Sept 6 - A Hyper-Volcanic Exomoon?

September 6 A Hyper-Volcanic Exomoon? by:

Artist's concept of the moon orbiting WASP-49. Is this moon like Io on steroids? The observations are similar to what's seen with Jupiter and its moon Io, the first world beyond Earth known to have active volcanoes. Image via University of Bern/Thibaut Roger. Read more.

Have astronomers found a hyper-volcanic exomoon? Astronomers have found evidence for a possible exomoon orbiting a gas giant planet 550 light-years away. If they're interpreting the evidence right, this moon would be a place of destruction, even more volcanically active than Jupiter's famous moon, Io. "It would be a dangerous volcanic world with a molten surface of lava, a lunar version of close-in Super Earths like 55 Cancri-e,” said Apurva Oza of the Physics Institute of the University of Bern and NCCR PlanetS. “It's a place where Jedis go to die, perilously familiar to Anakin Skywalker." Read more. Monster penguin was as tall as a person An extinct species of giant penguin – over 5 feet (1.6 meters) tall – has been identified from fossils found in New Zealand. Read more. What we're reading   From the BBC … Hurricane Dorian: Bahamas death toll expected to be 'staggering' The official death toll stands at 30, but is expected to rise further. Officials are sending morticians and 200 body bags to the Abaco Islands, the worst-hit part of the archipelago. Officials say hundreds, possibly thousands, are still missing in the Abacos and Grand Bahama. Read more. Chandrayaan-2 mission update: Watch Vikram moon landing The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will broadcast the Vikram spacecraft’s scheduled landing at the moon's south pole. Watch from 1:10 a.m. onwards, India time, on Saturday, September 7 (that's today at 8:40 p.m. London time, 3:40 p.m. New York City time). Check ISRO's site for info on how to watch. Also, try the National Geographic India YouTube channel. For English, try NDTV. India will be the 4th nation to land a spacecraft on the moon.

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Next few evenings … Moon, Jupiter, Saturn Tonight's moon is in between Jupiter and Saturn, located more or less in the direction of the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Read more.

Core of Hurricane Dorian barrels ashore in North Carolina The Washington Post reported this morning … "The most destructive winds and rains surrounding the hurricane’s eye have come ashore near Cape Fear, N.C., with sustained winds of 100 mph with higher gusts possible. The storm will continue lashing the Carolinas through Friday." The 5 a.m. EDT (09:00 UTC) National Hurricane Center advisory said  the eye of Hurricane Dorian was located: "...near latitude 34.6 North, longitude 76.2 West. Dorian is moving toward the northeast near 14 mph (22 km/h) ... an increase in forward speed is expected through Saturday.  On the forecast track, the center of Dorian will move near or over the coast of North Carolina during the next several hours. The center should move to the southeast of extreme southeastern New England tonight and Saturday morning, and then across Nova Scotia late Saturday or Saturday night … Dorian should remain a powerful hurricane as it moves near or along the coast of North Carolina during the next several hours. Dorian is forecast to become a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds by Saturday night as it approaches Nova Scotia." Image is from Friday morning, from NOAA's GOES-East satellite. Submit your photo to EarthSky here! Did a friend forward EarthSkyNews to you? Click here to get your own subscription!

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