Determining the size of an Earth-size exoplanet by the amount of starlight it blocks hundreds of light-years away once was the realm of science fiction. Measuring the mass of such a small planet based on its gravity was ...
Astronomy
Jun 18, 2015
0
657
The isotopic composition of meteorites and terrestrial planets holds important clues about the earliest history of the solar system and the processes of planet formation.
Astronomy
Dec 17, 2019
3
534
In summer 2018 the planets Mars and Saturn are, one after the other, in opposition to Earth. During this event the planets are relatively close to Earth, allowing astronomers to observe them in greater detail. Hubble took ...
Space Exploration
Jul 26, 2018
0
188
As science and technology advance, we're asking our space missions to deliver more and more results. NASA's MSL Curiosity and Perseverance rovers illustrate this fact. Perseverance is an exceptionally exquisite assemblage ...
Space Exploration
Jan 20, 2023
1
75
UC Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane had to double-check his calculations. He wasn't sure the planet he was studying could be as extreme as it seemed.
Planetary Sciences
May 9, 2024
0
289
Imagine an Earth-sized planet that's not at all Earth-like. Half this world is locked in permanent daytime, the other half in permanent night, and it's carpeted with active volcanoes. Astronomers have discovered that planet.
Astrobiology
May 17, 2023
0
80
Together, the space probes Dawn and New Horizons have been in flight for a collective 17 years. One remained close to home and the other departed to parts of the Solar System of which little is known. They now share a common ...
Space Exploration
Dec 30, 2014
0
0
A swarm of tiny probes each with a different sensor could be fired into the clouds of Jupiter and grab data as they fall before burning up in the gas giant planet's atmosphere. The probes would last an estimated 15 minutes ...
Astronomy
Jan 26, 2015
0
748
NASA's DART mission to test deflecting an asteroid using "kinetic impact" with a spaceship is just one way to defend planet Earth from an approaching object —and for now, the only method possible with current technology.
Planetary Sciences
Sep 26, 2022
1
12
It's nice to have a feel-good story every once in a while, so here's one to hold off the existential dread: the Earth isn't likely to get flung off into deep space for at least 100,000 years. In fact, all of the solar system's ...
Astronomy
Jul 5, 2022
1
128
