space stories

Scorching hot Venus found to have intensely cold area

Amy Shira Teitel
Tuesday, October 2, 2012 - 11:40am
 
Venus is sometimes called the Earth's twin because of its similar size and orbital distance from the Sun, but it's more like a backwards, inside-out Earth. Venus rotates on its axis in the opposite direction from the solar system's other planets, and it's hot — surface temperatures average around 890°F. But it looks like Venus isn't hot all over.

Saturn's Titan experiences seasonal change like Earth

Amy Shira Teitel
Monday, October 1, 2012 - 11:38am
 
Titan is pretty Earth-like. It's got methane cycles akin to our planet's water cycle, and it's inclined by about 27 degrees, similar to the Earth. That incline means Titan has season like Earth does, and scientists have collected 30 years of data about the moon's seasons, the equivalent of a full year. Turns out, Titan's seasons are another similarity the moon has with our own planet.

Adorable little paddleboat may be destined for a lake on Titan

Evan Ackerman
Friday, September 28, 2012 - 2:37pm
 
Of places I would want to take a cruise, Titan (the largest of Saturn's moons) would probably not* be at the top of my list. It's nearly 300 degrees below zero most of the time, the atmosphere is unbreathable, and swimming in liquid ethane and methane sounds unpleasant. None of that is a problem, though, for this little robotic paddleboat.

Will NASA's next space station be beyond the moon?

Evan Ackerman
Wednesday, September 26, 2012 - 11:16am
 
The ISS is pretty cool and all, and it's got a sweet view of Earth, but you know what? We live on Earth. Let's do some exploring! The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that NASA may have its eye on a more exotic location for the successor to the ISS: out beyond the orbit of the Moon, serving as a gateway to Mars and beyond.

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