Irregular satellites as a research area focuses on the origin, dynamical evolution, physical properties, and population statistics of distant, typically small moons on highly inclined, eccentric, and often retrograde orbits around giant planets and some dwarf planets. This field integrates celestial mechanics, collisional and tidal evolution modeling, and observational astronomy (optical, infrared, and occasionally radio) to investigate capture mechanisms, resonant interactions, and the links between irregular satellites and small-body reservoirs such as the Kuiper Belt or asteroid populations. Research emphasizes constraints on planetary system formation, migration histories, and the broader architecture and debris environments of planetary systems.
Neptune's far-flung moon Nereid may be the last of the planet's original companions that managed to survive a cosmic crash, scientists reported Wednesday.
Planetary Sciences
May 20, 2026
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60
Neptune is the solar system's most distant planet, a cold, blue ice giant sitting nearly 30 times further from the sun than Earth. At that remote distance, temperatures plunge to nearly minus 200 degrees Celsius and a single ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 29, 2026
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The European Space Agency's (ESA's) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) probe is on its (very long) way to Jupiter, and will finally arrive at the King of Planets in 2031. Its primary mission is to focus on the "big three" ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 19, 2026
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31
The moons of Mars are garnering increased attention, not only because they could provide a view of the solar system's past but also because they could provide invaluable staging areas for any future human settlement on Mars ...
Space Exploration
Dec 2, 2024
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26
Earth will capture a miniature, "second moon" this week, according to NASA scientists.
Space Exploration
Sep 27, 2024
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