Space
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Planetary Science
Curiosity finds that Mars’ methane changes with the seasons
The Curiosity rover found seasonally changing methane in Mars’ atmosphere and more signs of organic molecules in an ancient lake bed.
- Particle Physics
If real, dark fusion could help demystify this physics puzzle
Fusing dark matter particles might explain why galaxy cores have evenly distributed dark matter.
- Planetary Science
New Horizons wakes up to begin Kuiper Belt exploration
The New Horizons spacecraft just woke up to get ready for its New Year’s Day flyby of the distant space rock Ultima Thule.
- Astronomy
Take a virtual trip to an alien world
NASA’s Exoplanet Travel Bureau website lets you view what alien landscapes might look like.
- Astronomy
A neutron star crash may have spawned a black hole
The neutron collision that took the astronomical community by storm last year probably created a black hole, researchers say.
- Planetary Science
Never-before-seen dunes on Pluto spotted in New Horizons images
Images from the New Horizons spacecraft reveal dunes on Pluto — but the sand-sized grains must have had an unusual boost to get moving.
- Astronomy
Two-faced star reveals a pulsar’s surprising bulk
An ultramassive pulsar is frying its stellar companion so that the star shows two different temperatures.
- Astronomy
Astronomers scrutinized last year’s eclipse. Here’s what they’ve learned
Astronomers observed the 2017 total solar eclipse from the ground and the air, and found some never-before-seen features of the sun’s atmosphere.
- Astronomy
Pluto’s demotion ignores astronomical history
A historical review of asteroids’ planetary status suggests Pluto’s demotion was not justified.
- Astronomy
Plasma rain in the sun’s atmosphere falls in surprising places
Scientists found rain in the sun’s corona where they didn’t expect it, which could help solve the mystery of why the corona is so hot.
- Planetary Science
Satellite smashups could have given birth to Saturn’s odd moons
Nearly head-on collisions between icy moonlets might be responsible for the peculiar shapes of some of Saturn’s moons, computer simulations suggest.
- Astronomy
Maverick asteroid might be an immigrant from outside the solar system
A space rock’s backward orbit could be a hint of unusual origins.
