Planetary Science

Astronomy

For the first time, astrophysicists have caught a star eating a planet

A burst of light and a cloud of dust are signs that a star 12,000 light-years away swallowed a planet up to 10 times the mass of Jupiter.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Space

A crucial building block of life exists on the asteroid Ryugu

A sample from Ryugu collected by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft contains uracil, a component of RNA, which is found in all living cells.

Agriculture

Martian soil may have all the nutrients rice needs

Experiments hint that in the future, we might be able to grow the staple food in the soils of the Red Planet.

Planetary Science

A volcano on Venus was spotted erupting in decades-old images

A new look at old data reveals an eruption on Venus in the 1990s that was probably similar to Hawaii’s Kilauea eruption in 2018.

Earth

A moon-forming cataclysm could have also triggered Earth’s plate tectonics

Deeply buried remnants of a hypothetical planet that slammed into Earth 4.5 billion years ago might have set subduction into motion.

Space

What has Perseverance found in two years on Mars?

NASA's Perseverance rover has turned up volcanic rocks, signs of flowing water and some of the materials necessary for life.

Astronomy

The Kuiper Belt’s dwarf planet Quaoar hosts an impossible ring

Quaoar’s ring lies outside the Roche limit, an imaginary line beyond which rings aren’t thought to be stable.