Planet Archives - Page 5 of 6

Scientists Explain Why Jupiter’s and Saturn’s Icy Moons Have Extreme Radar Properties

By News Staff March 23, 2023

The radar properties of icy satellites of Jupiter and Saturn commonly differ by more than an order of magnitude from those of rocky planets because of the lower absorptivity of…

Relict Glacier Spotted near Martian Equator

By News Staff March 20, 2023

A so-called light-toned deposit (LTD) in Eastern Noctis Labyrinthus, about 160 km (99.4 miles) north-west of Oudemans crater near Mars’ equator, presents distinctive morphologic characteristics of a glacier, according to…

Study Offers New Insights into Extraterrestrial Origins of Earth’s Water

By News Staff March 16, 2023

In new research, planetary scientists from the University of Maryland and elsewhere analyzed melted meteorites that had been floating around in space since the Solar System’s formation around 4.5 billion…

Venus Has Ongoing Active Volcanism, New Study Confirms

By News Staff March 15, 2023

Planetary scientists have examined volcanic areas on Venus that were imaged two or three times by NASA’s Magellan spacecraft and identified a 2.2-km2 volcanic vent that changed shape in the…

Curiosity Rover Images Sun Rays and Feather-Shaped Clouds on Mars

By News Staff March 6, 2023

‘Sun rays’ are also known as crepuscular rays, from the Latin word for twilight. It was the first time sun rays have been so clearly viewed on Mars. This feather-shaped…

Venus’ Outer Shell is Shaping Planet’s Surface, Study Suggests

By News Staff February 24, 2023

Earth has a hot core that heats the surrounding mantle, which carries that heat up to the planet’s lithosphere. The heat is then lost to space, cooling the uppermost region…

Electricity in Martian Dust Storms Could Be Major Driving Force of Planet’s Chlorine Cycle

By News Staff February 20, 2023

Frictional electrification is a common process in the Solar System, with Martian dust activities known to be a powerful source of electrical charge buildup. Furthermore, the thin atmosphere on the…

Hubble Detects Start of New Saturn Ring Spoke Season

By News Staff February 10, 2023

Saturn is known for its iconic, pristine rings. However, the main B ring can have splotches and streaks of darker or lighter material, known as spokes, that may be tied…

Scientists Find Various Organic Compounds in Martian Meteorite

By News Staff January 12, 2023

An international team of researchers has detected abundant polyaromatic compounds, organic magnesium compounds, aliphatic branched carboxylic acids, aldehydes, and olefins in the Tissint meteorite, which landed near the city of…

Trace Gas Detection Sheds New Light on Atmospheres of Jupiter and Its Volcanic Moon Io

By Natali Anderson December 28, 2022

Using data from NSF’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and NASA’s Juno spacecraft, two teams of astronomers have examined the distribution of…