Free Republic

As the solar system was developing, the giant planets (Jupiter and Saturn) formed very early, and as they grew, they migrated both closer to and further away from the sun to stay in gravitationally stable orbits. The gravitational effect of these massive objects caused immense reshuffling of other planetary bodies that were forming at the time, meaning that the current locations of many planetary bodies in our solar system are not where they originally formed. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists set out to reconstruct these original formation locations by studying the isotopic compositions of different groups of meteorites that...

Explanation: What powers this unusual nebula? CTB-1 is the expanding gas shell that was left when a massive star toward the constellation of Cassiopeia exploded about 10,000 years ago. The star likely detonated when it ran out of elements, near its core, that could create stabilizing pressure with nuclear fusion. The resulting supernova remnant, nicknamed the Medulla Nebula for its brain-like shape, still glows in visible light by the heat generated by its collision with confining interstellar gas. Why the nebula also glows in X-ray light, though, remains a mystery. One hypothesis holds that an energetic pulsar was co-created that...

Lester Holt announced that Jupiter is now 415 miles from Earth on Thursday’s “NBC Nightly News” and Twitter users went into another stratosphere. Aimee Sanders Gross tweeted, “Lester Holt just said Jupiter is now 415 miles away from Earth. Husband wonders if Southwest will have a $59 airfare?”

Curry and the rest of the Warriors appeared to get a kick out of the trolling, laughing and clapping throughout the introductions. The Warriors went on to beat the Kings, 130-125. Curry made the comments during a podcast released Monday, and it caught the attention of NASA, which offered to show him moon rocks at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and educate him about the mission. The remark also landed on former astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s radar. The second man to walk on the moon was at USC Tuesday night to hear presentations by students on why the U.S. should...

I think what we’re learning here is that NBA players are huge fans of conspiracy theories. Nearly two years after Kyrie Irving said the Earth is flat on a podcast with then-Cleveland Cavaliers teammates Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, fellow All-Star point guard Stephen Curry informed us that man never landed on the moon during an appearance with Golden State Warriors teammate Andre Iguodala on a new podcast featuring Atlanta Hawks players Vince Carter and Kent Bazemore. Curry even tipped his cap to Irving, suggesting, “They’re gonna come get us,” an ode to the social media firestorm that followed Irving’s...