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Planetary Sciences news
Lunar orbiter concept could reveal five key elements across moon in two years
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used simulations to show that a newly developed, compact X-ray telescope could be used to map the chemical composition of the entire lunar surface, a vital breakthrough ...
Space Exploration
6 hours ago
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A faster way to forecast alien weather
The TRAPPIST-1 system, located about 41 light years from Earth, has been a focal point of much exoplanetary discussion—mainly because it has seven confirmed planets orbiting a dim M-dwarf star. Two of those planets—TRAPPIST-1e ...
Planetary Sciences
8 hours ago
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Did this star eat its planets? A new study offers clues on 'chemical paradox' of a binary system
Astronomers have investigated a puzzling binary star system in which two stars that may have formed together now show dramatically different chemical compositions. The new study, uploaded to the arXiv preprint server on May ...
Could it be aliens? From Cheyava Falls on Mars to exoplanet K2‑18b—here's what scientists really think
It may seem like we are on the verge of discovering alien life. In 2025, a press release stated that we have the "strongest hints yet" of extraterrestrial life on the exoplanet K2-18b. And when talking about a collected sample ...
Astrobiology
Jun 5, 2026
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Image: Colorful, chaotic Jupiter
NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this color-enhanced view of Jupiter's northern hemisphere during its 61st close flyby of the giant planet on May 12, 2024.
Astronomy
Jun 4, 2026
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Tessera AI model offers accessible way to view Earth
A foundation model trained on Earth observation data from Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 has been made widely available to researchers, it was announced at a computer industry conference this week in Denver, U.S.
Planetary Sciences
Jun 4, 2026
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Atmosphere survival model refines search for habitable planets
Researchers have developed the Smaller Than Earth Habitability Model (STEHM) to assess which planets can maintain life-supporting atmospheres, focusing on size and atmospheric dynamics.
Astrobiology
Jun 4, 2026
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Jupiter bow shock reveals electrons accelerating to relativistic speeds
Electrons around Jupiter have been caught in the process of being accelerated, revealing a potentially unified mechanism for particle acceleration. The findings, published in Nature, may help constrain how energetic particles ...
Astronomy
Jun 4, 2026
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Meteors are 'extremely common.' What makes the one over New England 'rare'?
A sonic boom shook Boston and the larger New England area with the force of 230 tons of TNT. The source came from outer space. The Saturday afternoon event triggered shock waves online, with thousands inquiring what could ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 4, 2026
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ExoMars rover targets vast bed of clay in search for life
In the region where the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover will search for signs of life, clay deposits extend beyond previous estimates, a new study finds. One hypothesis even suggests a vast ocean once covered the landing ...
Astrobiology
Jun 4, 2026
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Asteroid dirt is 'fluffier' than we thought
The strength of gravity is different on every body in the solar system. Whether it's the crushing weight of Jupiter or the minuscule pull of a small asteroid, this fundamental force of physics still has a major impact on ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 3, 2026
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How Jupiter may have redirected life's ingredients toward Earth 4.5 billion years ago
NASA-supported scientists have provided new information about how the early Earth may have acquired some elements necessary for the planet to become habitable. They also suggest a new role for Jupiter in the distribution ...
Astrobiology
Jun 3, 2026
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Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS reveals no technosignatures in seven-hour radio scan
Scientists at the SETI Institute recently searched for technological signals from 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object observed in our solar system. Using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory ...
Astrobiology
Jun 3, 2026
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We can predict space weather—what if we could also stop it?
The weather on Earth can get pretty messy sometimes. But in space, it can be wild, and the effects can be far-reaching. Solar flares, giant explosions on the sun, can send out streams of energy that block radio communications ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 3, 2026
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Sunrise III data release opens rare high-altitude solar views that could sharpen space weather forecasts
Close to 100 scientists from all over Europe, the United States, and Japan are gathering this week at the Institute for Solar Physics (KIS) in Freiburg to present and discuss the first scientific results from the successful ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 3, 2026
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Studying impact flashes to detect missile and meteorite composition
Southwest Research Institute, or SwRI, is studying impact flashes generated by high-speed collisions. One application of understanding impact flashes is to remotely identify what materials are involved in the collisions. ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 3, 2026
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Mars mission ends: NASA declares Maven dead after six months of silence
After six months of radio silence, NASA's Maven spacecraft around Mars has been declared dead.
Planetary Sciences
Jun 3, 2026
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Ceres' surface is much more complex than previously thought
The long, puzzling dwarf planet Ceres, in reality the first named asteroid, has surface features that are much more complex than previously thought. Or at least that's the conclusion of a recent paper presented at the European ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 2, 2026
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Rare meteorite provides evidence of giant early planet
Four-and-a-half billion years ago, a massive world—possibly as big as the moon or even Mars—orbited our sun before crashing into another celestial body and shattering into rubble. Now, in a paper published in the journal ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 2, 2026
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Kamo'oalewa asteroid's lunar origin challenged ahead of Tianwen-2 arrival
China's Tianwen-2 sample-return mission is well on its way to its target, an asteroid called Kamo'oalewa. The spacecraft left Earth in May 2025 and should return in late 2027 with samples of a space rock that scientists had ...
More news
Rovers, regolith, robots: The blueprint for the moon
ESA selects two new scout-class missions
Is extracting oxygen from lunar soil the future of space exploration?
Red dwarf stars detected 'eating' Earth-like planets
Mineral clues in Gale Crater track ancient Mars climate change
Other news
Continuous stirring made early life-like RNA systems more extinction-prone, experiment shows
First nonrepeating biological clock discovered in C. elegans guides growth
Hidden protein switch controls photosynthesis as light conditions change
Medieval pandemic left a hidden legacy in Europe's oldest trees
Previously unknown detoxification pathway for chloromethane revealed
