Space

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Planetary Science

    Neptune gets 14th moon

    Images from Hubble Space Telescope reveal tiny, dark satellite orbiting blue-green gas giant.

    By Andrew Grant
  2. Astronomy

    The solar system has a tail

    Clover-shaped clumps of charged particles extend billions of kilometers in our wake.

    By Andrew Grant
  3. Planetary Science

    Gas, not planets, may be source of rings around stars

    Interactions between gas and dust may form elliptical patterns.

    By Jessica Shugart
  4. Astronomy

    Clouds may keep exoplanets cool

    Even when close to their stars, other worlds could harbor liquid water.

    By Erin Wayman
  5. Space

    Interstellar chemistry makes use of quantum shortcut

    Reactions in the frigid cold of space are sped by a quirk of physics, researchers propose.

    By Andrew Grant
  6. Space

    Distant radio-wave pulses spotted

    Signals could help astronomers understand universe's mass

    By Jessica Shugart
  7. Astronomy

    Postcards from Voyager

    Suzanne Dodd is project manager for NASA’s twin Voyager probes.

    By Alexandra Witze
  8. Planetary Science

    Voyager 1 on fast track toward interstellar space

    More than 35 years after launch, the probe finally nears the solar system's edge.

    By Jessica Shugart
  9. Astronomy

    Cradled galaxies betray violent past

    Hubble snaps ‘the Penguin’ and its egg-shaped companion.

    By Jessica Shugart
  10. Astronomy

    Hubble finds hints of a planet oddly far-flung from its star

    If confirmed, the dark gap in space debris will challenge astronomers' theories.

    By Andrew Grant
  11. Planetary Science

    Mystery Meteorite

    The case for (and against) a rock from Mercury.

    By Alexandra Witze
  12. Planetary Science

    Thirty years to Mars

    Excerpt from the June 15, 1963, issue of Science News Letter.

    By Nathan Seppa