Planetary Science
- Astronomy
Cyanides around young star signal complex organic chemistry
Abundances of cyanide compounds around a young star match those found in comets in our solar system.
- Planetary Science
Minisatellites could detect dangerous asteroids, researchers propose
Five tiny telescopes orbiting the sun could provide early warning for an Earth-bound asteroid, though other researchers disagree.
- Planetary Science
NASA has a plan for putting rock from asteroid in moon’s orbit
NASA selects concept for its Asteroid Redirect Mission, which will let astronauts train for future missions to Mars.
- Planetary Science
Potentially life-friendly nitrogen compounds found on Mars
“Fixed” nitrogen has been found in Mars deposits, raising the possibility that ancient life could have used it to build biomolecules.
- Planetary Science
Earth, neighbors weren’t the first rocky planets in the solar system
Jupiter might have swept an earlier generation of rocky planets into the sun, leaving room for Earth and its neighbors to form.
- Astronomy
Solo planets may be surprisingly common
Rogue planets may form as stars do, but on a smaller scale, or they may go forced out of orbit during planetary ping-pong. Researchers are scanning the skies for them.
- Planetary Science
Bright patches on Ceres are plumes of water, maybe
Bright patches on Ceres could be plumes of water venting into space.
- Planetary Science
Martian aurora, high-altitude dust clouds surprise scientists
Surprise auroras and mystery dust clouds dance in the Martian atmosphere, NASA’s newest Mars orbiter discovers.
- Astronomy
Fast-spinning young Earth pulled the moon into a yo-yo orbit
The early moon’s orbit created a cycle between lunar phases unlike the one seen nowadays.
- Planetary Science
Aurora shift confirms Ganymede’s ocean
New observations confirm the presence of a liquid saltwater ocean beneath the surface of Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede.
- Planetary Science
Chinese rover reveals moon’s layers
Radar imaging done by China’s Yutu lunar rover reveals that the moon’s geological history could be more complex than once thought.
- Planetary Science
Titan’s vast seas may drive methane cycle
A phenomenon similar to Earth’s hydrological cycle on Saturn’s largest moon Titan may create different lake compositions, similar to the salinity difference between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
