Interplanetary dust as a research area focuses on the origin, composition, dynamics, and evolution of micron- to millimeter-sized solid particles distributed throughout the Solar System. Studies integrate in situ spacecraft measurements, zodiacal light observations, infrared and submillimeter astronomy, laboratory analysis of collected particles (e.g., micrometeorites), and dynamical modeling of dust production and transport. Key topics include dust sources (comets, asteroids, Kuiper Belt objects), Poynting–Robertson drag, radiation pressure, collisions, and interactions with the solar wind and planetary magnetospheres. This field constrains planetary system formation, surface weathering processes, and the distribution of organic and volatile materials in planetary environments.
Following its longest hibernation period ever of nearly a year, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has emerged in good health and is ready to begin transmitting science data gathered in the distant Kuiper Belt far beyond Pluto.
Space Exploration
8 hours ago
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Like a shelf in an old house, the Earth collects a lot of dust from its surroundings. This "space dust" is mostly made up of micrometeorites that survive atmospheric entry and provides researchers with a cheap and easy way ...
A researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, has published a new study in The Astrophysical Journal suggesting that tiny charged dust grains near the sun may significantly ...
Astronomy
Jul 1, 2026
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For decades, astronomers and policymakers have been working on plans to protect our planet from killer asteroids. But now there's a new realm to protect: the thousands of satellites we're putting in orbit.
Planetary Sciences
Jun 23, 2026
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Could Earth have seeded Jupiter's moon Europa with bacterial life, where it could have taken hold in Europa's ocean and perhaps evolved into something more? That's the hypothesis of a new paper in the International Journal ...
Our search for technosignatures—clear signs of advanced civilizations beyond Earth—takes many forms. Many are driven by the famous Drake equation, which attempts to estimate how many technological civilizations there are ...
Astrobiology
Jun 16, 2026
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NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this view of Thebe, the second largest of Jupiter's inner moons, during a close pass on May 1, 2026. The spacecraft's Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) captured this image from a distance of approximately ...
Astronomy
May 5, 2026
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The Eta Aquarid meteor shower soon will light the sky with debris from Halley's comet. But a bright moon will spoil the fun this year, making the display harder to glimpse.
Space Exploration
May 3, 2026
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26
NASA's Curiosity rover has identified seven new organic compounds on the planet Mars, according to new research published in Nature Communications.
Astrobiology
Apr 23, 2026
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Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island are revealing new insight into the composition and origins of Uranus's two outer rings. Using data from the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA), combined ...
Planetary Sciences
Apr 16, 2026
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