201–220 of 1,107 results

Solar System

More Mysterious Buried Splotches on Mars Might Not be Liquid Water

Astronomers find more bright spots underneath Mars's south polar cap, but could they really be subterranean lakes?

Radar view of Venus

Solar System

Venus Surface Is Fragmented Like “Pack Ice”

A new analysis of old data suggests that some of our sister planet’s unique surface formations are due to a “squishy” crust and an active interior.

Solar System

Astronomers Map the Solar System's Edge in 3D

Collecting high-speed atoms has enabled researchers to trace the shape of our Sun’s protective bubble.

Orbit of Comet 2014 UN271

Solar System

Giant Oort Cloud Comet Lights Up in the Outer Solar System

Astronomers have discovered a new comet coming from the Oort Cloud — and it appears to be a big one.

Psyche

Solar System

Iron Volcanos: Maybe Not Science Fiction After All

A new study of asteroid 16 Psyche suggests that ferrovolcanism, volcanoes that spewed molten iron, might have been present on this object.

Zhurong selfie

Solar System

China’s Zhurong Rover Snaps Selfie on Mars

China's Zhurong rover gets to work exploring Mars, with a new panorama of its landing site.

Annular eclipse

Celestial News & Events

A Sunrise Annular Solar Eclipse

Even if you're not in the path of annularity during the June 10th solar eclipse, get ready for a sunrise spectacle.

Venus

Space Missions

We're Heading to Venus! NASA Selects Discovery-class Missions

After a hiatus of several decades, NASA is about to return to Venus in a big way.

Galactic center

Black Holes

Astronomy in Pictures: Unraveling Galaxies and Clyde's Spot

This week in astronomy pictures: Peer into our galaxy's busy core, watch Clyde's Spot unravel at Jupiter, and see a stunning Hubble photo of a lopsided galaxy.

Celestial Objects to Observe

Dawn Delight: Catch the Total Lunar Eclipse on May 26, 2021

On May 26th the Moon will be in total eclipse for the first time in nearly two and a half years. While timing favors western North America, a partial eclipse will be visible across much of the U.S. and Canada at dawn.

Comet spectrum

Solar System

Interstellar and Solar System Comets Share a Surprising Ingredient: Nickel

Cold comets — both natives and the interstellar Comet Borisov — have nickel and iron vapor in their atmospheres, and scientists want to know why.

Zhurong lander

Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson

China's Zhurong Rover Lands on Mars (Update: New Images)

The Zhurong rover has successfully landed on the Red Planet in an ambitious first for China's space agency.

Saturn's interior

Solar System

Helium Rain Inside Saturn Might Shape Its Magnetic Field

A thick inner layer of slowly falling helium blobs might help explain Saturn's almost perfectly aligned magnetic field.

Infrared Jupiter

Space Missions

Sights and Sounds of the Solar System

Spacecraft are returning sights and sounds from Venus, Jupiter, and beyond — here's a sampling.

osiris-rex departs

Space Missions

NASA's OSIRIS-REX Leaves Asteroid Bennu, Heads for Home

NASA’s asteroid explorer has begun its long journey home with precious cargo onboard: samples of the asteroid Bennu.

Illustration of Perseverance in Jezero Crater

Solar System

Water-Ice Clouds Could Have Warmed Early Mars

New simulations show that the greenhouse effect of high water-ice clouds could have warmed early Mars, permitting the presence of long-ago lakes.

Earth's magnetic field

Space Missions

The Hubble Space Telescope As Cosmic-Ray Detector

Astronomers, using Hubble Space Telescope as a particle detector, have traced cosmic rays flowing in Earth's geomagnetic field.

Ingenuity

Solar System

Ingenuity Mars Helicopter: First Flight on Mars

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has made its brief hop into the history books of interplanetary aviation.

Explore the Night with Bob King

Make the Most of Comet ATLAS

Bright comets will be scarce this year, but you can see one of the better ones this month as it races from Aquila to Canes Venatici. In other news, a new, bright nova has flared in Sagittarius.

Comet Borisov

Solar System

Interstellar Comet Was Pristine Sample of Planet Formation

New analysis shows that Comet 2I/Borisov, which zipped nearest the Sun in late 2019, was unlike any comet we’ve seen before.