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Planetary Sciences news
First lunar farside samples from Chang'e-6 mission analyzed
A team of Chinese scientists has studied the first lunar farside samples brought back by the Chang'e-6 mission. The findings mark a significant milestone in lunar exploration science and technical exploration capability. ...
Planetary Sciences
12 hours ago
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Aliphatic hydrocarbons on Ceres' surface found to have short lifetimes
A team of astrophysicists from several institutions in Italy, working with a colleague in the U.S., has found that aliphatic hydrocarbons observed on Ceres' surface have short lifetimes, suggesting they likely appeared there ...
NOAA shares first data from GOES-19 EXIS instrument
The Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors (EXIS) onboard NOAA's GOES-19 satellite, which launched on June 25, 2024, are powered on, performing well, and observing the sun.
Planetary Sciences
19 hours ago
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NEID Earth Twin Survey discovers its first alien world
An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new extrasolar world orbiting a nearby star known as HD 86728. This is the first exoplanet detection made as part of the NEID Earth Twin Survey (NETS). The finding ...
Existence of an Earth-like planet around a dead sun offers hope for our planet's ultimate survival
The discovery of an Earth-like planet 4,000 light years away in the Milky Way galaxy provides a preview of one possible fate for our planet billions of years in the future, when the sun has turned into a white dwarf, and ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 26, 2024
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Frozen in time: Rock formations hint at Mars's ancient climate
Long ago, flowing wind and water shaped Mars's malleable sand and sediment into dunes, ripples and other landscape patterns, called bedforms. Over billions of years, some of these landforms hardened into rock—scientists ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 25, 2024
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The northern lights might again be visible in the US as solar activity increases
The aurora borealis is continuing to dazzle viewers across the northern United States and Canada.
Planetary Sciences
Sep 25, 2024
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Study shows Mars' early thick atmosphere could be locked up in the planet's clay surface
Mars wasn't always the cold desert we see today. There's increasing evidence that water once flowed on the red planet's surface, billions of years ago. And if there was water, there must also have been a thick atmosphere ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 25, 2024
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Submicroscopic magnetite may be ubiquitous in lunar regolith of high-Ti region
The research team led by Li Yang and Cao Zhi at the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences confirmed for the first time that submicroscopic magnetite particles are common throughout the lunar surface. ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 25, 2024
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Can the 'hard steps' in the evolutionary history of human intelligence be recast with geological thresholds?
What took so long for humans to appear on Earth? The Earth is 4.6 billion years old, and life began about 4 billion years ago, yet humans—the only intelligent, technological species we know of in the universe—have existed ...
What happens to the climate when Earth passes through interstellar clouds?
Noctilucent clouds were once thought to be a fairly modern phenomenon. A team of researchers recently calculated that Earth and the entire solar system may well have passed through two dense interstellar clouds, causing global ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 24, 2024
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Astronomers catch a glimpse of a uniquely inflated and asymmetric exoplanet
An international group of researchers including University of Arizona astronomers, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, has observed the atmosphere of a hot and uniquely inflated exoplanet. The exoplanet, which is the ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 24, 2024
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Perseverance rover spots unusual striped rock on Mars
Last week, team scientists and the internet alike were amazed when Perseverance spotted a black-and-white striped rock unlike any seen on Mars before. Is this a sign of exciting discoveries to come?
Planetary Sciences
Sep 23, 2024
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Earth is getting a tiny new mini-moon. It won't be the first (or the last)
Earth is going to have its very own mini-moon from September 29 until November 25. The regular moon's new, temporary friend is 2024 PT₅, an asteroid captured from the Arjuna asteroid group (called the "Arjunas").
Planetary Sciences
Sep 23, 2024
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High-resolution images of the sun show how flares impact the solar atmosphere
Solar flares are a fascinating thing and have a profound effect on what astronomers refer to as "space weather." These events vary with the sun's 11-year solar cycle, releasing immense amounts of radiation across the electromagnetic ...
Astronomy
Sep 23, 2024
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Advanced civilizations will overheat their planets within 1,000 years, researchers suggest
Earth's average global temperatures have been steadily increasing since the Industrial Revolution. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), Earth has been heating up at a rate of 0.06°C (0.11°F) ...
Astrobiology
Sep 23, 2024
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Could stars hotter than the sun still support life?
Although most potentially habitable worlds orbit red dwarf stars, we know larger and brighter stars can harbor life. One yellow dwarf star, for example, is known to have a planet teaming with life, perhaps even intelligent ...
Astrobiology
Sep 23, 2024
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Sources of water and hydroxyl are widespread on the moon, new analysis of maps finds
A new analysis of maps of the near and far sides of the moon shows that there are multiple sources of water and hydroxyl in the sunlit rocks and soils, including water-rich rocks excavated by meteor impacts at all latitudes.
Planetary Sciences
Sep 23, 2024
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Proof-of-concept study uses X-rays to target mock-up asteroids in a vacuum
An X-ray pulse may be able to vaporize the surface of an asteroid and change its trajectory, according to a proof-of-concept paper published in Nature Physics. A laboratory experiment that mimics the deflection of an asteroid ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 23, 2024
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Citizen science collaboration yields precise data on exoplanet WASP-77 A b
A planet swings in front of its star, dimming the starlight we see. Events like these, called transits, provide us with bounties of information about exoplanets—planets around stars other than the sun. But predicting when ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 20, 2024
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More news
Algorithm used on Mars rover helps scientists on Earth see data in a new way
Exoplanets could be hiding their atmospheres
Plants could still grow well under alien skies
New study uncovers unexpected interaction between Mars and the solar wind
NASA develops process to create very accurate eclipse maps
Scientists scan TRAPPIST-1 for technosignatures
NASA watches a peanut-shaped asteroid drift past Earth
Hidden craters reveal Earth may once have had a ring—like Saturn
Could you find what a lunar crater is made of by shooting it?
An ambitious mission to Neptune could study both the planet and Triton
Other news
Shedding light on a decades-old protein sorting mystery
New research could extend the lifetime of key carbon-capture materials
The unexpected role of magnetic microbes in deep-sea mining
A new AI model can predict substrate movement into and out of cells
Scientists discover 'pause button' in human development
Earth may have had a ring system 466 million years ago
New hypothesis suggests Mars's unique shape may be due to long lost moon
NASA's Artemis II crew uses Iceland terrain for lunar training
Catch a partial lunar eclipse during September's supermoon
Earth to have new mini-moon for two months
Astronomers discover new planet in Great Bear constellation
Odds of asteroid 99942 Apophis striking Earth slightly higher than thought
Study unveils a novel protective mechanism in bacterial cell walls
