Dec 2 - Black Hole Planets

December 2  Black Hole Planets by:

Artist's concept of a black hole with its bright surrounding disk of gas and dust - and jets extending from its poles - plus many orbiting planets. Image via Kagoshima University/NAOJ.

Thousands of exoplanets may orbit supermassive black holes Exoplanets - worlds orbiting other stars - are apparently common, with billions estimated to exist in our galaxy alone. They've been found around all sorts of stars, including sunlike stars, red dwarfs and even pulsars. There may also be rogue planets, which don't orbit any stars, but instead wander lonely though interstellar space. And now a new study suggests that there might be yet another entirely new class of planets orbiting supermassive black holes. Read more. Earth's 2nd largest meteorite crater much younger than thought Earth's biggest meteorite crater is Meteor Crater in Arizona. The 2nd biggest is Australia's Wolfe Creek Crater, likely formed when a 50-foot meteor struck about 120,000 years ago. Read more. What we're reading   From the BBC: Metal meteorite quest in Antarctica set to get under way A team of British scientists calling themselves the Lost Meteorites of Antarctica project arrived at Earth's southernmost continent last week. They'll spend 6 weeks scouring a remote region for rare iron meteorites they believe are buried beneath Antarctic ice. Read more from the BBC. You can also follow along with the researchers as the expedition progresses via the scientists' blog.

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Keep an eye out for Mercury and Mars Mercury is brighter than Mars now, but might not look it because it's in brighter twilight. Mercury will drop back into the sunrise in another week or so. Mars will continue to hover low in the eastern predawn sky - brightening slowly - for some months to come. Then Mars will make its move! It'll be bright - fiery red - and in our evening sky around the time of its opposition in October 2020. Read more.

Orion, the Bull, the Pleiades and a meteor View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Colin Chatfield in Saskatchewan caught this scene on November 21, the night of the Alpha Monocerotids meteor shower. The shower was predicted to have a burst of meteors, but, sadly, didn't live up to expectations. This meteor isn't an Alpha Monocerotid. It's a good meteor, though! Colin wrote: "Orion can be seen rising above the house with the Hyades [Face of the Bull in the constellation Taurus] above that, and the Pleiades at the top." Thank you, Colin! Read more. Submit your photo to EarthSky here! Did a friend forward EarthSkyNews to you? Click here to get your own subscription!

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