A hot spot on the far side of the Moon has turned out to be a small volcanic area created by the upwelling of magma. Because of the volcanic areas location and the composition of the lava being different to normal it gives clues to the moon’s thermal history. The hotspot is actually a concentration [...]
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A Good Year for Japan’s Space Program
Japan has not put a lot of money into their space program but it has nevertheless come up with some good results. JAXA (Japan’s space agency) has had a few firsts including the return of a probe to pick up some dust from an asteroid after a seven-year round-trip. This mission called Hayabusa, which means [...]
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Cassini May Have Spotted an Ice Volcano on Titan
Cassini may have spotted a cryovolcano on Titan. it has been found in a region called the Sotra Facula. The craters, peaks and fingerlike flows are very good indicators that this is a cryovolcanism. The picture has been exaggerated and filled in with false colours for clarity.this is good news for the search for life [...]
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Detecting Volcanoes on Exoplanets
Volcanoes can be an indication of a planet that can support life. There are studies that show that lightning together with the chemicals volcanoes produce may have provided the spark that produced life on early Earth. This experiment called the Miller-Urey experiment has been shown to students for years from 1953 to mimic the chemical [...]
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The Continuing Threat of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano
That naughty volcano is still managing to produce a large amount of Ash. The photo shows the Ash on 11 May. If you live in Europe and are going on holiday in the summer and you want to avoid any hassle it might be a good idea to stay in Europe or end up staying [...]
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Volcanoes on Earth and Beyond
Volcanoes are one of those great forces of nature that we take almost for granted on Earth. I am not sure that I would take it for granted if I lived right next to a volcano but on the overall scheme of things they are part of the Earth’s make up and mold the Earth [...]
