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…
Planetary Science News
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…
Hubble Uncovers Origin of Neptune’s Smallest Moon Hippocamp
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, along with older data from the Voyager 2 probe, have revealed more about the origin of Neptune’s smallest…
Juno Exposes Dramatic Atmospheric Features of Jupiter
Dramatic atmospheric features in Jupiter’s northern hemisphere are captured in this view from NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The new perspective shows swirling clouds that surround a…
Aboard The First Private Moon Landing Attempt
The last screw is tightened and a private Moon lander is packed in the fairing atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air…
Hubble Spots Tiny Moon “That Shouldn’t Be There”
Astronomers call it “the moon that shouldn’t be there.” After several years of analysis, a team of planetary scientists using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has,…
TRAPPIST-1 Exposed to Heavy Bombardment of Charged Particles
TRAPPIST-1 is a system of seven Earth-sized worlds orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star about 120 light-years away. The star, and hence its system of planets,…
Hubble Image of the Week – A Storm is Coming
Since Pluto’s demotion from a fully-fledged planet to a dwarf planet, Neptune holds the title of the outermost planet in the Solar System. This new…
Scientists Reveal Possibility of Recent Underground Volcanism on Mars
A study published last year in the journal Science suggested liquid water is present beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars. Now, a new…
HiRISE Spots Sand Dunes Near Nili Patera on Mars
In this image many sand dunes are visible. They have an elongated crescent form and are called “barchan dunes.” They are formed by the continuous…
New HiRISE Image Reveals The Red Planet’s Layered History
The geologic history of a planet is written in its layers. Erosion of the surface reveals several shades of light-toned layers, likely sedimentary deposits, as…
Researchers Discover Planet-Forming Collision in Kepler 107 System
Two of the planets which are orbiting the star Kepler 107 could be the result of an impact similar to that which affected the Earth…
Explore Alien Exoplanets with New Multimedia Treats
Explore the plethora of planets outside our solar system with new multimedia experiences from NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP). In addition to a new Exoplanet Travel Bureau…
Juno Spacecraft Views 5,000 Mile Wide Storm in Jupiter’s Southern Hemisphere
A giant, spiraling storm in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere is captured in this animation from NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The storm is approximately 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers)…
NASA’s Juno Reveals Two Massive Storms in Latest Flyby of Jupiter
This image of Jupiter’s turbulent southern hemisphere was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft as it performed its most recent close flyby of the gas giant…
Scientists Solve Long Standing Mystery: The Length of a Day on Saturn
Using new data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, researchers believe they have solved a longstanding mystery of solar system science: the length of a day on…
Saturn’s Rings Relatively New, Formed Much Later Than The Planet
The rings of Saturn may be iconic, but there was a time when the majestic gas giant existed without its distinctive halo. In fact, the…
Moon Data Reveal Large Increase In Asteroid Impact History
By looking at the Moon, the most complete and accessible chronicle of the asteroid collisions that carved our young solar system, a group of scientists…
