For astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), living in zero gravity is challenging enough while awake, but have you ever wondered how they manage to sleep? American astronaut Sunita (Suni) L. Williams shared a fun video tour of the ISS, showing us exactly how astronauts catch their Zs in space.

Williams became a NASA astronaut in 1998 and is currently on her third mission aboard the International Space Station. The video shared in 2012 is from her time as a commander of Expedition 33. She showcases Node 2, also known as Harmony, which is the “utility hub” of the International Space Station. It’s where four of the six crew members sleep in individual sleeping cabins.

“People always ask about sleeping in space,” Williams says in the video. “You don’t really have the sensation of laying down. You just sit in your sleeping bag.” As she floats into one of the sleeping cabins, she explains that each one is “sort of like a little phone booth.” Inside, there's a sleeping bag that keeps the astronauts in  one spot so they don’t “fly all over the place.” There’s also a computer, books, clothes, and “other things that make it sort of like home.” Williams explains that you can sleep in any orientation. “I don’t have any sensation in my head that tells me I’m upside down,” she says. “So it really doesn’t matter.”

Williams is currently serving as the co-pilot of the Crew Flight Test mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Launched June 5, 2024, the crew was originally expected to spend about eight days in space, but technical issues have resulted in them being on the craft for over 50 days. However, Williams, commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore, and the other crew members are doing everything they can to remain calm and find a way to land safely back on Earth.

There are rumors about a contingency plan for Williams and Wilmore to hop aboard a commercial crew flight back to Earth with the SpaceX Dragon Crew, who plan to launch to the ISS next month. But for now, NASA still hopes to have the pair return on Starliner.

“I have a real good feeling in my heart that this spacecraft will bring us home, no problem,” Williams revealed. “We’re learning now to optimize our specific situation and make sure that we know everything about it.”

Watch Williams’ video tour below.

American astronaut Suni Williams reveals how she and her crew members do ordinary things in space including how astronauts sleep on the International Space Station.

This tour, given nearly 12 years ago, recently went viral on Reddit with many commenters weighing in with their opinions on the bizarre living conditions.

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Check out the whole 9-minute video to see how astronauts store their food, brush their teeth, and use the bathroom, too!

h/t: [BeAmazed, NPR]

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READ: Watch How Astronauts Sleep in the International Space Station

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Curiosity—NASA’s robotic rover on Mars—has discovered pure, yellow sulfur crystals on the surface of the Red Planet. Launched over 10 years ago, on November 27, 2011, to determine whether life was or is viable on the planet Curiosity has found evidence of Mars once having liquid water at Gale Crater, scaled the planet’s diverse terrain—lately Mount Sharp– and analyzed various geological materials. These findings have been essential in building our understanding of what Mars was like in the past and evaluating its potential as a future home. This new discovery is another piece of the puzzle.

While on an expedition in the Gediz Vallis channel—a region created billions of years ago by large floods of water and debris—Curiosity was instructed to take a panoramic photograph of distant white rocks that the researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) took an interest in. Later, when the scientists reviewed the images taken by the Mastcam, they found a crushed rock in the rover’s tracks. The one-ton vehicle had accidentally cracked the rock earlier while driving over it. The researchers were astonished to discover translucent, yellow crystals inside. Upon analyzing the composition with the rover’s Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, the team was surprised to discover that the crystals were pure sulfur.

Sulfur is nothing new on the planet. Former Mars exploration rovers Spirit and Opportunity, both launched in 2003, had detected sulfates in soil on Mars’ surface. However, this discovery marks the first time the element has been found in its pure form.

Curiosity had previously discovered the element combined with other minerals on Mars, such as in the form of sulfates, a type of salt that was left behind when the planet’s water dried up. While the area where the rover found the crystals is known for having ample amounts of sulfates, pure sulfur is different from sulfates as it’s not bonded to oxygen and is entirely composed of sulfur atoms.

Briony Horgan, co-researcher on the Perseverance rover mission, told CNN, “Pure elemental sulfur is a very weird finding because on Earth we mostly find it in places like hydrothermal vents. Think Yellowstone! So it’s a big mystery to me as to how this rock formed in Mt. Sharp.”

Researchers are still unable to determine what caused the formation of the elemental sulfur, but they continue to analyze the surrounding area.

NASA’s Curiosity rover has found yellow sulfur crystals on Mars, marking the first discovery of sulfur in its pure form on the Red Planet.

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

While the element has been previously found on Mars in the form of sulfates, this discovery is unique because the sulfur is in its elemental form and not bonded to oxygen.

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Researchers are still investigating how these sulfur crystals formed, adding to Curiosity's mission of understanding Mars' history and assessing its potential for future habitation.

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

h/t: [CNN]

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READ: NASA’s Curiosity Rover Discovers Crystals of Pure Sulfur on Mars

Photo: Atlantic Records via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

On July 12, “The Rain (Super Dupa Fly)” by Missy Elliott became the second song to be transmitted into space, following The Beatles' “Across the Universe” transmission in 2008. With the help of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the hip-hop track was beamed across 158 million miles to Elliott's favorite planet, Venus, in 14 minutes.

Brittany Brown, the director of digital and technological communication, originally pitched the idea to Elliott's team. In NASA's announcement, she explains that the collaboration was inspired by Missy Elliott's frequent use of space imagery. Elliott's music videos often feature futuristic themes with a cyberpunk-like aesthetic. This style also extends to her latest tour, “Out Of This World,” which has a surrealist spacecraft-inspired atmosphere. She often wears metallic fabrics and bold colors while performing, reflecting a combination of retro and new-world styles.

“The Rain” was transmitted at the speed of light through the Deep Space Network (DSN), giant radio antennas used for missions around Earth and with other planets. From a radio dish near Barstow, California, the DSN used large antennas typically employed to track spacecrafts, send commands, and receive data. Additionally, the DSN is capable of communicating with spacecrafts that range in distance from a few thousand kilometers away to beyond the solar system. This advanced technology made it possible to send Missy Elliott's song to Venus precisely and quickly.

The broadcasted song, which contains a sample of Ann Peebles' 1973 single “I Can't Stand the Rain,” was written and composed by Don Bryant, Bernard Miller, Missy Elliott, and producer Timbaland for her debut album Supa Dupa Fly in 1997. Elliott received two Grammy Award nominations for the album: Best Rap Album and Best Rap Solo Performance for “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).”

NASA's choice of Missy Elliott—who recently became the first female hip-hop artist in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame—may have been influenced by more than just her futuristic branding. The artist has produced revolutionary songs addressing topics such as feminism, gender equality, and sex and body positivity, making her a pioneer for a new generation of female artists.

While it's unclear why NASA has chosen to transmit a song after over a decade, since the transmission of the Beatles “Across the Universe” to North Star, Polaris, the decision to send Elliott's hit song into space reflects the organization's commitment to blend culture and science. Elliott's innovative and creative work as an artist aligns with NASA's goal of bringing artistic expression into space exploration.

On July 12, NASA transmitted Missy Elliott’s hit song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” to Venus, making it the second song to ever be sent into space.

Supa-flying to Venus!

For the first time, a hip-hop song was transmitted #OutOfThisWorld. @MissyElliott‘s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” traveled 158 million miles to Venus through NASA's Deep Space Network from @NASAJPL‘s Deep Space Station 13 in California: https://t.co/Gg5ibm80hb pic.twitter.com/BwsdTNNqCv

— NASA (@NASA) July 15, 2024

YOOO this is crazy! We just went #OutOfThisWorld with @NASA and sent the FIRST hip hop song into space through the Deep Space Network. My song “The Rain” has officially been transmitted all the way to Venus, the planet that symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment. The sky is… pic.twitter.com/g6HofNQSt1

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) July 15, 2024

Elliott’s music often features space-themed imagery and a futuristic aesthetic, making her a fitting choice for a collaboration that blends culture with space exploration.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Missy Elliott (@missymisdemeanorelliott)

Beyond creating innovative beats, the four-time Grammy Award-winning artist has made an impact with her music by addressing themes such as feminism and gender equality.

I’m just Waiting on that Spaceship to take y’all #OUTOFTHISWORLD it’s gone be crazzzzzzy facts#outofthisworldtour pic.twitter.com/xbsPFLcLZd

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) June 9, 2024

Elliott has an influential role in shaping contemporary music by inspiring a new generation of artists and creating cultural milestones, including her recent achievement of having her work reach outer space.

OH SNAPWe bout to go #OUTOFTHISWORLD on this tour 4real tho! The ENERGY gone be through the ROOF! Look up in the sky & see where the SPACESHIP gonna land next @ciara @BustaRhymes @Timbaland https://t.co/f6wE0hldEQ pic.twitter.com/eovTLnUfoL

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) May 13, 2024

Missy Elliott: Website | Instagram | X
h/t: [IFL Science]

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READ: From Earth to Venus: NASA Sends Missy Elliott’s Hit Song ‘The Rain’ Into Space

Perseid Meteor Shower as seen in 2017 from Egypt. (Photo: Ahmed abd elkader mohamed via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Summer is a prime time for meteor watching.The weather is great, the nights are warm, and the skies are putting on a show. As Earth enters the path of debris fields in space, the debris hits our atmosphere. The hot rocks burn up as they pass through our atmosphere, creating the trailing “shooting stars” that we see from Earth. A meteor shower is a stunning celestial event, and there are plenty of chances for American viewers to catch the spectacle in summer 2024. Chief among these is the annual Perseid Meteor shower, which due to the lower moonlight expected this year, will be particularly visible and exciting.

The Perseids will begin in late July, amping up to a peak on August 11 and 12, before tailing off through August 18, 2024. At peak, observers will likely see between 50 and 100 meteors in an hour. For the week leading up to August 12, the Moon is at less than 50% brightness, allowing the shooting meteors to shine. Meteor enthusiasts should be sure to watch in pre-dawn darkness for the best viewing, and intrepid travelers can hope to catch especially amazing views from national parks including Grand Canyon National Park. (See a list of the top seven dark sky parks to view the event from on Outside.)

In case you miss the Perseids, there are other smaller meteor showers throughout the summer. From late July to late August 2024, according to Space.com, six meteor showers will occur, including the “Capricornids, Delta Aquarids, Piscis Australids, Alpha Capricornids, Iota Aquarids, and Kappa Cygnids.” So get outside and observe these incredible sights. The Perseids have been fascinating humans since at least 36 CE when they were first recorded by observers, and they are just as incredible in 2024.

In the second week of August 2024, observers can expect to see an especially impressive display of the Perseid Meteor shower.

The shower seen in summer 2010. (Photo: ESO/S. Guisard via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

The Moon will be at less than 50% brightness, making it a perfectly dark sky for the best viewing of “shooting stars.”

The meteor shower in 2007. (Photo: Brocken Inaglory via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

h/t: [Space]

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Photo: Stephen Atkinson (CC BY 4.0)

Water, food, and oxygen are the most basic elements needed to sustain life. Since their discovery, water bears, or tardigrades, have defied that fact by surviving without food for long periods and withstanding extreme temperatures and environments. However, while they don’t have respiratory organs, tardigrades do require oxygen to live. But what if there is an animal that doesn’t need oxygen, one of the essentials to life?

In 2020, a research team led by Dayana Yahalomi, a bioinformatics software engineer, answered this question by investigating the parasite Henneguya salminicola. The multicellular organism, commonly found in salmon, belongs to the Myxozoa clade within Cnidaria, a group of animals containing jellyfish, sea ​​anemones, and various marine parasites. The team’s findings, published in the PNAS, found that salminicola is unique among multicellular organisms because it doesn’t require aerobic respiration and therefore does not intake oxygen. Instead, the H. salminicola sustains itself by directly taking nutrients and molecules from its salmon host.

The researchers used deep sequencing approaches that were supported by fluorescence micrographs to determine that the parasite has no mitochondrial genome and is thus unable to perform cellular respiration. In most organisms, mitochondria are responsible for converting food into energy. In addition to the missing genome, the scientists also found that H. salminicola has lost nearly all nuclear genes related to mitochondrial genome replication and transcription.

In the publication, the researchers explain that to adapt to low-oxygen environments, several organisms have lost the ability to perform cellular respiration and have instead adopted new anaerobic metabolic mechanisms.

For the investigation’s control group, the analysts used the same sequencing and annotation methods to show that a closely related myxozoan, Myxobolus squamalis, has a mitochondrial genome. The study's results showed the presence of mitochondrial DNA in M. squamalis, but not in H. salminicola.

The discovery of Henneguya salminicola has changed science as we know it, being the first known multicellular organism that does not require oxygen to survive. Its finding brings up the question of life in extreme environments, including those found in space. As research on extraordinary organisms continues, our understanding of the fundamentals of life will continue to evolve.

In 2020, researchers discovered Henneguya Salminicola, a multicellular parasite found in salmon, which does not require oxygen for survival.

Photo: Stephen Atkinson (CC BY 4.0)

This organism lacks a mitochondrial genome necessary for aerobic respiration and instead relies on nutrient absorption from its host.

Photo: Stephen Atkinson (CC BY 4.0)

The research emphasizes the adaptability of biological systems under environmental pressures and suggests possibilities for life in extreme regions, including space.

Photo: Stephen Atkinson (CC BY 4.0)

h/t: [ScienceAlert]

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Photo: VitalikRadko/Depositphotos

We all know that getting a good night's sleep is important, but a new study sheds light on just how much. According to researchers from Stockholm University, sleep actually affects how old you feel. This means that sleeping well can leave you feeling young and refreshed. But, on the flip side, a few bad nights of sleep will age you.

“Given that sleep is essential for brain function and overall well-being, we decided to test whether sleep holds any secrets to preserving a youthful sense of age,” says Leonie Balter, researcher at the Department of Psychology, Stockholm University.

To get answers, they surveyed 429 individuals aged 18 to 70 and asked how many nights of bad sleep they'd gotten over the past month and how old they felt. It turns out that for every night of bad sleep, each participant felt an average of 0.23 years older.

For the second part of the study, researchers asked 186 participants aged 18 to 46 to restrict their sleep to just four hours for two nights in a row. They were then asked to sleep nine hours for two consecutive evenings. Each time, they were asked how old they felt. On average, the participants felt 4.4 years older when their sleep was restricted.

Interestingly, how the participants viewed their age has a lot to do with their level of sleepiness. When extremely alert, they felt four years younger. Conversely, when extremely tired, they felt much older—six years, to be exact.

“This means that going from feeling alert to sleepy added a striking 10 years to how old one felt,” says Balter. “Safeguarding our sleep is crucial for maintaining a youthful feeling. This, in turn, may promote a more active lifestyle and encourage behaviors that promote health, as both feeling young and alert are important for our motivation to be active.”

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READ: Sleep Study Shows Two Nights of Bad Sleep Ages You Four Years

Photo: Newretreads via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Dingoes are as ubiquitous in Australia as kangaroos or koalas, yet we know surprisingly little about the origins of these medium-sized wild dogs.  Thanks to ancient dingo DNA, researchers have recently solved some mysteries about their origins and learned more about their evolutionary relationships to other canines.

While dingoes were introduced to Australia by humans from Southeast Asia, they are still considered native to the continent. Dingoes—with their distinct sandy coat, bushy tails, and erect ears—hold a prominent place in Australia's natural and cultural identity as one of its most iconic animals. As one of the continent's few native land mammals, they have been connected with Aboriginal and Indigenous cultures for millennia.

Unfortunately, while typically considered a non-aggressive species, dingoes have been known to attack livestock, pets, and humans. As a result, they are often considered pests and have been killed by farmers for their behavior.

However, new research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences could help the public understand these animals better and conserve their population. By comparing the DNA from 42 ancient dingo skeletons to DNA from various canines, modern dingoes, domestic dogs, wolves, and New Guinea singing dogs, several myths are also dispelled.

For instance, contrary to popular belief, the study shows that dingoes largely did not interbreed with domestic dogs, indicating that they are a unique species.

The study also suggested that modern dingoes share little genetic ancestry with domestic dogs. Rather, their ancestors are ancient dogs and wolves from China and the Tibetan plateau. The findings suggest that dingoes likely arrived in Australia between 3,000 and 8,000 years ago, potentially transported by traders across the Pacific Ocean. Additionally, ancient DNA analysis revealed shared ancestry between modern New Guinea singing dogs—one of the rarest wild dogs—and dingoes.

The dingo remains used for the study came from museums and ranged in age from 400 to over 2,746 years old. Before their life in a museum, they were discovered in various parts of the continent, with two distinct regional populations split along the Great Dividing Range.

It was also discovered that humans did not affect the divide between southeastern and northwestern dingo populations, as commonly believed. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a 3,500-mile dingo fence to deter dingoes was built, and it was thought that this manmade intervention caused the population to split. However, the study revealed that the populations had been separated for over 2,000 years. With this information, researchers hypothesize that dingoes migrated in two distinct events to different parts of Australia and remained isolated due to the continent's terrain.

The findings of this new DNA study emphasize the importance of preserving dingoes, as they confirm that they are a distinct species. As such, laws about shooting them could change, and they have a better chance of receiving special conservation status.

“We have to respect these ancient remains because they are telling us a story,” Dr Sally Wasef, an expert on ancient DNA from the Queensland University of Technology and a lead author of the research, tells The Guardian.

Understanding the dingo's role as a predator and symbol of Australia's cultural and natural landscape is essential for conserving its unique place in the continent's ecosystem and heritage.

“We hope people making decisions about dingoes today now see these amazing animals have been around a long time and had time to harmonize with the environment,” adds another lead author, Dr Yassine Souilmi, of the University of Adelaide’s Australian Centre for Ancient DNA and Environment Institute.

Recent DNA analysis of ancient dingo skeletons has clarified their origins and evolutionary history, showing minimal genetic overlap with domestic dogs.

Genetic analysis of 42 ancient dingo specimens sheds light on their evolution. Today’s dingoes likely resulted from a single wave of migration into Australia. Southeastern populations mixed with New Guinea singing dogs around 2,500 years ago. In PNAS: https://t.co/BwmRg6jRjo pic.twitter.com/CyQz871wpT

— PNASNews (@PNASNews) July 11, 2024

Pacific traders likely transported dingoes, which originated from ancient dogs and wolves in China and Tibet, to Australia thousands of years ago.

Photo: filedimage/Depositphotos

This study underscores the importance of conserving dingoes as a unique species necessary to Australia's natural and cultural heritage.

Photo: filedimage/Depositphotos

h/t: [Smithsonian Magazine]

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READ: Ancient Dingo DNA Reveals the Surprising Origins of Australia’s Iconic Wild Dog

Photo: Jake Barker/Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Land managers at a wildlife sanctuary in Western Australia were in for a treat when a frog hopped into their workshop. As the amphibian sat on a bench and gazed up at them, they couldn't help but be fascinated by its blue color. So they snapped a photo and sent it over to Jake Barker, a field ecologist at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Barker couldn't believe what he saw.

“Seeing the picture of the frog, it definitely elevated my heart rate,” Barker told ABC News. “It was so cool, it was a really exciting and special thing.”

The magnificent tree frog (Litoria splendida) is typically green with white spots. This large tree frog is found in a limited range that includes Kimberley, where the sanctuary is located. Finding a blue member of the species is extremely rare, as they're often quickly spotted by predators. In fact, it's the first time the Australian Wildlife Conservancy has seen a blue magnificent tree frog.

“Frogs have blue and yellow pigments in their skin. That usually combines to form green, so most frogs are green,” Barker shares. “And this is a rare mutation called axanthism, when the yellow pigments are inhibited and it just leaves the blue to come through. And for it to be pretty much the entire frog blue is really rare.”

Jodi Rowley, curator of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology at the Australian Museum, backed up Barker's conclusion: “I’ve seen tens of thousands of frogs over the years, and only seen one blue frog—and it was nowhere near as spectacular as this magnificent tree frog. A rare encounter and one that highlights the spectacular diversity of Australia’s frogs.”

The species can live for up to 20 years, and, given its size, Rowley believes that it is a few years old. “It's a very healthy frog,” Rowley says. “It's definitely a showy frog. It's one of the most beautiful frogs I've ever seen.”

Magnificent tree frogs are usually green, but a frog with a blue mutation was found in Western Australia.

hoto: Evan Picket via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The nocturnal frog was discovered at the Charnley River-Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary in Kimberley.

#BTS on ecological surveys in the Kimberley .

A huge survey effort recently wrapped up at our Charnley River-Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary – a rugged and complex landscape, inaccessible by road.

L Potter, B Riles, KLowe/AWC pic.twitter.com/h2xeyiNUjQ

— Australian Wildlife Conservancy (@awconservancy) August 25, 2021

h/t: [Live Science]

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Photo:NASA/Goddard/ASU

As beautiful as the Moon is, its surface is not especially hospitable to humans. Temperatures at the equator range from 250°F (121°C) during the day to -208°F (-133°C) after dark. Add in micrometeorites and high levels of radiation and it seems unlikely that astronauts will ever spend extended periods of time on the Moon’s surface. However, according to a new study published in Nature, the first confirmed lunar cave has been identified and could eventually be a base camp for astronauts on long-term missions.

Scientists have been theorizing about lunar caves for at least 50 years. In 2009, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)  launched in order to make a 3D map of the Moon. It gathered evidence in 2010 of very deep pits, including one on the Sea of Tranquility, near where Apollo 11 landed in 1969.

The radar imaging of this 300-foot-wide pit has now been reanalyzed using new signal processing techniques. As a result, University of Trento scientists Lorenzo Bruzzone and Leonardo Carrer determined the pit is indeed an opening to a cave that is as long as 14 tennis courts and 130 feet wide.

Photo: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Despite its promising structure, getting in and out of the cave might be tricky. It's nearly a completely vertical slope down, and it's 410 feet below the surface on the west side. On the east side, it's even deeper at 443 feet. As Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration researcher Robert Wagner explained to The Guardian, “Getting into that pit requires descending 125 meters before you reach the floor, and the rim is a steep slope of loose debris where any movement will send little avalanches down on to anyone below. It’s certainly possible to get in and out, but it will take a significant amount of infrastructure.”

Scientists are hoping this is just the first of many caves to be discovered as the LRO has already identified over 200 lunar pits. The confirmed lunar cave, along with other pits, are thought to be the result of lava tubes formed from volcanic activity that occurred billions of year ago. Not only could caves be vital to future long-term missions in terms of shelter, they may also contain ice and be a source of water. Study author Carrer notes, “After all, life on Earth began in caves, so it makes sense that humans could live inside them on the Moon.”

The research implications of having access to lunar caves would also be wide-reaching. The geological record from inside the caves will provide billions of years of information. This data would aide researchers in understanding both volcanoes and the formation of the Moon.

“It’s really exciting,” Carrer says. “When you make these discoveries and you look at these images, you realize you’re the first person in the history of humanity to see it.”

While lunar caves have been theorized about for half a century, researchers have recently confirmed the existence of one on the Sea of Tranquility.

One of many large pit craters so far found on the Moon — do these pits provide access to open lava tubes? Image is 1170 meters wide. (Photo:NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)

This is a spectacular high-Sun view of the Mare Tranquillitatis pit crater revealing boulders on an otherwise smooth floor. This image from LRO’s Narrow Angle Camera is 400 meters (1,312 feet) wide, north is up.
(Photo: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University)

The lunar cave is thought to be a lava tube cave that is the result of volcanic activity billions of years ago.

This image was taken in August 2019 inside a lava tube near Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, where scientists had come to study the microbes and minerals that could reveal insights about similar extra-terrestial environments. (Photo:NASA/Goddard)

h/t: [Smithsonian Magazine]

All images via NASA.

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Since 1992, when the first exoplanet was confirmed, over 6,600 have been discovered in 4,868 planetary systems. Inspired by these discoveries, Slovakian artist and designer Martin Vargic has created two visual representations that are aesthetically beautiful and scientifically fascinating.

One infographic, the Exoplanet Zoo, shows over 1,100 known exoplanets arranged by the amount of heat they receive from their relative stars. The other, Icy and Rocky Worlds, sorts nearly 900 known exoplanets that are confirmed or thought to be rocky or terrestrial by the heat they receive.

While he took some artistic liberties, such as the ring systems, the vast majority of the exoplanets' look and feel are anchored in science. Created using data from The Extrasolar Planet Encyclopaedia, NASA Exoplanet Archive, and ExoKyoto, each piece took Vargic six months to complete.

“I researched extensively on the possible coloration of exoplanets,” Vargic tells My Modern Met. “The appearances of giant planets on the graphic are based on the Sudarsky's scale and likely presence of different cloud or haze compounds at different temperatures, as well as existing exoplanet art.”

Both posters, which are on sale via Vargic's Halcyon Maps, offer plenty to enjoy. Some of the fascinating exoplanets included are WASP-12b, an exceedingly hot egg-shaped planet warped by its proximity to its star, and 55 Cancri e. This exoplanet is confirmed to have a lava ocean and an interior mainly composed of diamonds.

“I hope the infographics help people appreciate the sheer number and variety of exoplanets we already know of, just how few are comparatively found in the habitable zone, the sheer extremes of temperature distant exoplanets can be found at, and perhaps inspire them to pursue space and astronomy further,” shares Vargic. “Despite their scale, both infographics combined still portray only one-quarter of all exoplanets discovered so far!”

Scroll down to see more details from both of these incredible astronomy infographics.

Artist Martin Vargic has created infographics that explore the fascinating world of exoplanets.

He sorted nearly 2,000 exoplanets by temperature using data from several astronomical sources.

One infographic hones in on terrestrial and rocky planets.

Exoplanet Zoo and Icy and Rocky Worlds are available as posters on Vargic's Halcyon Maps.

Halcyon Maps: Website | Facebook | X

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Martin Vargic.

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