Category: Planetary Science
Asteroid Ryugu samples suggest presence of salty water in outer solar system
Colorized microscopic image of sodium carbonate deposit on Ryugu sample. Credit: KyotoU/Toru Matsumoto Asteroids that orbit close to the Earth inevitably cause us some anxiety due to the even remote…
From collisions to stellar cannibalism—the surprising diversity of exploding white dwarfs
The Palomar 48 inch telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California with an image of the Milky Way in the background. The stars represent the number of supernovae discovered in…
Jumping workouts could help astronauts on the moon and Mars
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Jumping workouts could help astronauts prevent the type of cartilage damage they are likely to endure during lengthy missions to Mars and the moon, a new…
Tidal energy measurements help scientists understand Titan’s composition and orbital history
SwRI scientists have determined that at the rate Titan’s orbit is changing, it should have acquired a circular orbit within about 350 million years. The fact that Titan currently has…
Astronomers announce largest collection of comets found outside our solar system
This gallery contains 74 images of different star systems with cometary belts (known as “exocomets”) taken with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter (ALMA) radio telescope facilities.…
Researchers confirm an exoplanet potentially capable of sustaining life
Credit: CC0 Public Domain An international team has confirmed the discovery of a super-Earth orbiting in the habitable zone of a nearby sun-like star. The planet was originally detected two…
There could be a supermassive black hole in the Large Magellanic Cloud hurling stars at the Milky Way
This beautiful image shows the Large and Small Magellanic Cloud above the ESO’s Paranal Observatory and the four Auxiliary Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) Array. New research shows…
Robot grippers could be used to remove space debris
Credit: NASA/Suni Williams Blue tentacle-like arms attached to an Astrobee free-flying robot grab onto a “capture cube” in this image from Feb. 4, 2025. The experimental grippers demonstrated autonomous detection…
