New Astrobites Post: Why are Sub-Neptunes so Abundant?

/

Here it is…my final new post for Astrobites…wow, how has it been two years?? What a wonderful ride it’s been. I’m so grateful for this collaboration – for the friendships and connections, for the writing experience, and for the chance to learn about astronomy in ways I might not have been able to.

This final post explores why sub-Neptune exoplanets seem to be so much more abundant than Neptune-like planets, despite being close in mass. It turns out that there are complex interactions between the gaseous envelope of these planets and their cores that weren’t being accounted for…but you’ll have to go read the post for the details!

The radius cliff for known exoplanets

The radius cliff for known exoplanets

New Astrobites Post: Tips for Conquering Procrastination

/

Another month, another new post for Astrobites!

This post is actually a bunch of tips for overcoming mental blocks that keep you from getting things done. And it was all inspired by this tweet:

 

I compiled the responses into this latest astrobites post, but it’s useful for more than just astronomy students! I hope you find it helpful.

New Astrobites Post: Measuring the Winds on Jupiter and Saturn Using Gravity

/

Here’s a new post for Astrobites!. The authors of today’s paper used gravity measurements from the NASA missions Juno and Cassini (orbiting Jupiter and Saturn, respectively) to calculate how deep winds penetrate into each planet. Read the full post to find out how they did it!

The east-west (zonal) wind flows on Jupiter and Saturn, which align with the bands on each planet

New Astrobites Post: Chomospheric Cannonballs on the Sun

/

Here’s a new post for Astrobites!. This one covers a newly-discovered phenomenon on the Sun, playfully named “cannonballs.” The best part? They join other phenomena like “spicules,” “anemone jets,” and “Ellerman bombs” (which are also known as Severny moustaches)!

From left to right: spicules, surges, and an Ellerman bomb. Credits from left to right: NASA, N. Nishizuka et al 2011 ApJ 731 43 Figure 3a, David Darling.