Planetary Science

  1. Astronomy

    Astronomers snap the first baby pictures of a planet

    New telescope images give the clearest view of an exoplanet embryo yet.

    By
  2. Astronomy

    Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft arrives at the asteroid Ryugu

    The Hayabusa2 spacecraft says “hello” to near-Earth asteroid Ryugu.

    By
  3. Planetary Science

    Mars got its crust quickly

    The Martian crust had solidified within 20 million years of the solar system’s formation.

    By
  4. Astronomy

    On Jupiter, lightning flashes from storms swirling at the poles

    After almost 40 years, scientists have discovered that Jupiter has lightning that is similar to lightning on Earth — it just happens in a different place.

    By
  5. Planetary Science

    Venus’ thick atmosphere speeds up the planet’s spin

    Venus’ thick atmosphere can push on mountains on the surface, changing its rotation period by a few minutes every day.

    By
  6. Planetary Science

    The Mars rover Opportunity is sleeping, not dead, NASA says

    Opportunity is hunkered down in a deep sleep on Mars to ride out what’s looking to be a long dark dust storm.

    By
  7. Planetary Science

    Opportunity rover waits out a huge dust storm on Mars

    NASA’s Opportunity rover is in low-power mode to preserve battery life while a vast dust storm blankets part of the Red Planet.

    By
  8. Planetary Science

    Curiosity finds that Mars’ methane changes with the seasons

    The Curiosity rover found seasonally changing methane in Mars’ atmosphere and more signs of organic molecules in an ancient lake bed.

    By
  9. Planetary Science

    New Horizons wakes up to begin Kuiper Belt exploration

    The New Horizons spacecraft just woke up to get ready for its New Year’s Day flyby of the distant space rock Ultima Thule.

    By
  10. Planetary Science

    Never-before-seen dunes on Pluto spotted in New Horizons images

    Images from the New Horizons spacecraft reveal dunes on Pluto — but the sand-sized grains must have had an unusual boost to get moving.

    By
  11. Astronomy

    Astronomers scrutinized last year’s eclipse. Here’s what they’ve learned

    Astronomers observed the 2017 total solar eclipse from the ground and the air, and found some never-before-seen features of the sun’s atmosphere.

    By
  12. Astronomy

    Pluto’s demotion ignores astronomical history

    A historical review of asteroids’ planetary status suggests Pluto’s demotion was not justified.

    By