On December 7, 1995, NASA’s historic Galileo probe plunged into Jupiter’s atmosphere at 106,000 mph…
Browsing: Planetary Science
Planetary science is the interdisciplinary study of planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and other bodies in our solar system and beyond. It explores their composition, formation, atmospheres, geology, and potential for life—linking astronomy, geology, physics, and chemistry to understand planetary processes. Researchers use spacecraft missions, telescopes, and laboratory simulations to study worlds like Mars, Venus, and the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, uncovering clues about Earth’s origins and the dynamics of planetary systems. From analyzing meteorites to exploring exoplanets, planetary science seeks to answer fundamental questions about the diversity, evolution, and habitability of worlds across the universe.
A planet-encircling dust storm on Mars, which was first detected on May 30 and halted…
The conditions for life surviving on planets entirely covered in water are more fluid than…
For centuries, scientists have worked to understand the makeup of Jupiter. It’s no wonder: this…
Ambitious climbers, forget Mt. Everest. Dream about Mars. The Red Planet has some of the…
NASA’s Juno spacecraft captures the striking atmospheric features of Jupiter’s northern hemisphere in this series…
With an equator diameter of around 143,000 kilometers (89,000 miles), Jupiter is the largest planet…
The mass of a very young exoplanet has been revealed for the first time using…
NASA’s InSight spacecraft, en route to a November 26 landing on Mars, passed the halfway…
In the darkest and coldest parts of its polar regions, a team of scientists has…
Swirling dense metallic hydrogen dominates the interiors of Jupiter, Saturn and many extra-solar planets. Building…
Scientists have shown that water is likely to be a major component of those exoplanets…
NASA’s Opportunity rover has been silent since June 10, when a planet-encircling dust storm cut…
Exoplanets, planets in other solar systems, can orbit very close to their host star. When,…
The Earth’s building blocks seem to be built from ‘pretty normal’ ingredients, according to researchers…
Saturn’s rings are perhaps the most recognized feature of any world in our solar system.…
Imagine a place where the weather forecast is always the same: scorching temperatures, relentlessly sunny,…
Yale researchers have provided a new explanation for why Earth’s early climate was more stable…