Planetary Science

  1. Planetary Science

    Rosetta spots Philae lander on surface of comet 67P

    Missing since November 2014, the Philae comet lander has been found lurking in the shadows on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

    By Christopher Crockett
  2. Planetary Science

    Juno transmits first intimate snapshots of Jupiter

    Hurricane-like clouds spiral over Jupiter’s poles, new photos taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft reveal.

    By Emily Conover
  3. Planetary Science

    Water plays big role in shaping dwarf planet Ceres

    Findings from the Dawn spacecraft turn up cryovolcanoes, ice patches and hydrated minerals on Ceres, supporting the idea that water helped shape the dwarf planet.

    By Christopher Crockett
  4. Planetary Science

    Water has played a big role in shaping dwarf planet Ceres

    Findings from the Dawn spacecraft turn up cryovolcanoes, ice patches and hydrated minerals on Ceres, supporting the idea that water helped shape the dwarf planet.

    By Christopher Crockett
  5. Planetary Science

    Spacecraft reveal diversity in solar system’s landscapes

    The latest generation of interplanetary spacecraft have revealed diverse landscapes on planets, asteroids and comets throughout the solar system.

    By Christopher Crockett
  6. Planetary Science

    Venus once possibly habitable, study suggests

    Venus might have once been habitable and home to a shallow ocean.

    By Christopher Crockett
  7. Planetary Science

    Visits to Proxima Centauri’s planet are probably millennia away

    A trip to Proxima Centauri’s planet would take millennia, even with alpha particle propulsion.

    By Tom Siegfried
  8. Planetary Science

    Ceres is more than just a space rock

    Dawn spacecraft reveals that the dwarf planet Ceres hides a core of solid rock beneath an outer crust of minerals, salts and ices.

    By Christopher Crockett
  9. Planetary Science

    Rosetta spacecraft has stopped listening for Philae lander

    Rosetta is no longer listening for communications from the comet lander Philae.

    By Emily Conover
  10. Planetary Science

    Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is hot

    High temperatures over Jupiter’s Great Red Spot suggest that storms pump heat into the atmosphere and warm the entire planet.

    By Christopher Crockett
  11. Planetary Science

    40 years ago, Viking 1 pioneered U.S. exploration on Mars

    Forty years ago, Viking 1 became the first U.S. mission to land safely on the surface of Mars.

    By Christopher Crockett
  12. Planetary Science

    Juno snaps its first pic of Jupiter

    Jupiter and three of its moons take center stage in the first snapshot taken by the Juno spacecraft since arriving at the planet on July 4.

    By Christopher Crockett