Jupiter’s Largest Moon Has a Rare Magnetic Field. A Strange Theory May Explain It
Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system, also hosts some of the biggest moons. That includes Ganymede,…
So Those Water Vapors on Europa Might Not Actually Be a Thing
In 2014, a monumental Science paper showed that Hubble data pointed to intermittent plumes of water vapor on…
Helio and You: Seasons on Earth, Mars, and Beyond
Earth has four seasons – spring, summer, fall, and winter. Other planets (including Jupiter and the other giant…
A Gigantic Atmospheric Anomaly Keeps Showing Up on Venus. Astronomers Finally Know Why
In 2016, a Japanese Venus orbiter repeatedly spotted colossal waves of acidic clouds sweeping the planet’s atmosphere. For…
Mercury has a 10-mile-thick layer of diamonds under its surface
Mercury does not look like a world built for extravagance. It is small, battered, sun-scorched and gray. Yet…
Summer School: Icy Bodies and Life in Tartu, Estonia
Summer School: Icy Bodies and Life Summer School: Icy Bodies and Life in Tartu, Estonia1 – 8 August,…
‘Make Pluto a planet again’? NASA chief revives debate that divides astronomers
Will Pluto become a planet again?Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute Many of us are…
Why Most Alien Worlds May Be Too Dry for Life
This image of Venus taken by NASA’s Mariner 10 spacecraft (left) is paired with an artist’s depiction of…
Volunteers Help NASA Astronauts Record Lunar Flashes
As NASA’s Artemis II astronauts zipped around the Moon in early April, they observed flashes of light caused…
Mars has air, but almost none of it can keep you alive
For all the drama around getting to Mars, the harder question starts after landing. A person can step…
Monster Storms on Jupiter Unleash Lightning Beyond Anything on Earth
Scientists analyzing data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft have uncovered evidence that lightning on Jupiter can be vastly more…
Scientists Found Literal Ink From Ballpoint Pens in Martian Meteorites
Stuff from Mars often makes headlines for a variety of reasons, but here’s something that you’ve probably never…