Planetary Science
- Space
Spacecraft in 2021 set their sights on Mars, asteroids and beyond
This year, a bevy of new missions got under way on Mars and spacecraft prepared to visit asteroids.
- Planetary Science
Ingenuity is still flying on Mars. Here’s what the helicopter is up to
NASA’s Ingenuity craft was originally planned to operate only 30 Martian days.
- Planetary Science
This tiny, sizzling exoplanet could be made of molten iron
A newly discovered exoplanet that whips around its star in less than eight hours is smaller than Earth, as dense as iron and hot enough to melt.
- Space
A space rock called Kamoʻoalewa may be a piece of the moon
New observations reveal the possible origins of a mysterious object called Kamoʻoalewa. It could be the wreckage from an ancient impact on the moon.
- Planetary Science
Pluto’s dark side reveals clues to its atmosphere and frost cycles
Light from Pluto’s moon Charon illuminated the dwarf planet’s farside offering clues about how nitrogen cycles between its surface and its atmosphere.
- Planetary Science
What the Perseverance rover’s quiet landing reveals about meteor strikes on Mars
InSight tried to detect seismic waves created by the arrival of its sister mission, helping scientists uncover how Mars absorbs energy from impacts.
- Space
5 cool things to know about NASA’s Lucy mission to the Trojan asteroids
NASA’s Lucy is the first spacecraft to head to the two giant clumps of space rocks that tag along in Jupiter’s orbit.
- Earth
Earth is reflecting less light. It’s not clear if that’s a trend
A decrease in Earth’s reflectance shows our planet is absorbing more solar radiation, but it’s not clear if the trend will last.
- Astronomy
China’s lunar rock samples show lava flowed on the moon 2 billion years ago
The first lunar rocks returned to Earth in more than 40 years show that the moon was volcanically active later than scientists thought.
- Astronomy
Space rocks may have bounced off baby Earth, but slammed into Venus
New simulations suggest a way to help explain dramatic differences between the sibling worlds.
- Planetary Science
NASA’s Perseverance rover snagged its first Martian rock samples
Two tubes of stone drilled from a basalt rock nicknamed Rochette are the first from Mars slated to eventually return to Earth.
- Planetary Science
50 years ago, astronomers were chipping away at Pluto’s mass
Prior to the discovery of Pluto’s moon Charon, astronomers struggled to pin down the dwarf planet’s mass.
