Planetary Science
- Planetary Science
Mars (probably) has a lake of liquid water
A 15-year-old Mars orbiter has spotted signs of a salty lake beneath the Red Planet’s south polar ice sheets.
- Planetary Science
Jupiter has 12 more moons than we knew about — and one is bizarre
Astronomers found a dozen previously unknown moons of Jupiter, and one may be a remnant of a larger moon that was all but ground to dust.
- Planetary Science
First global maps of Pluto and Charon show the worlds’ highs and lows
New charts of Pluto and its moon Charon, compiled using New Horizons’ data, reveal high peaks, deep depressions and strange ridges.
- Astronomy
Astronomers snap the first baby pictures of a planet
New telescope images give the clearest view of an exoplanet embryo yet.
- Astronomy
Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft arrives at the asteroid Ryugu
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft says “hello” to near-Earth asteroid Ryugu.
- Planetary Science
Mars got its crust quickly
The Martian crust had solidified within 20 million years of the solar system’s formation.
- Astronomy
On Jupiter, lightning flashes from storms swirling at the poles
After almost 40 years, scientists have discovered that Jupiter has lightning that is similar to lightning on Earth — it just happens in a different place.
- Planetary Science
Venus’ thick atmosphere speeds up the planet’s spin
Venus’ thick atmosphere can push on mountains on the surface, changing its rotation period by a few minutes every day.
- Planetary Science
The Mars rover Opportunity is sleeping, not dead, NASA says
Opportunity is hunkered down in a deep sleep on Mars to ride out what’s looking to be a long dark dust storm.
- Planetary Science
Opportunity rover waits out a huge dust storm on Mars
NASA’s Opportunity rover is in low-power mode to preserve battery life while a vast dust storm blankets part of the Red Planet.
- Planetary Science
Curiosity finds that Mars’ methane changes with the seasons
The Curiosity rover found seasonally changing methane in Mars’ atmosphere and more signs of organic molecules in an ancient lake bed.
- Planetary Science
New Horizons wakes up to begin Kuiper Belt exploration
The New Horizons spacecraft just woke up to get ready for its New Year’s Day flyby of the distant space rock Ultima Thule.
