Moons are planets too
What makes a planet a planet? The answer turns out to be rather contentious. The official definition of a planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is that a planet must satisfy three conditions:.....»»
A cosmic tango: This distant planet"s strange orbit points to a violent and chaotic past
If you close your eyes and imagine a system of planets orbiting a distant star, what do you see?.....»»
Here"s Why Jupiter"s Rings Are So Faint Compared To Saturn"s
We're all familiar with Saturn's rings, but did you know that Jupiter should have even bigger, more impressive rings? There's just one problem: its moons. We're all.....»»
New method to map the surface of the moon increases accuracy to unprecedented levels
The surface of the moon and rocky planets—Mars in particular—are of huge interest to anyone trying to explore our solar system. The surface must be known in as much detail as possible, for missions to land safely, or for any robotic vessel to dri.....»»
3 Reasons Why Venus Spins Backwards, According To Astronomers
There are three theories that explain how Venus came to spin the opposite direction of a majority of the planets. There are three theories that explain how Venus cam.....»»
James Webb captures Jupiter’s moons and rings in infrared
The James Webb Space Telescope made headlines with its ability to look deep into the universe, but it will also be used to look at some targets closer to home......»»
When did the sun blow away the solar nebula?
The story of our solar system's origin is pretty well known. It goes like this: the sun began as a protostar in its "solar nebula" over 4.5 billion years ago. Over the course of several million years, the planets emerged from this nebula and it dissi.....»»
Undead planets: The unusual conditions of the first exoplanet detection
The first ever exoplanets were discovered 30 years ago around a rapidly rotating star, called a pulsar. Now, astronomers have revealed that these planets may be incredibly rare. The new work will be presented tomorrow (Tuesday 12 July) at the Nationa.....»»
Statistical analysis of radio-flaring brown dwarf population
Brown dwarfs are known as "failed stars," owing to the lack of central hydrogen burning. They bridge the gap between planets and stars. Some brown dwarfs are found to maintain kilogauss magnetic fields and produce flaring radio emissions, similar to.....»»
Dark matter: Our review suggests it"s time to ditch it in favor of a new theory of gravity
We can model the motions of planets in the Solar System quite accurately using Newton's laws of physics. But in the early 1970s, scientists noticed that this didn't work for disk galaxies—stars at their outer edges, far from the gravitational force.....»»
NASA helps decipher how some distant planets have clouds of sand
Most clouds on Earth are made of water, but beyond our planet they come in many chemical varieties. The top of Jupiter's atmosphere, for example, is blanketed in yellow-hued clouds made of ammonia and ammonium hydrosulfide. And on worlds outside our.....»»
The solar system is stable for at least the next 100,000 years
It's nice to have a feel-good story every once in a while, so here's one to hold off the existential dread: the Earth isn't likely to get flung off into deep space for at least 100,000 years. In fact, all of the solar system's planets are safe for th.....»»
Minor Software Bug Delays NASA’s Psyche Asteroid Mission by a Year
The motion of the planets is working against NASA here, so even a small delay means Psyche won't be able to launch in 2022 at all, and that puts the science phase of the mission toward the end of the decade. The.....»»
Astronomers Radically Reimagine the Making of the Planets
Observations of faraway worlds have forced a near-total rewrite of the story of our solar system......»»
Structural origin of the anomalous properties of SiO2 glass under pressure
Understanding the structural origin of the anomalous properties of SiO2 liquid and glass is fundamental not only in physics, but also in geophysics, in understanding the nature of silicate magmas in the Earth and other planets, and in materials scien.....»»
Long-term liquid water also on non-Earth-like planets?
Life on Earth began in the oceans. In the search for life on other planets, the potential for liquid water is therefore a key ingredient. To find it, scientists have traditionally looked for planets similar to our own. Yet, long-term liquid water doe.....»»
New paper claims Jupiter may have ‘eaten’ other planets
Jupiter has been quite a mystery for astronomers over the years. Despite being the largest planet within our solar system, we know very little about the inner workings of this gas giant. Now, though, NASA’s June space probe may have shed some new l.....»»
5 planets will align in June: When and where to see the spectacular sight
The skies are giving us a rare and stunning sight this month, as a five-planet planetary parade will be visible in June of 2022. The parade of planets will include Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, all in that order. They’ll be visible thr.....»»
Five Planets Take Center Stage as They Align in the Night Sky
A rare, five-planet alignment will peak on June 24, allowing a spectacular viewing of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn as they line up in planetary order. From a report: The event began at the beginning of June and has continued to get bright.....»»
Researcher shows how elliptical craters could shed light on age of Saturn"s moons
A new SwRI study describes how unique populations of craters on two of Saturn's moons could help indicate the satellites' age and the conditions of their formation. Using data from NASA's Cassini mission, SwRI postdoctoral researcher Dr. Sierra Fergu.....»»
Scientists Find Remains of Cannibalized Baby Planets In Jupiter"s Cloud-Covered Belly
Jupiter's innards are full of the remains of baby planets that the gas giant gobbled up as it expanded to become the behemoth we see today, scientists have found. The findings come from the first clear view of the chemistry beneath the planet's cloud.....»»