Planetary Science

Planetary Science

Jupiter’s massive Great Red Spot is at least 350 kilometers deep

NASA’s Juno spacecraft has measured the depth of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot for the first time.

Earth

Watching this newborn island erode could tell us a lot about Mars

The birth and death of a young volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean may shed light on the origins of volcanoes in Mars’ wetter past.

Planetary Science

Saturn’s rings mess with the gas giant’s atmosphere

Data from Cassini’s shallow dives into Saturn’s ionosphere show that this charged layer in the atmosphere interacts with the planet’s rings.

Astronomy

Most complete map of Titan reveals connected seas and cookie-cutter lakes

The latest map of Titan, based on all the data from the Cassini spacecraft, displays new details about the moon’s lakes and seas.

Astronomy

We still don’t know where the first interstellar asteroid came from

Astronomers are tracking stars to see if one of them launched the first interstellar asteroid at Earth.

Astronomy

Here is Cassini’s last broad look at the Saturn system

Two days before plunging into Saturn, Cassini took a mosaic image of the gas giant, its rings and its moons.

Astronomy

Haze keeps Pluto cool by kicking heat out to space

Pluto may be the only place in the solar system whose atmosphere is kept cool by solid hazes, not warmed by gas.

Astronomy

NASA wants your help naming New Horizons’ next destination

NASA’s New Horizons mission team is asking the public to vote on a nickname for the spacecraft’s next destination.

Astronomy

A sandy core may have kept Enceladus’ ocean warm

Friction in Enceladus’ porous core could help heat its ocean enough to keep it liquid for billions of years.

Planetary Science

See a new mosaic of images of comet 67P from the Rosetta mission

A montage of images taken by the Rosetta spacecraft and its lander, Philae, recap the daring mission to comet 67P.

Earth

Dino-dooming asteroid impact created a chilling sulfur cloud

The Chicxulub impact spewed more sulfur than previously believed.

Astronomy

An interstellar asteroid might have just been spotted for the first time

A newly spotted asteroid might be the first known to come from outside the solar system, and it could carry information about the makeup of alien planet systems.