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Planetary Sciences news
Astronomers make unexpected discovery of planet in formation around a young star
An international team of astronomers, co-led by researchers at the University of Galway, has made the unexpected discovery of a new planet.
Astronomy
55 minutes ago
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How the Apollo missions unlocked the origins of the moon
You know, if you think about it, and trust me we're about to, the moon is kind of weird. Of all the terrestrial worlds of the solar system, we're the only one with a substantial natural satellite. Mercury and Venus have nothing. ...
Space Exploration
15 hours ago
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Astronomers map star spots using Tess and Kepler
Scientists have devised a new method for mapping the spottiness of distant stars by using observations from NASA missions of orbiting planets crossing their stars' faces. The model builds on a technique researchers have used ...
Planetary Sciences
17 hours ago
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New model aims to demystify 'steam worlds' beyond our solar system
For astrobiologists, the search for life beyond our solar system could be likened to where one would look in a vast desert—essentially, where there's water. And it turns out that one of the most common types of exoplanet ...
Astrobiology
17 hours ago
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Ryugu asteroid research reveals mineral history predating any on Earth
In 2020, the Hayabusa2 uncrewed spacecraft successfully returned small fragments from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu, providing the first pristine samples from a carbonaceous asteroid. Grains from those samples were studied ...
Astrobiology
18 hours ago
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What is the moon made of?
A set of instruments shut off almost 50 years ago are still producing useful results. It's the seismometers left by the Apollo missions to monitor moonquakes, which, as the name suggests, are earthquakes but on the moon. ...
Planetary Sciences
20 hours ago
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The moon's dirty past
How do you tell how old an astronomical object is? I mean, the next time the moon is in the sky, take a look at it. How would you even begin to answer that question?
Planetary Sciences
21 hours ago
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Molten rock raindrops help trace the history of Jupiter's formation
Four and a half billion years ago, Jupiter rapidly grew to its massive size. Its powerful gravitational pull disrupted the orbits of small rocky and icy bodies similar to modern asteroids and comets, called planetesimals. ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 25, 2025
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Alien aurora: Researchers discover new plasma wave in Jupiter's aurora
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have made a new discovery by observing and analyzing the first new type of plasma wave in Jupiter's aurora. This research helps us understand "alien aurora" on other ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 24, 2025
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Asteroid Bennu: A time capsule of materials bearing witness to its origin and transformation over billions of years
Asteroid Bennu—the target of NASA's OSIRIS-REx sample return mission, led by the University of Arizona—is a mixture of materials from throughout, and even beyond, our solar system. Over the past few billion years, its ...
Astronomy
Aug 22, 2025
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To see the world in a grain of sand: Investigating megaripples at Kerrlaguna on Mars
On Mars, the past is written in stone—but the present is written in sand. Last week, Perseverance explored inactive megaripples to learn more about the wind-driven processes that are reshaping the Martian landscape every ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 22, 2025
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Another Earth-like exoplanet crossed off the list: JWST shows that GJ 3929b has no atmosphere
As missions like Kepler and TESS discovered more rocky exoplanets in recent years, scientists looked forward to the launch of the JWST. The powerful space telescope has the ability to gather infrared spectra of exoplanet ...
Astronomy
Aug 22, 2025
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A fresh twist to the mystery of Jupiter's core: Simulations challenge giant-impact origin
A new Durham University study has found that a giant impact may not be responsible for the formation of Jupiter's remarkable "dilute" core, challenging a theory about the planet's history.
Planetary Sciences
Aug 21, 2025
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The stunning astrogeology of the Apollo missions
Neil Armstrong almost made a mistake. He had found an interesting rock sticking out of a formation. Curious to see what the rock was made of, he needed to examine its interior more closely. So he reached for his hammer and ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 21, 2025
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Dark matter in gas giants could collapse into detectable black holes, model suggests
More than 5,000 planets have been discovered beyond our solar system, allowing scientists to explore planetary evolution and consider the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Now, a UC Riverside study published in Physical ...
Astronomy
Aug 21, 2025
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How NASA's Artemis II lunar science operations will inform future missions
NASA's Artemis II mission, set to send four astronauts on a nearly 10-day mission around the moon and back, will advance the agency's goal to land astronauts at the moon's south polar region and will help set the stage for ...
Space Exploration
Aug 21, 2025
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Close-up images reveal asteroid debris plume after DART impact
On Sept. 11, 2022, engineers at a flight control center in Turin, Italy, sent a radio signal into deep space. Its destination was NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft flying toward an asteroid more than ...
Space Exploration
Aug 21, 2025
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Two different types of asteroids may actually share same origin story
Approximately 4.6 billion years ago, our solar system formed from a huge disk of gas and dust orbiting our sun. The asteroids seen today are some of the most complete artifacts of this formation that are left to observe. ...
Astronomy
Aug 21, 2025
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Ceres may have had long-standing energy to fuel habitability
New NASA research has found that Ceres may have had a lasting source of chemical energy: the right types of molecules needed to fuel some microbial metabolisms. Although there is no evidence that microorganisms ever existed ...
Astrobiology
Aug 20, 2025
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Tidal forces and orbital evolution of habitable zone planets investigated
How do tidal forces shape a planet's orbital evolution, especially for those in the habitable zone? A recently submitted study aims to answer this question, as an international team of researchers investigated how tidal forces ...
Astrobiology
Aug 20, 2025
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More news
Webb discovers a new moon orbiting Uranus
Detecting exoplanet magnetic fields from the moon could soon be possible
Robots team up to explore planetary lava caves
As the atmosphere changes, so will its response to geomagnetic storms
Brown dwarf Cha Hα 1 has a hydrocarbon-rich disk, Webb finds
How much has Mercury shrunk?
Other news
New laser technique boosts power by individually controlling light modes
Scientists pioneer sustainable carbon capture from shrimp waste
Safe, scalable vibration technique developed to improve lab-grown tissues
Flamingos reveal their secret to aging
Auction of world's largest Mars meteorite sparks ownership debate
Optical magnetometer measures magnetic field direction for the first time
Meet IDEA: An AI assistant to help geoscientists explore Earth and beyond
Influence of the planets may subdue solar activity
Astronaut catches gigantic jet on camera
Earth rocks help hone techniques for future Mars samples
Lifetime odds of dying from asteroid impact contextualized in study
