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Planetary Science
From size to mass to density and more, each world in our Solar System is unique. When we compare them, the results are truly shocking.
Peaking on the night of August 11/12, up to 100 bright meteors per hour will be visible. Here's how to make the most of it.
Earth, the only rocky planet with a large, massive satellite, is greatly affected by the Moon. Destroying it would cause 7 major changes.
Straddling the bounds of science and religion, Newton wondered who set the planets in motion. Astrophysics reveals the answer.
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“We wouldn’t be able to talk about minerals if it weren’t for the minerals themselves.” Mineralogist Bob Hazen explains how Earth’s rocks can teach us about our planet’s technicolor history.
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The mind-blowing theory that everything is evolving—from minerals to music—explained in 3 minutes by a Carnegie scientist.
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“I study the mineral kingdom — and its secrets could lead us to alien life.”
Sure, there's less daylight during winter than summer, as your hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. But darkness goes deeper than that.
The near and far sides of the Moon are so different from each other, and no one is sure why. New lunar samples could confirm a wild theory.
This research team is working out how to detect extraterrestrial cells in the liquid water ocean hidden beneath Enceladus’s icy crust.
From the coldest planets to spacecraft that have exited the Solar System, these little-known facts stump even many professional astronomers.
The number of planets that could support life may be far greater than previously thought, a recent discovery suggests.
NASA's minivan-sized drone is scheduled to search for signs of life on Titan in 2034.
"I hope we take a mindset where we are willing to look for weird life in weird places."
Explore how the study of exoplanets is transforming our understanding of ocean formation.
A deep dive into the chaotic journey of star formation.
Until the Apollo missions, we had no idea how the moon got here, just a series of educated guesses. They rewrote the story of the moon’s origins.
In the early stages of our Solar System, there were three life-friendly planets: Venus, Earth, and Mars. Only Earth thrived. Here's why.
The case for why NASA should pivot to searching for current — not ancient — signs of life.
The Earth that exists today wasn't formed simultaneously with the Sun and the other planets. In some ways, we're quite a latecomer.
NASA's Juno mission, in orbit around Jupiter, occasionally flies past its innermost large moon: Io. The volcanic activity is unbelievable.
As Uranus approaches its solstice, its polar caps, rings, and moons come into their best focus ever under JWST's watchful eye. See it now!
On December 9, 2023, Halley's Comet reached aphelion: its farthest point from the Sun. As it returns, here are 10 facts you should know.
Looking back on our planet's early history offers a new (and less crazy) meaning for the idea of a "flat Earth."
The TRAPPIST-1 system is a treasure trove of possibilities and questions. Observations by JWST have just begun.
Out of the four rocky planets in our Solar System, only Earth presently has plate tectonics. But billions of years ago, Venus had them, too.
Sophisticated rovers have found the conditions for Martian life, as well as the building blocks of life, but never life itself. AI can help.
The Universe, although violent, is filled with creation events following destructive ones. 1850 light-years away, both types are unfolding.
Chemical changes inside Mars' core caused it to lose its magnetic field. This, in turn, caused it to lose its oceans. But how?
Finding a tiny planet around bright stars dozens or hundreds of light-years from Earth is extremely difficult.