Why Mars May Remain Uninhabitable for Centuries
Realistic image of a completely terraformed Mars. Credit: Daein Ballard Making Mars Earthlike is not impossible in principle,…
Scientists Spent 13 Years Bouncing Radar Off Europa. Here’s What They Found
It’s a good time to be a Europa fan—scientists keep announcing new insights into the distant, icy world.…
NASA’s Lucy Reveals Wobbling, Peanut-Shaped Asteroid
Even small asteroids lead complex lives. During its flyby of the asteroid Donaldjohanson last year, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft…
Amendment 59: Several Updates to the ROSES-25 Summary of Solicitation
Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES)-2025 is an ongoing “omnibus” or “umbrella” solicitation meaning that it…
Ancient Meteorite Reveals a Forgotten Planet That Existed 4.5 Billion Years Ago
An ancient meteorite may be the last surviving remnant of a vanished protoplanet. Credit: Stock A rare meteorite…
Astronomers Find Strongest Evidence Yet for Magnetic Fields on Alien Worlds
This illustration shows magnetic activity in an exoplanet. The planet is a gas giant like Jupiter, but it’s…
New analysis reveals why Ganymede has a magnetic field when other moons do not
Ganymede has long looked like a contradiction in orbit. Jupiter’s largest moon is the only moon known to…
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…
Researchers explain mysterious cause of 6,000-kilometer cloud wall on Venus
A sharply defined cloud front on Venus, stretching about 6,000 kilometers across, has puzzled planetary scientists since Japan’s…
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…