Space
Lightning dances through Jupiter’s skies much like it does on Earth
Data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft hint that Jupiter’s lightning extends in jagged steps as it does on Earth.
By Nikk Ogasa
Planets
More Stories in Planets
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PlanetsResearch on exoplanets took top award at 2023 Regeneron ISEF
Six young researchers took home the top awards, each valued at a minimum of $50,000. Hundreds more shared nearly $9 million in prizes at international event.
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PlanetsLet’s learn about Jupiter’s moons
Jupiter has nearly 100 known moons — some of which look like prime spots to search for alien life.
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SpaceScientists Say: Accretion Disk
Cosmic swirls of gas, dust and plasma, accretion disks reveal the shadowy silhouettes of black holes and more.
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PlanetsPlanets like Star Wars’ Tatooine could be fit for life
Like Luke Skywalker’s home, planets orbiting two stars may be plentiful. A new computer model suggests that many of those worlds could sustain life.
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PlanetsSaturn’s moon Enceladus wears a thick blanket of snow
Pits on the frosty moon reveal the snow’s surprising depth, up to 700 meters (2,300 feet) in some places.
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PlanetsThe dwarf planet Quaoar hosts an impossible ring
Quaoar’s ring lies outside the Roche limit. That’s an imaginary line beyond which rings aren’t thought to be stable.
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PlanetsMars might still be volcanically active, quakes there suggest
Seismic rumblings picked up by NASA’s InSight lander hint at molten rock moving deep below the planet’s fractured surface.
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PlanetsCheck out the first direct look at Neptune’s rings since the ’80s
The Voyager 2 spacecraft took the first pics of Neptune’s rings 33 years ago. Now, NASA’s James Webb telescope is providing a more detailed view of them.
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SpaceA missing moon could have given Saturn its rings — and tilt
The hypothetical moon is being called Chrysalis. It could have helped tip the planet over before getting shredded to form Saturn’s rings.