Cassini’s Final Flyby Reveals Surprises with Titan’s Lakes
On its final flyby of Saturn’s largest moon in 2017, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft gathered radar data revealing that the small liquid lakes in Titan’s northern…
Planetary Science News
Planet Orbiting Barnard’s Star Might Have An Atmosphere
The closest exoplanet to us, if we include only single stars like the Sun, is the planet around Barnard’s Star, Barnard’s Star-b (“BSb”). (The planet…
Update on Private Robotic Spacecraft Moon Landing Attempt
April 11 Editor’s Note: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine released the following statement on the Beresheet lunar lander: “While NASA regrets the end of the SpaceIL…
Astronomers Discover a Giant Object in the Cygnus Constellation
In the past three decades, almost 4,000 planet-like objects have been discovered orbiting isolated stars outside the Solar System (exoplanets). Beginning in 2011, it was…
Clues to Martian Life? Organic Material Discovered in a Martian Meteorite
According to NASA, scientists are in agreement that there is no life on Mars. However, they continue to assess whether Mars ever had an environment…
Spectacular Imagery of Solar Eclipses Caused by Phobos and Deimos
When NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover landed in 2012, it brought along eclipse glasses. The solar filters on its Mast Camera (Mastcam) allow it to stare…
Scientists Calculate the Moon’s Core and Mantle Temperature
Little is known about the inner structure of the Moon, but a major step forward was made by a University of Rhode Island scientist who…
New Findings Emerge About Tiny Moons Nestled In Saturn’s Rings
New findings have emerged about five tiny moons nestled in and near Saturn’s rings. The closest-ever flybys by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft reveal that the surfaces…
NASA’s TESS Mission Discovers Saturn-Sized Planet
Astronomers who study stars are providing a valuable assist to the planet-hunting astronomers pursuing the primary objective of NASA’s new TESS Mission. In fact, asteroseismologists…
Scientists Witness Storm Formation on Neptune for the First Time
In 1989, NASA’s Voyager 2 zipped past Neptune—its final planetary target before speeding to the outer limits of the solar system. It was the first…
Juno Spacecraft Captures Striking View of Jupiter
This striking view of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and turbulent southern hemisphere was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft as it performed a close pass of…
Scientists Simulate Alien Atmospheres on Earth
Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, are cooking up an alien atmosphere right here on Earth. In a new study, JPL scientists…
Surprising Discovery Revealed After Sifting Through Solar System Dust
Just as dust gathers in corners and along bookshelves in our homes, dust piles up in space too. But when the dust settles in the…
Scientists Observe Water Molecules Moving Around the Moon
Using an instrument aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), scientists have observed water molecules moving around the dayside of the Moon. A paper published in…
K Stars May Be Perfect for Finding Habitable Worlds
Scientists looking for signs of life beyond our solar system face major challenges, one of which is that there are hundreds of billions of stars…
Kepler’s First Planet Candidate Confirmed, 10 Years Later
Planet: Kepler-1658b Discovered by: Chontos et al. using NASA’s Kepler telescope Date: February 2019 Key Facts: This newly-confirmed exoplanet is a massive hot Jupiter that whips around its star every 3.85…
Why So Many Planets Outside Our Solar System Have An Odd Configuration
For almost a decade, astronomers have tried to explain why so many pairs of planets outside our solar system have an odd configuration — their…
Do-It-Yourself Dwarf Planet Exploring, Creating Little Bits of Ceres in Labs
Ceres, the dwarf planet between Mars and Jupiter, is a exotic and mysterious world with a complex history and contemporary geologic activity. Scientists are attempting…
