Planetary Science

  1. Astronomy

    Heftiest stars discovered

    At more than 200 times sun’s mass, this giant sets a new record.

    By Ron Cowen
  2. Planetary Science

    Hole from on high

    Researchers discover a fresh meteorite impact crater using Google Earth.

    By Sid Perkins
  3. Planetary Science

    Up close and personal with an asteroid

    The Rosetta orbiter makes its second swing past a relic of the early solar system.

    By Gwyneth Dickey
  4. Earth

    Antarctic shoal breaks the ice

    Instruments on a massive berg help pinpoint a previously unreported undersea ridge.

    By Sid Perkins
  5. Earth

    Planes can trigger snowfall

    Under certain conditions, aircraft can trigger precipitation as they pass through moisture-laden clouds.

    By Sid Perkins
  6. Planetary Science

    Hubble hunting for Jupiter bruise

    No scar found yet on planet from June 3 crash with unidentified object.

    By Ron Cowen
  7. Planetary Science

    Before the Mississippi, minerals show ancient rivers flowed west

    Michigan zircons uncover the path of an ancient river system across North America.

    By Sid Perkins
  8. Earth

    Hazy antidote to a faint young sun

    A new theory suggests atmospheric answer to the continuing paradox of why early Earth wasn’t icy.

    By Sid Perkins
  9. Planetary Science

    Jupiter’s crash of ’09

    The body that crashed into Jupiter last summer was likely an asteroid, and such impacts might occur as frequently as every 10 to 15 years, new studies suggest.

    By Ron Cowen
  10. Planetary Science

    Martian moon probably pretty porous

    Phobos may be a mass of rocky rubble, not a captured asteroid.

    By Sid Perkins
  11. Earth

    Gravity lows mark burial sites of ancient tectonic plates

    Dips in Earth's gravitational field are tied to 'slab graveyards'

    By Sid Perkins
  12. Planetary Science

    Warmth in the dark age

    Lower reflectivity kept Earth from freezing under a fainter young sun.

    By Sid Perkins