Planetary Science

  1. Planetary Science

    First peek under clouds reveals Jupiter’s surprising depths

    Jupiter’s colorful bands originate several hundred kilometers beneath the cloud tops, the Juno spacecraft reveals.

    By Christopher Crockett
  2. Planetary Science

    Mars lander silent as mission scientists work out what went wrong

    Schiaparelli lander is still silent on the surface of Mars while mission scientists try to understand what happened during the probe’s descent.

    By Christopher Crockett
  3. Planetary Science

    Experts don’t agree on age of Saturn’s rings

    Saturn’s rings could be almost as old as the solar system, and the Cassini craft is poised to help find out.

    By Christopher Crockett
  4. Planetary Science

    Juno spacecraft goes into ‘safe mode,’ continues to orbit Jupiter

    The Juno spacecraft has gone into safe mode while in orbit around Jupiter. Mission scientists are also closely monitoring a fuel valve issue on the probe.

    By Christopher Crockett
  5. Planetary Science

    Mission scientists await signal from Mars lander

    The ExoMars mission’s Schiaparelli lander went silent before its scheduled landing on the Red Planet.

    By Christopher Crockett
  6. Planetary Science

    Possibly cloudy forecast for parts of Pluto

    Reflective patches on Pluto could be hints of rare cloud formation on the dwarf planet.

    By Christopher Crockett
  7. Planetary Science

    ExoMars mission set to arrive at Red Planet on October 19

    The European ExoMars mission is about to arrive at the Red Planet, dropping a lander on the surface and putting a spacecraft into orbit.

    By Christopher Crockett
  8. Planetary Science

    Lava may be flowing from Venus volcano

    Lava flows might explain a hot spot seen in data from Venus Express spacecraft.

    By Christopher Crockett
  9. Planetary Science

    Comet 67P cracking under pressure

    Cracks developing on comet 67P are signs of stress building in the neck of the comet that could lead to its two ends snapping apart.

    By Christopher Crockett
  10. Planetary Science

    Saturn’s moon Dione might harbor an underground ocean

    Saturn’s moon Dione might have an underground ocean, like several other moons in the solar system.

    By Christopher Crockett
  11. Planetary Science

    Saturn’s moon Dione might harbor an underground ocean

    Saturn’s moon Dione might have an underground ocean, like several other moons in the solar system.

    By Christopher Crockett
  12. Planetary Science

    Rock hounds are on the hunt for new carbon minerals

    The race is on to find about 140 predicted carbon-based minerals in locations around the world. Map included.

    By Sid Perkins