Planetary Science
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Planetary Science
Highlights from the 43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, The Woodlands, Texas, March 19-23
Geologic activity and weather on Saturnian moons, and studies in Greenland to learn about Mars.
By Science News -
Planetary Science
Fertile Frontiers
Alien-life hunters focus on moons in outer solar system
By Nadia Drake -
Tech
Growing need for space trash collectors
On April 2, for the fifth time in less than three years, the International Space Station fired its engines to dodge a piece of orbital debris that appeared on a collision path. Other spacecraft also regularly scoot out of the way of rocket and satellite debris. Such evasive action will be needed increasingly frequently, a new study finds.
By Janet Raloff -
Planetary Science
White dwarfs gobble Earthlike treats
Astronomers have found elements in the dead stars’ atmospheres that suggest rocky planetary bodies once orbited the stars.
By Nadia Drake -
Planetary Science
Messages from Mercury
The latest data from a NASA spacecraft give compositional clues and reveal craters that could hold frozen water
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary Science
Saturn’s rings explained
A huge shattered moon could have sprayed ice particles around the newborn planet.
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Planetary Science
New rock type found on moon
Odd spots on the lunar farside could be ancient material that originated deep inside the moon.
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Planetary Science
Venus, erupting?
Lava flow suggests recent volcanism on Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor.
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Planetary Science
A comet’s tail
Already under observation by astronomers, Hartley 2 will be visible in dark skies when it passes Earth on October 20.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary Science
Life’s cold start
Primordial molecules could have replicated themselves in a slushy place, new experiments suggest.
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Planetary Science
Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake
A decade of droughts has stifled the increasing growth of terrestrial vegetation.
By Sid Perkins -
Earth
Trailing dust devils
Whirlwinds leave dark paths behind by sucking sand grains clean.
By Sid Perkins