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Planetary Sciences news
Washington DC among US cities most vulnerable to space weather, scientists say
Several cities in the United States—including the nation's capital—have power grids particularly vulnerable to the threat of space weather—but experts are still trying to understand why.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 19, 2024
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Introducing Ramses, ESA's 2029 mission to asteroid Apophis
Thirty years ago, on 16 July 1994, astronomers watched in awe as the first of many pieces of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet slammed into Jupiter with incredible force. The event sparked intense interest in the field of planetary ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 19, 2024
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New dawn for space storm alerts could help shield Earth's tech
Space storms could soon be forecast with greater accuracy than ever before thanks to a big leap forward in our understanding of exactly when a violent solar eruption may hit Earth.
Astronomy
Jul 19, 2024
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NASA's Curiosity rover discovers a surprise in a Martian rock
Scientists were stunned on May 30 when a rock that NASA's Curiosity Mars rover drove over cracked open to reveal something never seen before on the Red Planet: yellow sulfur crystals.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 18, 2024
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Signatures of life could survive near surfaces of the moons Enceladus and Europa, NASA experiment suggests
Europa, a moon of Jupiter, and Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, have evidence of oceans beneath their ice crusts. A NASA experiment suggests that if these oceans support life, signatures of that life in the form of organic molecules ...
Astrobiology
Jul 18, 2024
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Ground conditions can impact lunar swirls, study finds
Differences between the bright and dark patches in lunar swirls goes beyond the albedo variations; it includes differences in the structure of the lunar soils and the grains within those soils.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 18, 2024
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A new explanation for Jupiter's shrinking Great Red Spot
Jupiter's Great Red Spot—the biggest windstorm in the solar system—is shrinking, and a new study may help explain why.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 18, 2024
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Scientists unveil cosmic fingerprints of sulfur rings
For the first time, a team of scientists from HFML-FELIX at Radboud University has unveiled the cosmic fingerprints of sulfur rings. These results, published in Nature Communications, may shed new light on the way sulfur ...
Astrobiology
Jul 18, 2024
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Exoplanet-hunting telescope to begin search for another Earth in 2026
Europe's next big space mission—a telescope that will hunt for Earth-like rocky planets outside of our solar system—is on course to launch at the end of 2026.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 18, 2024
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Discovery alert: With six new exoplanets, 5,500 discovery milestone passed
On Aug. 24, 2023, more than three decades after the first confirmation of planets beyond our own solar system, scientists announced the discovery of six new exoplanets, stretching that number to 5,502. From zero exoplanet ...
Astronomy
Jul 17, 2024
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A meteor streaked over the NYC skyline before disintegrating over New Jersey
A meteor streaked over the New York City skyline before disintegrating over nearby New Jersey, according to NASA.
Space Exploration
Jul 17, 2024
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Exoplanet caught in 'hairpin turn' signals how high-mass gas giants form
Astronomers have discovered a planet that has the most oblong orbit ever found among transiting planets. The exoplanet's extreme circuit—which looks closer to a cucumber than a circle—follows one of the most drastically ...
Astronomy
Jul 17, 2024
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Astronomers spot a 'highly eccentric' planet on its way to becoming a hot Jupiter
Hot Jupiters are some of the most extreme planets in the galaxy. These scorching worlds are as massive as Jupiter, and they swing wildly close to their star, whirling around in a few days compared to our own gas giant's leisurely ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 17, 2024
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Grain boundaries weaken in planetary interiors, research suggests
Mantle convection and associated plate tectonics of planets like the Earth are governed by the deformation of mantle rocks. This deformation occurs through the motion of defects in the crystal lattices of minerals. Thus, ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 17, 2024
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Here's how AI Is changing NASA's Mars rover science
Some scientists dream of exploring planets with "smart" spacecraft that know exactly what data to look for, where to find it, and how to analyze it. Although making that dream a reality will take time, advances made with ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 16, 2024
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Bennu asteroid samples unveiled
In a discreet vacuumed-packed container inside a FedEx box lies a piece of ancient history; extremely ancient history.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 16, 2024
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Not just space rocks: Six things we've learned about Earth from meteorites and comets
Apart from the sun, its planets and their moons, our solar system has vast amounts of space rocks—fragments left over from the formation of the inner planets.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 16, 2024
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New analysis of Cassini data yields insights into Titan's seas
A new study of radar experiment data from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn has yielded fresh insights related to the makeup and activity of the liquid hydrocarbon seas near the north pole of Titan, the largest of Saturn's ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 16, 2024
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New ultra-hot Neptune-sized exoplanet discovered
Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has detected a new exoplanet. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-3261b, is nearly the size of Neptune and its equilibrium ...
Comet Tsuchinshan showing signs of breaking up prior to swinging around the sun
Zdenek Sekanina, an astronomer with La Canada Flintridge in the U.S., reports what he describes as evidence of a possible breakup of comet Tsuchinshan prior to swinging around the sun. Sekanina specializes in comet behavior, ...
More news
Existence of lunar lava tube cave demonstrated
A hopping robot could explore Europa using locally harvested water
A walking balloon could one day explore Titan—or Earth's sea floor
The CubeCat-4, a new nanosatellite, is already orbiting the Earth
Juice's lunar-Earth flyby: All you need to know
Could resources on Mars support human explorers?
Meteorites from Mars help scientists understand the red planet's interior
Astronomers suggest up to 60% of near-Earth objects could be dark comets
Mars likely had cold and icy past, new study finds
GOES-U satellite reaches geostationary orbit, now designated GOES-19
Other news
Maximizing hydrogen peroxide formation during water electrolysis
Genetic breeding offers new method for mosquito population control
Scientists uncover fundamental rules for how dengue virus infects its mosquito and human hosts
New genetic test can help eliminate a form of inherited blindness in dogs
A midsummer red sprite seen from space
Evidence of water vapor detected in the atmosphere of Smertrios
NASA imagines a catastrophic asteroid impact to study how to prevent it
Nearby exoplanet has trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide, Webb data suggest
A handy attachment could make lunar construction a breeze
Swarms of orbiting sensors could map an asteroid's surface
Repurposed technology used to probe new regions of Mars' atmosphere
Chemists design novel method for generating sustainable fuel
A new way to control the magnetic properties of rare earth elements
