Space
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Planetary Science
MAVEN mission finding clues to Mars’ climate change
Intense solar storms in the past might have stripped Mars of its water as well as much of the rest of its atmosphere.
- Planetary Science
Course set for New Horizons journey to Kuiper belt object
New Horizons bids Pluto farewell as it starts a 1.45-billion-kilometer cruise to its next target.
- Astronomy
Nearby galaxies put a lens on hundreds of distant ones
Cache of faint galaxies in early universe discovered with help from massive galaxy clusters a bit closer to home.
- Planetary Science
Pluto’s smaller moons pose mysteries
The four smaller moons of Pluto are finally revealed in images from New Horizons, and might hold some clues to the dwarf planet’s past.
- Astronomy
‘Halloween fireballs’ may light up the night sky
Trick-or-treaters might get treated to a meteor swarm for Halloween.
- Planetary Science
Probes unveil three hidden blemishes on moon’s face
Gravity measurements collected by NASA’s GRAIL spacecraft reveal a clearer picture of the moon’s craters, including three previously unseen lunar basins.
- Planetary Science
Probes unveil three hidden blemishes on moon’s face
Gravitational tugs on a pair of spacecraft have revealed previously unseen blemishes on the moon’s face.
- Planetary Science
Oxygen leaking from comet surprises astronomers
The Rosetta spacecraft detected oxygen molecules coming out of comet 67P that might have been buried since the formation of the solar system.
- Planetary Science
Cassini preps to shower in Enceladus’ ocean
The Cassini spacecraft is gearing up for one last plunge through the water geysers on Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum interpretations feel the heat
Landauer’s principle shows a way to test competing interpretations about quantum physics.
- Planetary Science
Asteroid set for Halloween flyby
Large asteroid will pass Earth just beyond the moon’s orbit on Halloween.
- Astronomy
Comet carries alcohol, sugar
Sugar and alcohol are just two of the ingredients that go into making a comet.
