Will We One Day Explore The Worlds Of Our Solar System? How Long Will This Take?

Behold Tharsis Montes, three massive shield volcanoes in the Tharsis region of Mars. In this illustration by Dutch artist Kees Veenenbos, using data from NASA’s Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, we can see the volcanoes Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons and Ascraeus Mons, southwest to northeast.

(Space 4 Case)

Picture of the Day 2 - January 13, 2019

Sun sets over the limb of a gas giant.

Triangulum Log - Blue Veil System - Post 3 (Lunar Skies)

Many of the system’s gas giants have large satellites with significant atmosphere’s. Here are some of the best views of the skies of these moons.

High Resolution Pics

Image 1 - The Great Eye in the sky

Image 2 - Double Sunset

Image 3 - Lunar Desert

Image 4 - Tranquility

Image 5 - Cold Distant Giant

Triangulum Log - Vernier System.

We’ve gone deeper into the Triangulum System and come across this binary system. The system consists of a hot F-Type Star 3.1 times brighter than our sun, orbited by a much less luminous K-Type Star only a fifth the brightness of our sun. The system has 6 planet’s including the most earth-like planet I’ve come across yet.

The Inner-most planet is a warm Ice-Giant with 53 earth masses and atmosphere temperatures of 378 K or 221 °F, orbiting the common center of mass of the two suns at a distance of 0.78 AU. The atmosphere of the planet is extremely turbulent under the intense sun-light. Wind speeds reach up to 1,100 kilometers per hour and cyclonic systems churn across the equator.

The second planet is Earth-like planet roughly 0.20 Earth masses, and radius 0.60 times that of Earth. Liquid water oceans cover a small portion of the surface. The planet is more desert-like than Earth, with water covering less than 15% of the surface. The atmosphere has only 0.15 atmosphere’s of pressure and has an unusual composition. Carbon dioxide comprises 84.4% of the atmosphere mixed with 13.1% Acetylene and 1.3% sulfur dioxide. The acetylene is stable in the atmosphere due to there being no oxygen; however, ultraviolet light natural breaks the compound down, forming Tholins in the atmosphere, giving the atmosphere a thick haze. Surface temperatures average 320 K or 116 °F. The planet has no polar ice-caps and orbits 1.25 AU from the stars. Several asteroid-sized moons orbit the planet along with larger rounded satellite that has a radios of 374 km.

High Resolution Pictures.

Picture 1 - Two Suns and a Giant

Picture 2 - Inner-Most Ice Giant

Picture 3 - White and Orange Suns over stormy skies

Picture 4 - Jewel of the System - Earth-like World

Picture 5 - Desert-world with some seas

Picture 6 - Hazy Atmosphere

Picture 7 - Planet’s Surface

Picture 8 - Different Layers of the atmosphere.

Picture 9 - Planet’s small moon.

Picture 10 - Sun’s setting on the lunar surface.

Red Giant

Picture of the Day - November 8, 2019

A scorched plant and its moon orbiting a bloated Red Giant. Both of these worlds orbit the star at twice the distance Neptune orbits from the sun, yet have surface temperatures of more than 1,200 °F.

Vernier System - Post 2 (Third Planet and its moons)

Here we come across the system’s third planet, a Jupiter-Sized gas giant 1.18 Jupiter Masses orbiting the two suns at an average distance of 2.33 AU. Four massive moon’s all with atmospheres orbit’s the giant. The planet has a very faint ring system in orbit.

High Resolution Pic of the 3rd Planet

Note, the large red nebula in the background NGC 604, one of the largest know nebulas. The Vernier System is located 4,600 light years from the nebula. From here NGC 604 covers over 16 arc degrees of the sky (36 Full-moons), and shines with an average magnitude of -1.91.

The first moon is barren with a surface covered in craters and gray-colored regolith. It is 3.4 lunar masses, with a radius of 2,603.31 km. A thin sulfur dioxide atmosphere clings to the surface. The atmosphere has a very low surface pressure of 0.0001 atmosphere’s. The moon still appears to be volcanically active.

High Resolution Pic of the 1st moon

The second moon has 4 lunar masses with a radius of 2,956.36 kilometers. It’s surface is more geologically diverse with larger quantities of iron oxide. It is more Mars-like than Lunar-like. A sulfur dioxide atmosphere also covers the surface, but is thicker with a surface pressure of 0.017 atmospheres, or roughly just under 3 times thicker than the atmosphere of Mars.

High Resolution Pic of the 2nd moon

The third satellite is by far the largest, and is an Earth-sized moon with a mass of 0.56 Earth’s and a radius 93% that of Earth. It has a thick carbon dioxide-ammonia atmosphere, with a surface pressure 3.48 times that of Earth. Weather is very active on the surface, and the temperature averaging 230 K (-45 °F) supports liquid sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide rain is also common on the surface. The satellite also appears to have a magnetic field.

High Resolution Pic of the 3rd moon

The fourth moon is a second largest with a mass of 0.07 times that of Earth and a radius of 3,274.23 kilometers. It also has a thin sulfur dioxide atmosphere, and sulfur dioxide ice-caps. The atmosphere is 0.017 atmosphere’s thick.

High Resolution Pic of the 4th moon

The System Tag for this system in Spaceengine is RS 1229-169-6-235375-219.

Picture of the day 3 - November 19, 2018

Dim red sun faintly illuminates a giant planet and it’s ring in a dull red light.

Ice desert by JustV23

Insight A System (Inner 5 Planets)

First post of the Insight A system. Insight A is the larger or primary of Insight’s 2 stars. The Insight System is a wide-spaced binary system consisting of a type G1V and type K5V star that orbit one another at an average distance of 192.3 AU once every 2,432 years. Insight A is 1.6 times the luminosity of our sun, and Insight B just 1/6th that of our sun.

Below are the first five worlds orbiting Insight A.

Insight A-I (0.56 Earth Masses - Rocky, 0.04 AU)

Insight A-II (2.66 Earth Masses, Rocky Super Earth, 0.07 AU)

Insight A-III (13.22 Earth Mass, Ice-Giant, 0.12 AU)

Insight A-IV (41.38 Earth Masses, Ice Giant, 0.36 AU)

Insight A-V (0.14 Earth Masses, Rocky with Liquid Water, 0.69 AU)

Picture of the day - November 22, 2018

Crescent of a moon against the silhouette of a green gas giant.