All Stories by Christopher Crockett
- Astronomy
Fountains of spewing gas provide look at megastar formation
Fountains of gas erupt from a young massive star, giving astronomers a play-by-play on how stellar heavyweights form.
- Astronomy
‘Supernova sweeping’ cleans up a galaxy’s gas
Supernovas might sweep the remaining gas out of a galaxy after a supermassive black hole triggers the end of star formation.
- Planetary Science
NASA has a plan for putting rock from asteroid in moon’s orbit
NASA selects concept for its Asteroid Redirect Mission, which will let astronauts train for future missions to Mars.
- Astronomy
Unlikely nursery for new planets is next to massive black hole
Planet nurseries encircle young stars within a few light-years of the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way, scientists claim.
- Planetary Science
Earth, neighbors weren’t the first rocky planets in the solar system
Jupiter might have swept an earlier generation of rocky planets into the sun, leaving room for Earth and its neighbors to form.
- Planetary Science
Bright patches on Ceres are plumes of water, maybe
Bright patches on Ceres could be plumes of water venting into space.
- Planetary Science
Martian aurora, high-altitude dust clouds surprise scientists
Surprise auroras and mystery dust clouds dance in the Martian atmosphere, NASA’s newest Mars orbiter discovers.
- Astronomy
Super-Earths may form in two ways
Rocky planets much heavier than Earth may form in different ways.
- Planetary Science
Aurora shift confirms Ganymede’s ocean
New observations confirm the presence of a liquid saltwater ocean beneath the surface of Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede.
- Planetary Science
Titan’s vast seas may drive methane cycle
A phenomenon similar to Earth’s hydrological cycle on Saturn’s largest moon Titan may create different lake compositions, similar to the salinity difference between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
- Planetary Science
Rosetta probe to start listening for the lost lander Philae
The European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe will start listening for a signal from the lost lander Philae, missing in action since its landing on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on November 12.
- Astronomy
As many as nine new dwarf galaxies found outside Milky Way
A bevy of newly discovered satellite galaxies around the Milky Way could help astronomers study how galaxies form and the nature of dark matter.
