Search results for Planetary Systems

Astronomy Aug 17, 2026

Mega-Earth GJ 523b is 23 times as massive as our planet—but only 2.5 times as wide

It's nearly 170 million years old. It's more than 2.5 times the size of Earth. And it's the first exoplanet discovered and cataloged by researchers with the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research (WiCOR).

Astronomy Aug 13, 2026

Synchronized star pairs unleash radio bursts via a Jupiter-Io-like mechanism

Researchers have helped unravel the mystery of why certain pairs of stars pulse with regular, long-period bursts of radio waves. The particular class of objects observed comes in pairs that always include a compact dead star, ...

Planetary Sciences Aug 12, 2026

First supernovae may have seeded rocky planet building blocks 100 million years after the Big Bang

The building blocks of rocky planets may have begun forming just 100 million years after the Big Bang—long before the first galaxies even existed—according to new research from the University of Portsmouth.

Space Exploration Aug 12, 2026

Moonquakes could reveal buried lunar ice for future explorers

The surface of the moon is a bleak and forbidding place that could be hiding a lot of water ice within its dusty landscape. However, most possible ice deposits don't just stand out in an image. Scientists need specialized ...

Astrobiology Aug 11, 2026

The ESCAPE mission will study the evolution of exoplanet atmospheres

The habitable zone concept is useful for understanding which worlds might, possibly, maybe, be habitable. It highlights exoplanets at the right distances from their stars for liquid water to potentially exist on their surfaces. ...

Astronomy Aug 10, 2026

Slow spin could explain why planets become hellish

Hundreds of Venus-like planets could soon help determine why some worlds become sweltering greenhouse hellscapes while others remain capable of supporting life. But before answering that question, scientists first need to ...

Planetary Sciences Aug 9, 2026

Rare Mars meteorite preserves 1.27-billion-year-old clues to planet's deep interior

Boston College scientists have determined that a newly discovered meteorite from Mars is 1.27 billion years old and derived from a previously unsampled, pristine source on the Red Planet. The study is published in the journal ...

Planetary Sciences Aug 7, 2026

Uranus's unusual rotation makes its bow shock expand and contract each day

Within our solar system, Uranus is a geometric oddball. Its spin axis tilts more than 90° from its orbit, so it essentially rolls on its side through space. In contrast, Earth and other planets tilt only moderately or not ...

Space Exploration Aug 7, 2026

'Plasma gun' technology could transform space laundry and sanitation for future missions

Researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, are developing plasma-based technology to help astronauts stay healthier during missions to the moon and Mars by sanitizing ...

Space Exploration Aug 7, 2026

UK observatory nervously watches growing space junk threat

In the sweeping shadow of a satellite dish, staff at the Chilbolton Observatory in southern England track a growing number of objects in Earth's orbit, providing data that underpins Britain's space monitoring efforts.

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