Planets

  1. Planets

    What do you call a moon that escapes its planet? A ‘ploonet’

    Giant planets in other star systems might lose their moons, creating new planets. And if moons do go rogue, current telescopes may be able to find them.

    By
  2. Planets

    Was that a Marsquake?

    ‘Marsquakes’ could help scientists learn more about the Red Planet’s inner activity.

    By
  3. Planets

    Teen astronomer finds a planet with two suns

    Brian Wu, a teen researcher from New York City, has discovered a handful of distant planets, including a massive world that orbits two suns.

    By
  4. Space

    China landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon

    China just brought down a lander and rover on the far side of the moon. Let the science begin!

    By
  5. Climate

    Distant volcano could turn latest lunar eclipse dark red

    The recent eruption of Anak Krakatau, an Indonesian volcano, could alter the color of this coming weekend’s lunar eclipse.

    By
  6. Planets

    Scientists Say: Exomoon

    A moon that orbits a planet in our solar system in a moon. But a moon that orbits a planet outside our solar system? That’s an exomoon.

    By
  7. Space

    Quake-scouting lander safely touches down on Mars

    NASA’s InSight lander has just arrived safely on the Martian surface. Its two year mission is to record any ‘Marsquakes’ and other signs of the planet’s geologic activity.

    By
  8. Tech

    Prepping for drone exploration of Mars

    Twelve-year-old James Fagan, a budding engineer from Riverside, Calif., has built a wind tunnel. He uses it to test scale models of drones and other vehicles under Mars-like conditions.

    By
  9. Space

    Hubble may have spotted a possible ‘exomoon’

    The apparent moon would be the size of Neptune and orbit a distant gas-giant planet known as Kepler 1625b.

    By
  10. Planets

    Jupiter has 12 more moons than we knew about — and one is a weirdo

    Astronomers found a dozen previously unknown moons of Jupiter. One may be a remnant of a larger moon that was all but ground to dust.

    By
  11. Planets

    New Horizons data reveal first global maps of Pluto and Charon

    Astronomers have made new charts of Pluto and its moon Charon. They show high peaks, deep depressions and strange ridges.

    By
  12. Planets

    Finding living Martians just got a bit more believable

    What might a real Martian look like? Scientists have a better idea after identifying a buried liquid lake on the Red Planet.

    By