Planetary Science
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AstronomyMoon’s craters remeasured
Large craters cover more of the moon’s surface on its nearside than its farside, according to new maps from NASA’s GRAIL spacecrafts.
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Planetary ScienceMeteor explosions like this year’s Russian fireball more common than thought
Chelyabinsk-sized rocks may come to Earth every 30 years, on average.
By Andrew Grant -
Planetary ScienceMoon material on Earth
Scientists now think that tektites are a type of impactite, formed during the rapid heating and cooling of material ejected when a meteorite strikes Earth.
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AstronomyAn Earth-sized hell circles faraway star
Kepler-78b, an Earth-sized, extremely hot exoplanet made of rock and iron, is the smallest with known diameter and mass.
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AstronomySolar system with seven planets discovered
Kepler data has identified a star with a seven-planet system structured similarly to the sun’s clutch of planets.
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Planetary ScienceCarbonation may have grounded Mars’ atmosphere
The chemical interaction could have forced Red Planet’s atmospheric carbon dioxide into the dirt.
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Planetary ScienceA grander canyon on Mars
Hebes Chasma, a huge trough on Mars, reflects the Red Planet’s tumultuous and varied past.
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AstronomyWater seen in rubble around star
Hubble sees debris that was part of an asteroid with the ingredients for habitable planets.
By Meghan Rosen -
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