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This week’s big news
IT’S AN AMAZING WEEK FOR...
November 12, 2021 •The Week Junior
O
n October 25, NASA announced that scientists
may have discovered a planet about the size
of Saturn outside the Milky Way. If their fi ndings
hold up, the planet would be the fi rst to ever be
located beyond our galaxy.
A group of astronomers (scientists who study
stars, planets, and space) used NASA’s Chandra
X-ray Observatory, a telescope that orbits Earth,
to identify the potential planet in what’s known
as the “Whirlpool” galaxy. It is located about
28 million light years (the distance light travels
in one Earth year) from Earth and is called an
exoplanet (a planet outside our solar system).
Researchers spotted the potential exoplanet
using events called transits. A transit takes place
when a planet passes in front of a star and blockssome of its light, causing a dip in the amount
of light it gives off. Based on how much light a
planet blocks, and for how long, researchers can
estimate its size and orbit.
The team needs more data to confi rm the
exoplanet’s existence. That requires waiting for
it to make another orbit so they can see it again,
which may not happen for about 70 years.
Astronomers have discovered more than
4,000 exoplanets, but until now they have
all been within the Milky Way. The latest
discovery suggests that planets exist throughout
the cosmos. “It’s always fun when you fi nd
something that is the fi rst of its kind,” lead
researcher Rosanne Di Stefano told NBC News.
“This is humbling and really exciting.”Possible planet outside galaxy
CLIMBING INTO
HISTORY
Dierdre Wolownick
celebrated her
70th birthday by
becoming the oldest
woman to climb El
Capitan, the 3,000-
foot rock formation
in California’s
Yosemite National
Park. Wolownick, whose son is famed climber Alex
Honnold, started climbing at age 58. “The most
important decision is to start,” she said.
ON THE COVER: GETTY IMAGES (2); NINTENDO; COURTESY THE PUBLISHER; COP26; ON THIS PAGE: X-RAY: NASA/CXC/SAO/R. DISTEFANO, ET AL.; OPTICAL: NASA/ESA/STSCI/GRENDLER; IFAW AUSTRALIA; REDUX; ALAMY; ON LEFT PAGE: ALAMY; SHUTTERSTOCK; GETTY IMAGESSOARING CANDY SALES
It’s an extra sweet year for Halloween treats:
Seasonal sales of candy increased 29% over 2020
and 43% over 2019. The $3 billion in candy sales
this year helps make up for 2020, when trick-or-
treating was limited due to the pandemic.HONORING A HERO DOG
A dog named Bear received an award for his
brave actions during the devastating wildfi res
in Australia in 2019 and 2020. The 6-year-old
Australian koolie, a trained rescue dog who
sni s out injured
animals, saved more
than 100 koalas from
the fi res. After Bear
was recognized at
the recent Animal
Action Awards
ceremony, his handler
said, “We’ll give Bear
extra pats and extra
play for his award.”Military takes
control in Sudan
O
n October 25, the military of Sudan took
control of the African country and arrested its
political leaders, including Prime Minister Abdalla
Hamdok. The coup (a sudden and illegal seizure of
power by a group that usually includes the army)
was led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head
of the Sudanese military.
Burhan took control of the country from the
Sovereignty Council, a group of military and civilian
leaders that has been sharing power since 2019.
He said a new government will be appointed to
lead the country until elections take place in 2023.
In Khartoum, the country’s capital, thousands
of protesters against the coup took to the streets,
chanting, “No to military rule.” When The Week Junior
went to press, authorities had shut down internet
access and at least 12 people had died in clashes.
Global groups including the African Union, Arab
League, European Union, and United Nations spoke
out against the takeover. The US stopped providing
millions of dollars in aid to Sudan and said the
civilian government should be restored.A girl protests
in SudanHalloween
treatsAn image of the Whirlpool
galaxy with the possible
exoplanet in the white boxBear the dogDierdre
WolownickDID YOU
KNOW?
The name of the Milky Way
comes from an ancient
Greek myth.Banca do Antfer
Telegram: https://t.me/bancadoantfer
Issuhub: https://issuhub.com/user/book/