Happy New Year 2025

Tag: discovery

  • When Is Pluto Day 2025? Know Date, Aim and Significance of the Day That Marks the Anniversary Of The Planet’s Discovery

    When Is Pluto Day 2025? Know Date, Aim and Significance of the Day That Marks the Anniversary Of The Planet’s Discovery

    Every year, Pluto Day is celebrated across the United States of America (USA) on February 18 to mark the anniversary of the discovery of Pluto. This planet was the former ninth planet of our solar system. It was discovered on February 18, 1930, by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, USA. Pluto’s discovery expanded the understanding of the solar system and sparked decades of astronomical research. Until 2006, Pluto was classified as the ninth planet until 2006, when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined what constitutes a planet, leading to Pluto being reclassified as a dwarf planet. In this article, let’s know more about the Pluto Day 2025 date and the significance of the annual US event. Pluto Atmosphere Pics: NASA Shares Stunning Visuals of the Dwarf Planet’s Hazy Atmosphere Captured by the New Horizons Spacecraft.

    Some of us still want to know the answer to why is Pluto no longer a planet. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union because other objects might cross its orbit. Discovered in 1930, Pluto was long considered our solar system’s ninth planet. But after the discovery of similar worlds deeper in the Kuiper Belt, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006. February 2025 Holidays and Festivals Calendar: Get Full List of Major Events in the Second Month of the Year. 

    Pluto Day 2025 Date

    Pluto Day 2025 falls on Tuesday, February 18.

    Pluto Day Significance

    Pluto Day is an important annual event in the US that highlights the importance of Pluto’s discovery that expanded our understanding of the solar system and sparked decades of astronomical research. Pluto was named by an 11-year-old girl. In 1930, Venetia Burney of Oxford, England, suggested to her grandfather that the new discovery be named for the Roman god of the underworld. He forwarded the name to the Lowell Observatory and it was selected.

    Pluto is orbited by five known moons, the largest of which is Charon and is said to be about half the size of Pluto itself, making it the largest satellite relative to the planet it orbits in our solar system. Pluto and Charon are often referred to as a “double planet.” The only spacecraft to explore Pluto up close was NASA’s New Horizons. It flew by the dwarf planet and its moons in 2015. On this day, space enthusiasts and astronomers reflect on Pluto’s importance in planetary science.

    (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 18, 2025 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

  • New dinosaur species similar to T. rex found in Asia: ‘Significant’ discovery

    New dinosaur species similar to T. rex found in Asia: ‘Significant’ discovery

    A new carnivore has come to town — 165 million years ago at least. 

    The Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus, a new species and genus of theropod dinosaur, has been discovered in Kyrgyzstan by an expedition team of German and Kyrgyz researchers, according to the Bavarian State Natural History Collections in Germany. 

    Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus is the first theropod dinosaur found in Kyrgyzstan and the “find is one of the most significant in Central Asia,” the institution said in a news release. 

    Before the new species’ discovery, no large Jurassic predatory dinosaurs had been known to live in the area around Kyrgyzstan between Central Europe and Eastern Asia, according to the institution. 

    DINOSAUR-KILLING ASTEROID LIKELY CAME FROM BEYOND JUPITER, STUDY FINDS

    An artist’s rendering of the Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus, a new species and genus of theropod dinosaur found in Kyrgyzstan. (Bavarian State Natural History Collections)

    The first fossils of Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus were uncovered in 2006 by Kyrgyz paleontologist Aizek Bakirov in a mountainous desert area of the country near the city of Tashkumyr.

    Between 2006 and last year, more fossils, including skull bones, pelvic vertebrae and forearms, were found. 

    The dinosaur is believed to be around 30 feet long.

    Mountains in Kyrgyzstan

    The dinosaur’s fossils were found in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. (Bavarian State Natural History Collections)

    “Particularly impressive is its extremely protruding ‘eyebrow’ on the so-called postorbital bone, a skull bone behind the eye-opening, which indicates the presence of a horn at this point,” the institution said. “Other unique features are found on the dorsal vertebrae and the femur.”

    Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus and Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) were both theropods — although T. rex lived later during the Cretaceous period and in different parts of the world — dinosaurs who walked on strong back legs and had shorter front limbs. Modern-day birds evolved from theropods. 

    NEWLY DISCOVERED DINOSAUR SPECIES IS ONLY GREEN FOSSIL EVER FOUND, TO BE DISPLAYED IN LA

    T-Rex skeleton

    Tyrannosaurus rex and Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus are both theropods. (Mark Wilson/Newsmakers)

    Professor Oliver Rauhut of the Bavarian Collection of Paleontology and Geology in Munich, who was a first author of the study published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, said in a statement: “This discovery closes a huge gap in our knowledge of the Jurassic theropods. It leads us to important new insights into the evolution and biogeography of these animals.” 

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    A smaller, juvenile Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus specimen was found at the site along with the adult dinosaur, leading researchers to believe it may have been a parent and child. 

    Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus is named for a mythological Kyrgyz bird called Alpkarakush that often aids heroes in critical moments and for being found in the Kyrgyz Republic. 

  • Complete mastodon jaw found in New York homeowner’s backyard: ‘Remarkable discovery’

    Complete mastodon jaw found in New York homeowner’s backyard: ‘Remarkable discovery’

    A homeowner in New York uncovered a complete mastodon jaw in their backyard in what officials are calling a “remarkable discovery.” 

    The jaw of the extinct mammal, which was similar to an elephant, and several bone fragments were excavated from a property in Scotchtown by researchers from the New York State Museum and SUNY Orange. 

    “The fossils – discovered by a curious homeowner – will undergo carbon dating and extensive scientific analysis to determine the mastodon’s age, diet, and habitat,” the New York State Museum said in a statement. “Once preserved and studied, the jaw and related findings will be showcased in public programming in 2025, offering visitors a glimpse into New York’s rich Ice Age history.” 

    The Albany-based Museum said the homeowner first noticed the jaw when they spotted “two unusual teeth concealed by plant fronds and, intrigued, dug a bit deeper to uncover two more teeth just inches beneath the surface.” 

    ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH 13,000-YEAR-OLD MASTODON SKULL IN IOWA 

    New York State Museum and SUNY Orange staff excavate a mastodon jaw found on a property in Scotchtown, N.Y. (New York State Museum)

    “When I found the teeth and examined them in my hands, I knew they were something special and decided to call in the experts,” the museum quoted the homeowner as saying. “I’m thrilled that our property has yielded such an important find for the scientific community.” 

    The discovery is also being described by the museum as the first of its kind in New York in 11 years, and a “prehistoric treasure.” 

    480-YEAR-OLD FIREARM DISCOVERED IN ARIZONA DESCRIBED BY RESEARCHERS AS THE ‘OLDEST’ FOUND IN THE US 

    Mastodon tooth

    A mastodon tooth that was still embedded in the jaw found in New York’s Orange County. (New York State Museum)

    “Excavation efforts by the New York State Museum and SUNY Orange unearthed a full, well-preserved mastodon jaw belonging to an adult individual,” it said. “Alongside the jaw, researchers also recovered a piece of a toe bone and a rib fragment, offering valuable additional clues about the mastodon’s life and environment.” 

    Museum officials said 150 mastodon fossils have been found across New York, but a third of them have come from Orange County, where the jaw was discovered. 

    Mastodon mammal illustration

    A printed illustration of a mastodon from the book Animals of the Prehistoric World. (Florilegius/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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    “While the jaw is the star of the show, the additional toe and rib fragments offer valuable context and the potential for additional research,” Cory Harris, Chair of SUNY Orange’s Behavioral Sciences Department, said in a statement. “We are also hoping to further explore the immediate area for more bones that may have been preserved.” 

    Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.