Space
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Planetary Science
Water has been found in the dust of an asteroid thought to be bone-dry
Scientists detected water in bits of an asteroid thought to be devoid of the liquid. Such space rocks might have helped create Earth’s oceans.
- Astronomy
Skepticism grows over whether the first known exomoon exists
New analyses of the data used to find the first discovered exomoon are reaching conflicting results.
- Planetary Science
Pictures confirm Hayabusa2 made a crater in asteroid Ryugu
Hayabusa2’s crater-blasting success, confirmed by an image beamed back from the spacecraft, paves the way to grab subsurface asteroid dust.
- Planetary Science
NASA’s Mars InSight lander may have the first recording of a Marsquake
NASA’s InSight mission appears to have detected a Marsquake for the first time.
- Astronomy
Seeing very far away and hitting closer to home
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses the first-ever image of a black hole and what can be done to help young children with anxiety.
- Planetary Science
Readers ponder Opportunity’s future, animal consciousness and more
Readers had questions about NASA’s Opportunity rover, pollen shapes and more.
- Planetary Science
Mercury has a massive solid inner core
The distribution of Mercury’s mass and small stutters in the planet’s spin suggest it has a giant solid inner core.
- Physics
The M87 black hole image showed the best way to measure black hole masses
The first image of M87’s black hole suggests it is 6.5 billion times the mass of the sun — close to what was expected based on how stars move around it.
- Chemistry
The first type of molecule to form in the universe has been seen in space
The chemistry of the universe began with helium hydride. Scientists have just seen it in outer space for the first time.
- Planetary Science
A 2014 meteor may have come from another solar system
Scientists have identified a possible interstellar meteor, and think it could be one of millions that have visited Earth over the planet’s history.
- Planetary Science
Meteor showers dig up water on the moon
Meteorites release water from the moon’s soil, hinting that the moon has water buried all across its surface.
- Planetary Science
Saturn’s moon Titan sports phantom hydrocarbon lakes
Three lakes on Saturn’s moon Titan have pulled a vanishing act, a study finds.
