Planetary Science

Space

Flat spots on Saturn’s moon Titan may be the floors of ancient lake beds

Bright radio signals from Titan indicate the presence of ancient lake beds in its tropics, a new analysis finds.

Planetary Science

Meteorites might be more likely to strike near the equator

Meteorites from Antarctica have helped scientists assess the total number likely to hit Earth every year — and where they are most likely to fall.

Space

Stunning images of swirling gas and dust may show a planet forming

Infrared images show a spiral of gas and dust around a star 520 light-years away. A smaller, tantalizing twist hints at where a planet is coalescing.

Chemistry

Astronauts may be able to make cement using their own pee

Lunar dust and a compound found in urine could be used to build future dwellings on the moon, a new study finds.

Tech

Wiggling wheels could keep future rovers trucking in loose lunar soil

A rover that wriggles through soil could climb hills on the moon or Mars that are too steep for a simple wheeled bot.

Space

Salty water might exist on Mars, but it’s probably too cold for life

Salty liquids may last for several hours on the Red Planet but be too chilly for any known microorganisms from Earth to survive, simulations suggest.

Planetary Science

Planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres could harbor life

Lab experiments show yeast and E. coli survive and reproduce in hydrogen gas, suggesting new environments to seek alien life.

Planetary Science

This is the most comprehensive map of the moon’s geology yet

Cartographers merged Apollo-era maps and modern lunar observations to into a new geologic map of the moon.

Space

Interstellar comet Borisov has an unexpected amount of carbon monoxide

The second known visitor from outside the solar system has three times as much CO relative to H2O than any comet seen in the inner solar system.

Planetary Science

Unlike Earth, the gases in Venus’ atmosphere aren’t uniformly mixed

Measurements of Venus’ atmospheric nitrogen show that a planet’s upper atmosphere doesn’t necessarily match the lower atmosphere.

Space

‘Spacefarers’ predicts how space colonization will happen

In Spacefarers, Christopher Wanjek provides an optimistic yet realistic view on how humans might colonize the rest of our solar system.

Space

Saturn’s auroras may explain the planet’s weirdly hot upper atmosphere

Data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft could help solve Saturn’s mysterious “energy crisis.”