Planetary sciences is an interdisciplinary field that investigates the formation, evolution, and current state of planets, moons, and smaller bodies within and beyond our Solar System using the methods of physics, chemistry, geology, and atmospheric science. It encompasses studies of planetary interiors, surfaces, atmospheres, magnetospheres, and ring systems, as well as orbital dynamics and interactions with stellar radiation and plasma environments. Planetary sciences integrates remote sensing, in situ spacecraft measurements, laboratory experiments, and numerical modeling to constrain processes such as accretion, differentiation, tectonism, volcanism, impact cratering, climate evolution, and potential habitability on diverse planetary bodies.
New NASA research has found that Ceres may have had a lasting source of chemical energy: the right types of molecules needed to fuel some microbial metabolisms. Although there is no evidence that microorganisms ever existed ...
Astrobiology
Aug 20, 2025
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43
Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, a team led by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has identified a previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus, expanding the planet's known satellite family to 29. The detection was ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 19, 2025
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In the not-too-distant future, the search for signs of life on Mars and the moon could see the next generation of robots exploring a new frontier: subsurface lava tubes. These missions could also help us determine the best ...
How can artificial intelligence (AI) be used to locate lunar pits and skylights, which are surface depressions and openings, respectively, that serve as entrances to lava caves and lava tubes? This is what a recent study ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 30, 2025
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27
Is there a massive undiscovered planet on the outer reaches of the solar system? The idea has been around since before the discovery of Pluto in the 1930s. Labeled as planet X, prominent astronomers had put it forward as ...
Astronomy
Jul 29, 2025
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63
When spacecraft land on the moon, their engines unleash huge clouds of dust and debris that can damage expensive equipment and threaten future lunar bases. As space agencies plan to establish a lasting presence on the moon, ...
Space Exploration
Jul 22, 2025
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21
People have long wondered what life was first like on Earth, and if there is life in our solar system beyond our planet. Scientists have reason to believe that some of the moons in our solar system—like Jupiter's Europa ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 21, 2025
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1
The Subaru Telescope has made an exciting discovery: a small body beyond Pluto, with implications for the formation, evolution, and current structure of the outer solar system.
Astronomy
Jul 16, 2025
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63
A new study led by University of Houston researchers, in collaboration with planetary scientists worldwide, suggests Uranus does have its own internal heat—an advance that not only informs NASA's future missions but also ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 14, 2025
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40
Scientists with NASA's Lucy mission continue to analyze data collected during the spacecraft's April 20 encounter with the main-belt asteroid Donaldjohanson.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 2, 2025
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