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Planetary Sciences news
Hidden magma oceans could shield rocky exoplanets from harmful radiation
Deep beneath the surface of distant exoplanets known as super-Earths, oceans of molten rock may be doing something extraordinary: powering magnetic fields strong enough to shield entire planets from dangerous cosmic radiation ...
Astrobiology
Jan 15, 2026
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How dark asteroids die
Back in the earlier days of the internet, there was a viral video from a creator called Bill Wurtz called "the history of the entire world, i guess" which spawned a number of memorable memes, some of which are still in use ...
Astronomy
Jan 15, 2026
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Sentinel-2 explores night vision
After more than 10 years in orbit, the first Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite, Sentinel-2A, is still finding new ways to contribute to Earth observation. With its younger siblings, Sentinel-2B and Sentinel-2C, now leading ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 15, 2026
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Two new exoplanets and the need for new habitable zone definitions
At the beginning of the exoplanet age, the goals were fairly simple. The first was to find as many of them as possible to flesh out our understanding of the exoplanet population. The second was to determine if any were in ...
Astrobiology
Jan 15, 2026
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Peering below Callisto's icy crust with ALMA
What exists beneath the surface of Jupiter's icy moon, Callisto? This is what a recent study accepted by The Planetary Science Journal hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated the subsurface composition of Callisto, ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 14, 2026
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A 'cosmic clock' in tiny crystals reveals the rise and fall of Australia's ancient landscapes
Australia's iconic red landscapes have been home to Aboriginal culture and recorded in songlines for tens of thousands of years. But further clues to just how ancient this landscape is come from far beyond Earth: cosmic rays ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 14, 2026
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Jupiter's hidden depths: Simulation suggests planet holds 1.5 times more oxygen than the sun
Spectacular clouds swirl across the surface of Jupiter. These clouds contain water, just like Earth's, but are much denser on the gas giant—so thick that no spacecraft has been able to measure exactly what lies beneath.
Planetary Sciences
Jan 14, 2026
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Siwarha's wake gives it away at Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse is the star that everybody can't wait to see blow up, preferably sooner rather than later. That's because it's a red supergiant on the verge of becoming a supernova and there hasn't been one explode this close ...
Astronomy
Jan 14, 2026
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Massive impact could be the cause of our lopsided moon
Our nearest neighbor, the moon, is still something of a mystery to us. For decades, scientists have wondered why it appears so lopsided, with dark volcanic plains on the near side (the side we see) and rugged, cratered mountains ...
The path to solar weather forecasts is paved with drops in cosmic rays
At times, the sun ejects energetic material into space, which can have consequences for space-based and even ground-based electronic technology. Researchers aim to understand this phenomenon and find ways to forecast it, ...
Astronomy
Jan 13, 2026
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Tiny Mars's big impact on Earth's climate: How the red planet's pull shapes ice ages
At half the size of Earth and one-tenth its mass, Mars is a featherweight as far as planets go. Yet new research reveals the extent to which Mars is quietly tugging on Earth's orbit and shaping the cycles that drive long-term ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 12, 2026
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Complex life on planets orbiting the galaxy's most common stars may be unlikely
In a blow to anyone dreaming that complex life may exist elsewhere in the universe, a new study suggests we're unlikely to find it around many of the most common stars in the galaxy.
Mars was once a 'blue planet': Ancient river deltas point to vast ocean
Using images from cameras on Mars orbiters, an international research team has discovered structures on Mars that are very similar to classic river deltas on Earth. These are traces of rivers that have deposited their sediments ...
Astrobiology
Jan 12, 2026
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How astronomers plan to detect the signatures of alien life in the atmospheres of distant planets
We live in a very exciting time: answers to some of the oldest questions humanity has conceived are within our grasp. One of these is whether Earth is the only place that harbors life.
Planetary Sciences
Jan 12, 2026
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NASA's Pandora telescope will study stars in detail to learn about the exoplanets orbiting them
On Jan. 11, 2026, I watched anxiously at the tightly controlled Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as an awe-inspiring SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried NASA's new exoplanet telescope, Pandora, into orbit.
Astronomy
Jan 12, 2026
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Scientists find more active black holes in dwarf and Milky Way-sized galaxies by cutting through glare of star formation
Astronomers have completed the most comprehensive census of active galactic nuclei (AGN) to date, providing the clearest picture yet of the probability that galaxies of different sizes host active black holes.
Astronomy
Jan 9, 2026
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The electrifying science behind Martian dust
Mars, often depicted as a barren red planet, is far from lifeless. With its thin atmosphere and dusty surface, it is an energetic and electrically charged environment where dust storms and dust devils continually reshape ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 8, 2026
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Simultaneous packing structures in superionic water may explain ice giant magnetic fields
Superionic water—the hot, black and strangely conductive form of ice that exists in the center of distant planets—was predicted in the 1980s and first recreated in a laboratory in 2018. With each closer look, it continues ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 8, 2026
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Asteroid impact simulation reveals the hidden strength of space rocks
Physicists at the University of Oxford have contributed to a new study which has found that iron-rich asteroids can tolerate far more energy than previously thought without breaking apart—a breakthrough with direct implications ...
Astronomy
Jan 8, 2026
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Study offers possible solution to a gravitational wave mystery
Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder may have solved a pressing mystery about the universe's gravitational wave background.
Astronomy
Jan 8, 2026
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Other news
Horses can smell human fear when we sweat
A new 'crystalline sponge' for drug discovery: APF-80 illuminates materials design
Sniffing out cancer: Trained dogs can detect hemangiosarcoma by scent
Before we build on the moon, we have to master the commute
Rethinking how we end a satellite's mission
When employees feel slighted, they work less, research reveals
