planetary-science

Understanding the Martian moon of Phobos’ origin hinges on decoding its interior. Japan’s Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission due for launch in late 2026 should help.

Billions of years ago, Mars looked very different from the cold, dry world we see today. Scientists believe the Red Planet once had a warmer climate, liquid water and a thicker atmosphere. These conditions may have been suitable for simple forms of life. But did life ever actually exist on Mars? That remains one of […] The post Scientists find a new way to search for ancient life on Mars using ‘m…

NASA’s Perseverance rover has completed a marathon-length journey across Mars, showcasing how autonomous exploration is transforming planetary science.

On June 20, 1943, Pingualuit Crater (formerly known as Chubb Crater and as the New Quebec Crater) was first photographed by a U.S. Army Air Force crew during a meterological flight over northern Quebec. Formed approximately 1.4 million years ago by a meteorite impact, the 2.1-mile-wide (3.4 kilometers) crater has an unusually circular shape resulting Continue reading "June 20, 1955: Pingualuit Cr…

A newly detected signal in Uranus’s atmosphere suggests the planet could contain much more ice than previously believed.

Something is absorbing light on the surfaces of Pluto and Saturn’s moon Titan, and figuring out what it is could be crucial to understanding Titan’s complex chemistry

Curiosity has revealed striking changes in Martian terrain while ascending Mount Sharp, uncovering distinct rock “bands” that may record shifting ancient environments.

When a meteoroid strikes, it generates a wave of energy that moves faster than the speed of sound. When all that energy propagates through material in seconds or less before being quickly cooled and resolidified by a secondary wave, it produces glass. Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Shawn Wright was looking for such glassy material […]

A fragment of a Pterosaur from deep geological time is revealing unexpected traces that shouldn’t normally survive.

Carbon monoxide in Uranus's deep atmosphere indicates that the planet contains more ice than rock, suggesting it formed more like Neptune than we thought

Scientists have discovered a completely new type of rock from Mars and, for the first time, identified the mineral garnet in a Martian sample. The finding offers an exciting glimpse into the Red Planet’s distant past and could help researchers better understand how Mars evolved over the past 4.5 billion years. The discovery was made […] The post New Mars rock discovery could reveal secrets of the…

Evidence of chemical alteration by liquid water has been found on the asteroid Donaldjohanson, which formed further from the sun before being shoved inwards.

Tiny crystal grains trapped inside a meteorite may be the key that unlocks a hidden...

We’re used to a lot of different natural things falling out of the sky. These can include snow, rain, and sometimes even frogs (yes, really). All of these relate to weather phenomena. Far more exotic things fall from the sky that are not related to weather. Earth is pelted by about 14 tons of micrometeorites Continue reading "A meteorite impact may have once rained gold on Western Australia – new…

A conversation with an expert in geomythology about a wild idea The post Can “Dante’s Inferno” Tell Us Something About Space Rocks? appeared first on Nautilus .

Even small asteroids lead complex lives. During its flyby of the asteroid Donaldjohanson last year, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft revealed the asteroid to be a wobbly, peanut-shaped body that has undergone a lot of activity in its relatively short history. Formed as fragments coalesced after a violent collision 155 million years ago, the asteroid was transformed by the […] The post NASA’s Lucy Reveals W…

The European Space Agency (ESA) has captured remarkable new images of dozens of giant dust devils swirling across an ancient canyon system on Mars. The images show more than 30 active whirlwinds moving through Mamers Valles, a vast network of valleys and canyons that formed billions of years ago. Dust devils on Mars are similar […] The post More than 30 giant dust devils spotted twisting through …

Mars Express images reveal over 30 massive dust devils swirling through Mars’s ancient Mamers Valles, offering fresh insights into the Red Planet’s climate and geology.

Europe's Mars Express orbiter recently imaged a huge valley system on the Red Planet — and dust devils dot the alien landscape.

Uranus appears beyond the horizon of its moon Miranda in this illustration. If detectable, high-energy neutral particles produced near Uranus could help scientists decipher the structure and dynamics of the icy planet’s magnetosphere. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab