Planetary Science

  1. Planetary Science

    Juno spacecraft reveals a more complex Jupiter

    NASA’s Juno spacecraft has sent back unexpected details about Jupiter, giving scientists their first intimate look at the giant planet.

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  2. Planetary Science

    TRAPPIST-1’s seventh planet is a chilly world

    Follow-up observations of TRAPPIST-1 and its seven planets reveals details about the outermost one.

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  3. Planetary Science

    TRAPPIST-1’s seventh planet is a chilly world

    Follow-up observations of TRAPPIST-1 and its seven planets reveals details about the outermost one.

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  4. Planetary Science

    50 years ago, an Earth-based telescope spotted Saturn’s fourth ring

    Scientists now rely on spacecraft to chart the intricate rings of the gas giant.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Readers ponder the randomness of DNA errors

    Readers sent feedback on cellular slip-ups, moon mayhem and more.

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  6. Planetary Science

    Watery exoplanet’s skies suggest unexpected origin story

    Compared with Neptune, HAT-P-26b’s atmosphere has few heavy elements, suggesting it formed differently than the ice giants in Earth’s solar system.

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  7. Planetary Science

    Oxygen on comet 67P might not be ancient after all

    Molecular oxygen detected around comet 67P may not be a relic of the solar system’s birth. Instead, it may be generated by interactions of water, the solar wind and the comet’s surface.

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  8. Planetary Science

    Mars may not have been born alongside the other rocky planets

    Mars formed farther away from the sun than its present-day orbit, not near the other terrestrial planets, new research suggests.

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  9. Planetary Science

    Here’s how an asteroid impact would kill you

    Most deaths caused by an asteroid impact would result from shock waves and winds generated from the blast, rather than effects such as earthquakes and tsunamis, new simulations show.

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  10. Planetary Science

    Cassini’s ring dive offers first close-up of Saturn’s cloud tops

    Cassini has completed its first dive between Saturn and its rings. Along the way, it snapped stunning pics of the planet’s atmosphere.

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  11. Planetary Science

    In ‘grand finale,’ Cassini spacecraft sets off on collision course with Saturn

    The Cassini spacecraft will plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere and disintegrate on Sept. 15, but is slated to do some solid science before its demise.

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  12. Planetary Science

    Nitrogen fizz fuels ‘magic island’ on Titan, simulation suggests

    Nitrogen bubbles may be the source of the “magic island” on Saturn’s moon Titan.

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