Planetary Science

  1. Planetary Science

    Top of the Martian hill

    After a 14-month climb up a Martian hill, NASA's rover Spirit took a panoramic image of the view from the top.

    By Ron Cowen
  2. Planetary Science

    Satellites could detect quakes on Venus

    Strong seismic activity on Venus could cause brief but detectable temperature increases high in that planet's atmosphere.

    By Sid Perkins
  3. Planetary Science

    Radar for rovers on future Mars trips?

    Scientists are developing ground-penetrating radar equipment that could serve as geologists' helpers on future Mars-roving vehicles.

    By Sid Perkins
  4. Planetary Science

    Enceladus: Small but feisty

    Close-up observations of Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus reveal that its south pole is hotter than its equator and that the icy satellite continues to undergo eruptions.

    By Ron Cowen
  5. Planetary Science

    Bigger than Pluto: Tenth planet or icy leftover?

    Astronomers have found a body larger and more distant than Pluto, the biggest object found in the solar system since Neptune and its moon Triton were discovered in 1846.

    By Ron Cowen
  6. Planetary Science

    Cassini eyes youthful-looking Saturnian moon

    On July 14, the Cassini spacecraft came within 175 kilometers of the south polar region of Saturn's bright, tiny moon Enceladus, revealing a tortured terrain of faults, folds, and ridges.

    By Ron Cowen
  7. Planetary Science

    A Grand Slam

    A 372-kilogram copper projectile released from NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft successfully slammed into Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, producing some heavenly fireworks.

    By Ron Cowen
  8. Planetary Science

    Pebbles from Heaven: Tracking planets in the making

    Recording radio waves from the region around a young star, astronomers have for the first time documented the making pebbles, a key step in the rocky road to planethood.

    By Ron Cowen
  9. Planetary Science

    Flashy news from Mars

    A streak across the Martian sky observed by the rover Spirit was most likely a meteor associated with a comet called Wiseman-Skiff.

    By Ron Cowen
  10. Planetary Science

    Opportunity rolls out of Purgatory

    After being stuck for nearly 5 weeks, the Mars rover Opportunity has freed itself from a sand trap on the Red Planet.

    By Ron Cowen
  11. Planetary Science

    Planet Hunt Strikes Rock: Hot kin of Earth orbits nearby star

    Astronomers have found the closest known cousin to Earth, a solid world just 15 light-years beyond the solar system.

    By Ron Cowen
  12. Planetary Science

    Renegade moon

    Saturn's outlier moon Phoebe didn't coalesce from material near the ringed planet but was captured from the distant Kuiper belt.

    By Ron Cowen