Some 8,000 light-years away, a moon has been discovered—possibly the first one outside our own solar system. Dubbed an “exomoon,” the “Neptune-sized” gassy object, which orbits a “Jupiter-sized” planet, was spotted by Columbia University astronomers via the Kepler and Hubble space telescopes. It’s “unlike anything scientists have seen before, and even if this turns out to be a false find, the experience has offered valuable insight on …
Scott Sheppard’s astronomy division at the Carnegie Institution for Science hunts for objects in very distant parts of our Solar System. Sometimes, however, they’re able to scour areas closer—depending on the orbit of planets intersecting with their work. When the latter scenario arose with Jupiter, Sheppard and his colleagues discovered 10 new moons—bringing the grand total of satellite bodies to 79. A few of these …
A rather popular complication in luxury watchmaking, a moon phase indicator is often a nice design touch rather than a useful tool—unless one looks to the stars for more than inspiration. At this year’s Baselworld, many brands presented stellar updates to the moon phase feature. The following five selections bring the power of the lunar orb to the wrist—visually stunning to the eye and reflecting …
