Astronomers discover "weird" Neptune-like exoplanet that could have water clouds
CBSN
Astronomers have spotted a planet just 90 light years away from Earth with a surprising atmosphere — and the possibility of clouds containing water.
TOI-1231 b is an exoplanet, meaning it is located outside of our solar system. It was discovered by a team of scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of New Mexico, who will publish their findings in an upcoming issue of The Astronomical Journal. TOI-1231 b was detected using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and confirmed using the Planet Finder Spectrograph (PFS) on the Magellan Clay telescope in Chile. The PFS revealed details about the mass and orbits of the exoplanet by observing its gravitational influence on its host star.Kyiv, Ukraine — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that American military aid on its way to Ukraine will make a "real difference" on the battlefield, as the top diplomat made an unannounced visit to reassure an ally facing a fierce new Russian offensive. In increasingly intense attacks along Ukraine's northeast border in recent days, Moscow's troops have captured around 40 to 50 square miles of territory, including at least seven villages, according to open source monitoring analysts.
A trove of gold and silver coins that experts believe were swindled out of an ailing population by an 18th-century conman has been discovered in central Poland, officials said. Volunteer metal detectorists found the treasure hidden underground in multiple locations while exploring the Jeleniowskie mountain range with permission from the local government, and the fact that it exists seems to validate a centuries-old legend.
Tel Aviv — Nearly 360,000 people had fled the Gaza Strip's southernmost city of Rafah by Monday, according to the United Nations, in an exodus that tripled in size over just a few days. The Israel Defense Forces sparked the upheaval late last week, issuing evacuation orders by text messages and fliers dropped from the sky to people in the city's eastern half.
Russia's renewed ground offensive in Ukraine's northeast targeted towns and villages with a barrage of artillery and mortar fire, officials said Sunday. Thousands of civilians fled the Kharkiv region as the intense battle capitulated more land to Russian forces across less defended settlements in the so-called contested "gray zone" along the Russian border.