Space

Planetary Science

Seismic waves crossing Mars’ core reveal details of the Red Planet’s heart

NASA’s InSight lander observed a quake and an impact on the farside of Mars, allowing researchers to measure physical properties of the planet’s core.

Space

Rocky planets might have been able to form in the early universe

The James Webb telescope spied planet-building material around young stars in a nearby galaxy whose chemical makeup matches that of the early cosmos.

Astronomy

Cosmic antimatter hints at origins of huge bubbles in our galaxy’s center

An excess of positrons in Earth’s vicinity supports the idea that the Fermi bubbles were burped by the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole long ago.

Planetary Science

Saturn’s icy rings are probably heating its atmosphere, giving it an ultraviolet glow

Detecting similar emission from a distant world could help astronomers find other planets that boast bright and beautiful rings.

Astronomy

The first black hole portrait got sharper thanks to machine learning

A machine learning technique filled in data gaps in the image of M87’s black hole, resulting in a thinner ring.

Science & Society

The Smithsonian’s ‘Lights Out’ inspires visitors to save the fading night sky

The exhibition examines how light pollution harms astronomy, ecosystems and human cultures. But it also offers hope.

Planetary Science

Venus has almost 50 times as many volcanoes as previously thought

Where are there NOT volcanoes on Venus? A new map of the planet unveils a veritable volcanic bonanza.

Astronomy

A stream of cold gas is unexpectedly feeding the far-off Anthill Galaxy

The finding suggests that early galaxies might have gained more of their bulk from streams of cold gas instead of in violent galaxy collisions.

Planetary Science

Planets without stars might have moons suitable for life

Thanks to gravitational squeezing by their host planets, some moons of rogue planets could stay warm for over a billion years, simulations suggest.

Planetary Science

Baby Jupiter glowed so brightly it might have desiccated its moon

During its infancy, Jupiter may have glowed about 10 thousand times brighter than it does today, which may explain why its moon Io is completely dry.

Astronomy

A neutron star collision may have emitted a fast radio burst

Astronomers spotted both a fast radio burst and gravitational waves from a cosmic smashup in the same part of the sky and at about the same time.

Astronomy

The biggest planet orbiting TRAPPIST-1 doesn’t appear to have an atmosphere

TRAPPIST-1b is hotter than astronomers expected, suggesting there’s no atmosphere to transport heat around the planet.