Planetary Science
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Planetary ScienceTitan may harbor underground ocean
Observations by the Cassini spacecraft hint that Saturn's smog-shrouded moon Titan may harbor a global ocean of water and ammonia 100 kilometers below its surface.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceDusty Clues: Study suggests no dearth of Earths
A new study suggests that many, or perhaps most, sunlike stars have planets much like Earth.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceA sunlike star’s early development
A new infrared portrait of an embryonic sunlike star reveals an early, crucial step in the process of planet formation.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceSister Planet: Mission to Venus reveals watery past
The Venus Express probe has found evidence that Venus once had more water than it does today, and has provided new measurements of the weather on Venus, proof of lightning on the planet, and signs of a formerly unknown hot spot near its south pole.
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Planetary ScienceChilled Out? Ice could lurk beneath Martian equator
An immense volume of ice-rich material may underlie a formation that extends about one-quarter of the way around Mars' equator.
By Sid Perkins -
Planetary SciencePortrait of a Martian crater
An ultrasharp image of part of Mars' Gale crater shows waterborne sediments and volcanic ash.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceTitan: Land of lakes—and drizzle
A newly assembled mosaic of radar images of Saturn's moon Titan shows what appear to be hydrocarbon lakes and seas.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceMartian rovers survive storm
Three months after being stymied by a planet-wide dust storm, NASA's twin Mars rovers are back in action.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceNeptune’s balmy south pole
Neptune's south pole is about 10°C warmer than any other place on the planet.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceMuddying the Water? Orbiter drains confidence from fluid story of Mars
New images of Mars diminish the evidence that liquid water has flowed on some parts of the planet, but bolster the case in other places.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceSurvivor: Extrasolar planet escapes stellar attack
An extrasolar planet survived after its aging parent star ballooned into a red giant that almost engulfed it.
By Ron Cowen -
Planetary ScienceA different view of Uranus’ rings
The rings of Uranus are now tilted edge on to Earth, revealing small, inner rings made of fine dust.
By Ron Cowen