reduce fuel consumption. Things that go there tend to stay there due to the gravitational pull, according to NASA. Lagrange points aren’t always used on purpose to save on gas; a guest floating through could get stuck there too. “An extraterrestrial spacecraft in the solar system might also be defunct and broken, having completed its primary...

The appearance of a massive white cap on Uranus may seem alarming, but as planetary scientists are learning, this is what a prolonged summer looks like on the remote ice giant. Ice giants Uranus and Neptune have water-rich interiors coated with hydrogen, helium, and a pinch of methane, the latter of which gives these outer planets their distinctive cyan complexion. Unlike Earth, where seasons last just a few months, Neptune and Uranus experience seasons that last for decades, resulting in strange and intense atmospheric phenomena. New images released by the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program highlight a evolving atmospheric...