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Wild 2 Comet Contains High Fraction of Dust from Young Solar System, Study Shows

By Enrico de Lazaro January 17, 2024

NASA’s Stardust mission returned rocky material from the coma of comet 81P/Wild 2 (pronounced ‘Vilt 2’) to Earth on January 15, 2006. Comet Wild 2 contains volatile ices and likely…

Scientists Solve Major Puzzle in Moon’s Geology

By News Staff January 15, 2024

New research from the University of Bristol sheds light on the origin of titanium-rich basaltic magmas on the Moon. A map of the titanium abundances of the Moon’s surface, obtained…

Combination of Two Minerals Can Explain Mysterious UV Absorber in Clouds of Venus

By Enrico de Lazaro January 8, 2024

The clouds of Venus are believed to be composed of sulfuric acid and minor constituents including iron-bearing compounds. Respective concentrations of these compounds vary with height in the thick atmosphere…

‘Magic Islands’ on Titan’s Hydrocarbon Lakes Are Floating Chunks of Porous Organic Solids

By Enrico de Lazaro January 8, 2024

Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, has a unique atmosphere that transforms simple gases like methane and nitrogen into more complex organic compounds. In a new study, planetary researchers at…

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Asteroids Predate Our Solar System, New Study Shows

By Enrico de Lazaro December 22, 2023

Astronomical observations show that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are abundant and widespread in the interstellar medium. PAH molecules consist of several adjacent aromatic rings terminated by hydrogens. In new research,…

Enceladus’ Surface May Contain Relatively High Abundances of Pristine Organic Material

By News Staff December 21, 2023

Enceladus, the sixth-biggest moon of Saturn, presents a remarkable opportunity in our Solar System for searching for evidence of extraterrestrial life, given its habitable ocean and plume that deposits organic-bearing…

NASA Streams Cat Video from Deep Space via Laser

By News Staff December 20, 2023

A 15-second ultra-high-definition video, featuring a cat named Taters, was streamed via laser from a record-setting 31 million km (19 million miles, or about 80 times the Earth-Moon distance) away…

Planetary Researchers Detect Hydrogen Cyanide in Plume of Enceladus

By News Staff December 17, 2023

Using data from NASA’s Cassini mission, planetary scientists have detected several compounds of strong importance to the habitability of Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus, including hydrogen cyanide, acetylene, propylene and ethane.…

Lunar Anthropocene: Are We in New Epoch of Moon’s History?

By Natali Anderson December 11, 2023

In a paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, Kansas Geological Survey researcher Justin Holcomb and his colleagues argue the new epoch may have dawned in 1959, thanks to the…

NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Beams Back Its First Images

By News Staff December 6, 2023

Already 26 million km (16 million miles) from Earth, NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will arrive at its target asteroid Psyche in 2029. The Psyche team wanted to test all of the…

AMS Detector Reveals Surprising Surplus of Cosmic Rays Made of Deuterons

Study: Asteroid Psyche Originated beyond Solar System’s Snow Line and Later Migrated to Main Belt

ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter Spots Chloride-Bearing Deposits on Mars

Mid-Crust of Mars May Contain ‘Oceans of Liquid Water’

‘Nanoparticle Warming’ Have Potential to Warm Mars, Planetary Scientists Say

Mars Once Hosted Lake Larger than Any on Earth: Lake Eridania

Flakes of Natural Graphene Found in Lunar Soil Samples

Curiosity Finds Pure Sulfur on Mars

Study: Biological Amino Acids Could Survive in Near-Surface Ices of Europa and Enceladus

Astronomers Propose New Definition of Planet

AMS Detector Reveals Surprising Surplus of Cosmic Rays Made of Deuterons

Study: Asteroid Psyche Originated beyond Solar System’s Snow Line and Later Migrated to Main Belt

Wild 2 Comet Contains High Fraction of Dust from Young Solar System, Study Shows

Scientists Solve Major Puzzle in Moon’s Geology

‘Magic Islands’ on Titan’s Hydrocarbon Lakes Are Floating Chunks of Porous Organic Solids

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Asteroids Predate Our Solar System, New Study Shows

Enceladus’ Surface May Contain Relatively High Abundances of Pristine Organic Material

NASA Streams Cat Video from Deep Space via Laser

Planetary Researchers Detect Hydrogen Cyanide in Plume of Enceladus

Lunar Anthropocene: Are We in New Epoch of Moon’s History?

NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Beams Back Its First Images

AMS Detector Reveals Surprising Surplus of Cosmic Rays Made of Deuterons

Study: Asteroid Psyche Originated beyond Solar System’s Snow Line and Later Migrated to Main Belt