Ultra-cool companion helps reveal giant planets

(Phys.org) -- An international team of astronomers led by David Pinfield of the University of Hertfordshire has found a brown dwarf that is more than 99% hydrogen and helium. Described as ultra-cool, it has a temperature ...

Jupiter Impact: Mystery of the Missing Debris

On June 3rd, 2010, something hit Jupiter. A comet or asteroid descended from the black of space, struck the planet's cloudtops, and disintegrated, producing a flash of light so bright it was visible in backyard telescopes ...

A new explanation for why Jupiter's moon has splendid dunes

Scientists have long wondered how Jupiter's innermost moon, Io, has meandering ridges as grand as any that can be seen in movies like "Dune." Now, a Rutgers research study has provided a new explanation of how dunes can form ...

A closer look at Jupiter's origin story

One of the most important open questions in planetary formation theory is the story of Jupiter's origin. Using sophisticated computer modeling, researchers of the University of Zurich (UZH) and the National Centre of Competence ...

NASA issues 'remastered' view of Jupiter's moon Europa

(Phys.org) —Scientists have produced a new version of what is perhaps NASA's best view of Jupiter's ice-covered moon, Europa. The mosaic of color images was obtained in the late 1990s by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. This ...

Faraway moon mimics Earth tectonics

Jupiter's icy moon Europa may have active tectonic plates similar to those that shape the Earth, which had long been thought unique in this respect, scientists said Sunday.

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