Planetary Science

Planetary Science

Ice at the moon’s poles might have come from ancient volcanoes

Volcanic eruptions billions of years ago probably released enough water vapor to have deposited ice at the lunar poles, a study finds.

Plants

These are the first plants grown in moon dirt

The first attempt to grow plants in Apollo samples from the moon shows the promise and potential struggles of farming in lunar soil.

Planetary Science

NASA’s InSight lander has recorded the largest Marsquake yet

The magnitude 5 temblor, detected May 4, will help scientists learn more about the Red Planet’s interior.

Planetary Science

Lava and frost may form the mysterious lumps on Jupiter’s moon Io

Jets of gas released when hot meets cold on the volcanic moon Io could generate sprawling fields of dunes, a study finds.

Planetary Science

U.S. planetary scientists want to explore Uranus and Enceladus next

A report on recommendations for the next 10 years of U.S. planetary science prioritizes sending an orbiter to Uranus and an “orbilander” to Enceladus.

Planetary Science

Europa may have much more shallow liquid water than scientists thought

Mysterious pairs of ridges scar Jupiter’s moon Europa. Analyzing a similar set in Greenland suggests shallow water is behind the features’ formation.

Planetary Science

Here’s how NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has spent 1 year on Mars

The first flying robot on the Red Planet arrived as a technology demonstration. It’s now a trusty scout for its rover partner, Perseverance.

Planetary Science

This is the biggest known comet in our solar system

The nucleus of comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is about 120 kilometers across — about twice the width of Rhode Island — and is darker than coal.

Planetary Science

New thermal maps of Neptune reveal surprising temperature swings

Neptune's atmospheric temperatures show a global drop and later, a weird isolated spike at the south pole. Scientists don't yet know why.

Planetary Science

Mars has two speeds of sound

High-pitched clacks from a laser on NASA’s Perseverance rover zapping rocks traveled faster than the lower-pitched hum of the Ingenuity helicopter’s blades.

Planetary Science

Diamonds may stud Mercury’s crust

Billions of years of meteorite impacts may have flash-baked much of a primitive graphite crust into precious gemstones.

Planetary Science

An ancient impact on Earth led to a cascade of cratering

For the first time, scientists have discovered clusters of craters on Earth that were formed by the impacts of material thrown out of a larger crater.