Space Exploration
Feb 28, 2014
How Earth was watered
Early Earth's accidental deluge via water-carrying comets has long been a stumbling block for those interested in life on other planets.
Search results for planetesimals
Space Exploration
Dec 9, 2010
The end of planet formation, as told by trace elements from the mantles of Earth, the moon and Mars
New research reveals that the abundance of so-called highly siderophile, or metal-loving, elements like gold and platinum found in the mantles of Earth, the Moon and Mars were delivered by massive impactors during the final ...
Space Exploration
Mar 1, 2024
When an object like 'Oumuamua comes around again, we could be ready with an interstellar object explorer
On October 19th, 2017, astronomers with the Pann-STARRS survey observed an interstellar object passing through our system—1I/2017 U1 'Oumuamua. This was the first time an ISO was detected, confirming that such objects pass ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 2, 2023
Astronomers come closer to understanding how Mercury formed
Simulations of the formation of the solar system have been largely successful. They are able to replicate the positions of all the major planets along with their orbital parameters. But current simulations have an extreme ...
Planetary Sciences
Dec 16, 2022
Earth's water is 4.5 billion years old, says new study
The origin of Earth's water has been an enduring mystery. There are different hypotheses and theories explaining how the water got here, and lots of evidence supporting them.
Astronomy
Jun 8, 2022
Jupiter turns out to be inhomogeneous; metallicity gives clues about origin
An international team of astronomers, led by Yamila Miguel (SRON/Leiden Observatory), has found that Jupiter's gaseous envelope doesn't have a homogeneous distribution. The inner part has more metals than the outer parts, ...
Astronomy
May 19, 2022
Ceres probably formed farther out in the solar system and migrated inward
When Sicilian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi spotted Ceres in 1801, he thought it was a planet. Astronomers didn't know about asteroids at that time. Now we know there's an enormous quantity of them, primarily residing in the ...
Astronomy
Aug 31, 2021
Geologists propose theory about a famous asteroid
The asteroid Vesta is the second largest asteroid in our Solar System. With a diameter of about 330 miles, it orbits the sun between the planets Mars and Jupiter.
Astronomy
Apr 19, 2021
When stars get too close to each other, they cast out interstellar comets and asteroids
In October 2017, humanity caught its first-ever glimpse of an interstellar object—a visitor from beyond our solar system—passing nearby the sun. We named it "Oumuamua, and its unusual properties fascinated and confounded ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 2, 2021
From stardust to pale blue dot: Carbon's interstellar journey to Earth
We are made of stardust, the saying goes, and a pair of studies including University of Michigan research finds that may be more true than we previously thought.
