Planetary Sciences
Oct 30, 2025
What made the moon?
Our moon—or la Luna—has inspired humankind for millennia.
Search results for Terrestrial Planets
Astrobiology
Oct 24, 2025
Are we in the 'Solitude Zone' of the universe?
Are we alone? It's one of the most basic questions of human existence. People have been trying to answer it for millennia in one form or another, but only recently have we gained the tools and knowledge to start tractably ...
Space Exploration
Oct 9, 2025
Completed Plato spacecraft is ready for final tests
By fitting its sunshield and solar panels, engineers have completed the construction of Plato, the European Space Agency's mission to discover Earth-like exoplanets. Plato is on track for the final key tests to confirm that ...
Astrobiology
Oct 6, 2025
New research suggests red dwarf systems are unlikely to have advanced civilizations
The Copernican Principle, named in honor of Nicolaus Copernicus (who proposed the heliocentric model of the universe), states that Earth and humans do not occupy a special or privileged place in the universe. In cosmological ...
Astrobiology
Oct 2, 2025
Detection of phosphine in a brown dwarf atmosphere raises more questions
Phosphorus is one of six key elements necessary for life on Earth. When combined with hydrogen, phosphorus forms the molecule phosphine (PH3), an explosive, highly toxic gas.
Planetary Sciences
Sep 22, 2025
Collision between two bodies of similar mass may explain the formation of Mercury
The formation of Mercury remains an unsolved mystery. The planet closest to the sun has a disproportionately large metallic core—accounting for about 70% of its mass—and a relatively small rocky mantle. Until now, the most ...
Astrobiology
Sep 10, 2025
'Potential biosignatures' found in ancient Mars lake
A new study suggests a habitable past and signs of ancient microbial processes on Mars. Led by NASA and featuring key analysis from Imperial College London, the work has uncovered a range of minerals and organic matter in ...
Astronomy
Sep 8, 2025
TRAPPIST-1e observations narrow down possibilities for atmosphere and surface water on elusive exoplanet
University of Bristol astrophysicists are helping shed new light on an Earth-sized exoplanet 40 light years away where liquid water in the form of a global ocean or icy expanse might exist on its surface. That would only ...
Astrobiology
Sep 1, 2025
Habitable planet potential increases in the outer galaxy
What can the galactic habitable zone (GHZ), galactic regions where complex life is hypothesized to be able to evolve, teach scientists about finding the correct stars that could have habitable planets?
Astronomy
Aug 29, 2025
Unusual CO₂-rich disk detected around young star challenges planet formation models
A study led by Jenny Frediani at Stockholm University has revealed a planet-forming disk with a strikingly unusual chemical composition: an unexpectedly high abundance of carbon dioxide (CO2) in regions where Earth-like planets ...
