Planetary Science
- Planetary Science
Icy rings found around tiny space rock
Astronomers discover an icy ring around the planetoid Chariklo, held in place by unseen moons.
- Planetary Science
Icy planetoid found lurking at edge of solar system
Astronomers discovered an icy planetoid orbiting beyond the edge of the Kuiper belt.
- Planetary Science
How Earth’s radiation belt gets its ‘stripes’
The rotation of the Earth may give the planet's inner radiation belt its zebralike stripes.
- Space
Exoplanet oxygen may not signal alien life
Oxygen in an exoplanet atmosphere may come from water and ultraviolet light, not alien life.
- Planetary Science
Mercury is more shriveled than originally thought
Like a week-old party balloon, Mercury has shrunk over the last 4.6 billion years.
- Planetary Science
Feedback
Readers respond to a special report on neuroscience and discuss moon dust.
- Planetary Science
Mojave Crater may be source of many Martian meteorites
Many of the roughly 150 Martian meteorites found on Earth probably came from the Mojave Crater on Mars.
- Planetary Science
Asteroid disintegrates while spinning too fast
Asteroid P/2013 R3 is shattering into a cloud of debris in these images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Planetary Science
Lunar asteroid impact caught on video
On September 11, a dishwasher-sized meteoroid slammed into the nearside of the moon, exploding with the equivalent of 16 tons of TNT — and a lucky team of Spanish astronomers caught it on video.
- Planetary Science
Moon like blue cheese?
The lunar surface turns out to have more grit than scientists thought.
- Planetary Science
Big space rock makes an impact on Mars
An orbiting spacecraft snapped images of a huge crater and blast marks on the surface of the Red Planet.
- Planetary Science
Asteroid shows its inner differences
The peanut-shaped space rock is more compact on one side than on the other.
