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Planetary Sciences news
Discovery marks the first detection of variable water clouds outside of the solar system
A Jupiter-sized world just 7.5 light-years away is cloudy, chemically complex and, it turns out, more like home than anyone expected. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, Brittany Miles, assistant astronomer at the University ...
Astronomy
Oct 9, 2026
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SPHEREx spots menagerie of brown dwarfs with atmospheric water and methane
NASA's SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the universe, Epoch of Reionization, and ices Explorer) space telescope is shedding light on brown dwarfs, celestial objects that blur the line between stars and exoplanets. ...
Astronomy
Oct 9, 2026
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Solar Orbiter tracks origin of mysterious magnetic switchbacks
The European Space Agency–led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has flown through an S-shaped kink known as a "switchback" in the solar wind's magnetic field. By fingerprinting the elusive particles within the switchback, Solar Orbiter ...
Astronomy
Oct 8, 2026
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Mars' oddest cloud may be even odder than previously thought
Scientists using the European Space Agency's Mars Express, in combination with a state-of-the-art meteorological model of the Red Planet, have found that there may be some exotic physics behind Mars' most curious cloud. The ...
Planetary Sciences
Oct 7, 2026
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Computer scientist tracks satellites with automated observatory built from off-the-shelf technology
Allen Schnibben's interest in space started when he was a child. "I picked up some books about the solar system when I was in elementary school. In middle school, I got a telescope and I started observing the night sky as ...
Astronomy
Oct 6, 2026
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Simulated moon soil and recyclable thermoplastics could help build future space infrastructure
Transporting material from Earth to the moon is an expensive proposition: By some estimates, moving a single kilogram (2.2 pounds) can cost more than $1 million. Any plan to build a permanent human habitat up there will depend ...
Space Exploration
Oct 6, 2026
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NASA's Curiosity rover catches stunning Martian dawn
A newly released panorama captured by NASA's Curiosity rover offers the most detailed view yet of distant, wind-carved Martian cliffs, highlighting features the mission's scientists have long been waiting to see up close. ...
Planetary Sciences
Oct 6, 2026
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Striking new images of unique supernova remnant reveal pearl-like chains
The only known supernova remnant of its kind in the Milky Way has an unexpectedly intricate structure: chains of gas knots resembling pearls on a string, each wide enough to fit the solar system multiple times. Using the ...
Astronomy
Oct 6, 2026
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To keep GPS constellations from drifting, look to the moon
Global positioning systems are a key feature in everyday life for much of the world's population. Whether it's ensuring a ship delivers its goods safely or helping you avoid a road closure on your commute home, GPS can help.
Space Exploration
Oct 6, 2026
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Astronomers catch a star slowly snacking on a brown dwarf, 300 light years away
Like Earth, most planetary bodies circle their star in stable, detached orbits. These companionable systems can suddenly change when a planet comes too close to its star. In such a close encounter, a star can pull the planet ...
Astronomy
Oct 5, 2026
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The phoenix planet: Astronomers find a world reborn from its star's ashes
Astronomers have discovered the first example of a second-generation planet orbiting a white dwarf, a world that appears to have formed from the remains of the dead star it now orbits.
Astronomy
Oct 5, 2026
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326
How Enceladus' ocean spray becomes chemically diverse ice grains
Saturn's icy moon Enceladus hides a global ocean beneath its frozen surface. From fractures near its south pole, material from this ocean is ejected into space as a plume of water vapor and ice particles. These particles ...
Astrobiology
Oct 4, 2026
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Q&A: An Earth-like planet with two suns?
A nearby star system with two suns could potentially support an Earth-sized planet in a region where liquid water could exist, according to a new paper examining the dynamics of the system.
Planetary Sciences
Oct 3, 2026
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Team selected for NASA program to explore potential lunar cave
NASA has selected a Planetary Science Institute–led proposal to investigate whether a potentially large underground cave extends beyond the opening of a lunar pit. Such a cave may one day provide a safe haven for astronauts ...
Space Exploration
Oct 2, 2026
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How stars shine: Infrared observations expose gaps in models of how stars distribute their light
Astronomers using Georgia State University's Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array have found that nearby stars darken toward their edges more strongly at near-infrared wavelengths than predicted by several ...
Astronomy
Oct 2, 2026
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New research shows how water would behave on the moon
As humanity looks toward future bases on the moon, plant cultivation will be critical for sustaining life there. Plants can provide food, oxygen, medicine, water purification and waste recycling, making them indispensable ...
Astrobiology
Oct 2, 2026
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Webb provides crash course on planet-shattering collisions
In the early history of our solar system, scientists theorize that a Mars-sized object called Theia smashed into the infant Earth, vaporizing massive amounts of rock and blasting it into space. Some of that material coalesced ...
Planetary Sciences
Oct 1, 2026
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Following ancient rain toward life-related chemistry clues on Mars
The Mars we know today is a cold, dry world of dust and rocks. However, around 3.8–3.6 billion years ago, it may have looked very different. Geological and mineral evidence suggests that, in its distant past, the planet experienced ...
Astrobiology
Oct 1, 2026
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Catch a rare lunar occultation of Jupiter plus Saturn at opposition in early October
It's a busy skywatching month ahead. The first full week of October sees two top-notch skywatching events, with Saturn reaching opposition and the moon occulting Jupiter for North America on Oct. 6.
Planetary Sciences
Sep 30, 2026
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Stratospheric observatory Sunrise-III reveals intricate solar magnetic structures
A team of researchers led by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan discovered unexpectedly intricate magnetic structures above quiet-sun regions by observing the sun with the balloon-borne solar observatory Sunrise-III ...
Astronomy
Sep 30, 2026
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More news
Earth and Mars: Built from different cosmic recipes
How ocean chemistry helped life keep breathing
Meteor hit Oklahoma 100 million years later than previously thought
Scientists find lunar 'magnetic fossil' in Chang'e-6 samples
US-India satellite captures time-lapse video of volcanic eruption
Astronomers capture an unprecedented view of gas giant formation in action
The far side of the moon provides clues to a past magnetic field
Bennu asteroid samples point to a surprising origin involving Jupiter
How diffractive solar sails could stop a killer asteroid at 100 km/s
Other news
Why some young ants start hunting and caring for others early
Against the odds: Why some ecosystems thrive
Fluorescent imaging tracks metabolism of cells in real time
3I/ATLAS has an extreme taste for heavy water
A 'rebellious' exoplanet orbits in the opposite direction of its star
The Red Planet has a purple side
Earth's center of mass drifts less than we thought
Quantum chip holds multiple photons at once, opening path to scalable memory
