Planetary Science

  1. Space

    The solar system may have a new smallest dwarf planet: Hygiea

    New images reveal Hygiea is round, a final criterion for promoting the wee world from asteroid to dwarf planet status.

    By
  2. Planetary Science

    Astronomers have spotted a new type of storm on Saturn

    In 2018, telescopes on Earth and in space identified a never-before-seen kind of storm activity on the ringed planet.

    By
  3. Space

    How the second known interstellar visitor makes ‘Oumuamua seem even odder

    With its gaseous halo and tail, the second discovered interstellar object, 2I/Borisov, looks basically like your run-of-the-mill solar system comet.

    By
  4. Space

    Why just being in the habitable zone doesn’t make exoplanets livable

    A reignited debate over whether a new planet is habitable highlights the difficult science of seeking alien life.

    By
  5. Space

    ‘Imagined Life’ envisions the odd critters of other planets

    The authors of ‘Imagined Life’ rely on science to sketch out what kind of organisms might exist on exoplanets.

    By
  6. Planetary Science

    India’s first attempt to land on the moon appears to have failed

    Indian scientists haven’t heard from the Vikram lander for a full lunar day, after they lost contact during the robotic spacecraft’s descent.

    By
  7. Planetary Science

    Astronomers have spotted a second interstellar object

    Researchers will be able to watch what appears to be an interstellar comet swoop through the solar system for about a year.

    By
  8. Space

    India lost contact with its first lunar lander just before touchdown

    Chandrayaan 2 mission officials are trying to figure out why its rover-carrying lander went silent moments before it was to reach the moon’s surface.

    By
  9. Space

    Iron sulfide may be keeping Mercury’s core toasty and its magnetic field alive

    New estimates of how much heat Mercury’s core loses could explain why the tiny world has a long-lived magnetic field.

    By
  10. Space

    Overnight changes in Mars’ atmosphere could solve a methane mystery

    Overnight atmospheric changes on Mars can explain why two spacecraft measure vastly different concentrations of methane.

    By
  11. Space

    5 of Jupiter’s newly discovered moons received names in a public contest

    Astronomers first announced the discovery of the worlds in July 2018, and have now named them for goddesses and spirits of Greek and Roman mythology.

    By
  12. Space

    For an asteroid, Ryugu has surprisingly little dust on its surface

    Ryugu lacks the dust that some other space rocks have. The near-Earth asteroid may hide the fine debris inside porous rocks or eject it into space.

    By