Planets
- 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.
- Space
Scientists Say: Accretion Disk
Cosmic swirls of gas, dust and plasma, accretion disks reveal the shadowy silhouettes of black holes and more.
- Planets
Planets 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.
- Planets
Saturn’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.
- Planets
The 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.
- Planets
Mars 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.
- Planets
Check 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.
- Space
A 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.
