Light curves of TOI-1135 for the eight sectors of TESS. Credit: Díaz et al., 2024. An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new exoplanet orbiting a solar-type…
Category: Planetary Science
Study determines the original orientations of rocks drilled on Mars
MIT geologists determined the original orientation of many of the bedrock samples collected on Mars by the Perseverance rover, depicted in this image rendering. The findings can give scientists clues…
What ended the ‘dark ages’ in the early universe? New Webb data just brought us closer to solving the mystery
Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Ivo Labbe (Swinburne) / Rachel Bezanson (University of Pittsburgh) / Alyssa Pagan (STScI) About 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the cosmos was…
Mars had its own version of plate tectonics
Topographic data are draped over infrared image data showing complex tectonic structures and volcanic deposits in the Eridania region of Mars. Warm colors are higher elevation. Credit: NASA/Mars Odyssey/HRSC Plate…
Night-shining cloud mission ends; yields high science results for NASA
NASA’s Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission, seen in this visualization, contributed to NASA’s understanding of the region that borders between Earth’s atmosphere and space. Credit: NASA After…
First US moon lander in half a century stops working a week after tipping over at touchdown
This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows a view from the Odysseus lunar lander made with a fisheye lens on Feb. 22, 2024. Before its power was depleted, Odysseus sent…
Astronomers reveal a new link between water and planet formation
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Researchers have found water vapor in the disk around a young star exactly where planets may be forming. Water is a key ingredient for life on…
Webb finds dwarf galaxies reionized the universe
Astronomers estimate 50,000 sources of near-infrared light are represented in this image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Their light has traveled through various distances to reach the telescope’s…
China names its capsule and lander for its upcoming human lunar missions
Credit: CC0 Public Domain In a recent announcement, the Chinese Space Agency (CSA) unveiled the names for its forthcoming lunar mission components. The CSA have been working toward sending humans…
ERS-2 buckles and bends during final farewell
Credit: Fraunhofer FHR Following a hugely successful mission and almost 30 years in orbit, ESA’s ERS-2 reentered Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 18:17 CET (17:17 UTC) on 21 February 2024. Predicting…