Planets

Space

Here’s how to build an internet on Mars

Future Red Planet residents will need to get online to talk to each other and Earth. But that will require a lot of new tech.

Space

Let’s learn about meteorites

Meteorites are bits of space rock that have crash-landed on Earth — or on another celestial body.

Planets

Huge polygons on Mars hint its equator may once have been frozen

A Chinese rover used radar to reveal long-buried terrain. The discovery hints that Mars’ equator was once much colder and wetter.

Planets

Jupiter has a never-before-seen jet stream — and it’s speedy

Spotted in images from the James Webb telescope, the high-altitude current may help untangle the workings of the giant planet’s atmosphere.

Planets

Analyze This: Neptune’s cloud cover syncs up with the solar cycle

Telescope observations hint how sunlight-driven chemistry may boost cloud cover on our solar system’s farthest planet.

Planets

In a first, astronomers spot the aftermath of an exoplanet smashup

Infrared light from a distant star appears to be leftovers of an impact between a pair of Neptune-sized worlds.

Space

Four researchers on Earth are spending a year on ‘Mars’

A crew of four entered Mars Dune Alpha in Houston, Texas. They will remain isolated inside for a year, living and working as if on the Red Planet.

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.

Planets

In a first, telescopes have caught a star eating a planet

A burst of light and a cloud of dust are signs that a distant star swallowed a giant planet.

Earth

One collision could have formed the moon and started plate tectonics

A hypothetical planet slamming into Earth 4.5 billion years ago might have set subduction into motion.

Planets

Research 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.

Planets

Let’s learn about Jupiter’s moons

Jupiter has nearly 100 known moons — some of which look like prime spots to search for alien life.