NASA: Some Icy Exoplanets May Have Habitable Oceans and GeysersA NASA study has identified 17 exoplanets that could have liquid water beneath icy shells. Liquid water is considered a key necessary ingredient for a planet to harbor life. In these particular planets, the science team calculated that liquid water could erupt through the ice as geysers, a surprising find. This phenomenon is similar to our own solar system where moons of both Jupiter and Saturn have subsurface oceans that could possibly support life. NOTE: Prior to this study, exoplanet scientists had focused on surface water to identify planets that might harbor life. That's why this 2023 article is newsworthy.
NASA: Telescope Reveals Largest Batch of Earth-Size, Habitable Zone Planets Around Single StarThough this article is older than the one directly above, it was a remarkable discovery in 2017. Scientists used the Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes to locate a star system known as Trappist-1. Three of its seven planets are considered to be within the star's habitable zone. This star system is 40 light years from Earth (not really far in interstellar terms). The seven planets are all similar to Earth in size, but the star is classified as an "ultra-cool dwarf", meaning liquid water could survive on planets orbiting very close to it. NOTE: This article is a good way to illustrate that the habitable zone depends on more than a planet's distance from its host star.
Lawrence Livermore Laboratory: Achieving Fusion IgnitionOn December 5, 2022, a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a major breakthrough: the first controlled fusion experiment in history to produce more energy from fusion than the laser energy required to drive it. The milestone is great news for the future of clean energy development and a dream scientists have been chasing since the beginning of the atomic age. In fusion, two light nuclei combine to form a single heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy. This
article has images of the lab itself and the cylindrical target called a hohlraum. Ignition was accomplished by firing the energy of 192 laser beams at the hohlraum, creating x-ray radiation. The radiation then "imploded a tiny, diamond capsule filled with two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium, releasing energy". Does the process work like nuclear fusion in the sun's proton-proton chain? Well.....not exactly. See item directly below for more information on the DOE's fusion ignition breakthrough.
article has images of the lab itself and the cylindrical target called a hohlraum. Ignition was accomplished by firing the energy of 192 laser beams at the hohlraum, creating x-ray radiation. The radiation then "imploded a tiny, diamond capsule filled with two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium, releasing energy". Does the process work like nuclear fusion in the sun's proton-proton chain? Well.....not exactly. See item directly below for more information on the DOE's fusion ignition breakthrough.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: One of the Biggest Problems in PhysicsThis page goes into more depth to describe the journey to achieve fusion ignition that produced net positive energy in the laboratory. As revealed, numerous scientists thought the outcome would not ever be achieved on this planet. The article provides an easily-understood explanation of the fusion reaction (when nuclei of light atoms such as hydrogen overcome repulsive forces and "fuse" into a new, heavier atom). This reaction is similar to the proton-proton chain reaction found in our sun. You'll also find a detailed description of fusion ignition and the system used to achieve this self-sustaining reaction with the novel hohlraum design.