From - Space,com , By Stefanie Waldek Edited by Amal Udawatta An artist's representation of WASP-18b, an exoplanet some 400 light-years from Earth. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech (K. Miller/IPAC)) Astronomers have produced the first-ever three-dimensional map of a planet outside our solar system — WASP-18b — marking a major leap forward in exoplanet research. Using the James Webb Space Telescope , researchers applied a new technique called 3D eclipse mapping, or spectroscopic eclipse mapping, to track subtle changes in various light wavelengths as WASP-18b moved behind its star . These variations allowed scientists to reconstruct temperature across latitudes, longitudes and altitudes, revealing distinct temperature zones throughout the planet's atmosphere. "If you build a map at a wavelength that water absorbs, you'll see the water deck in the atmosphere, whereas a wavelength that water does not ab...
From- Space.Com By Elizabeth Howell Edited by - Amal Udawatta Images from the night of 2025 SC79's discovery showing its motion relative to background stars. (Image credit: Scott S. Sheppard) A newly found space rock almost broke a speed record. The asteroid , called 2025 SC79, has a pathway within the orbit of Venus that zips around the sun in only 128 days, making it the second-fastest unique asteroid orbit in the solar system, according to a statement from Carnegie Science. 2025 SC79 is also a pretty big asteroid: roughly 0.4 miles (700 meters) long, or roughly the length of a skyscraper. Carnegie astronomer Scott Sheppard, a noted discoverer of small moons around Jupiter , Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, spotted the asteroid on Sept. 27 hiding in the sun's glare. While 2025 SC79 will make no close approaches to Earth for the foreseeable future , finding hidden asteroids is essenti...