Astronomers Uncover a Baffling “Cosmic Mystery” – A Giant Planet As Fluffy as Cotton Candy
This exoplanet is larger but seven times less massive than Jupiter and is the second least dense planet discovered to date. An international team led…
Planets News
Astronomers Discover Nearby Earth-Sized Planet With No Atmosphere
Astronomers have discovered a new Earth-sized planet, SPECULOOS-3b, orbiting a cold, Jupiter-sized star 55 light years away. Unlike Earth, this planet likely lacks an atmosphere…
Isotopic Analysis Reveals Origins of Organic Matter in Martian Sediments
Mars’ ancient geological features suggest the presence of water in the past, and recent studies of sediments from Gale Crater reveal organic matter with unique…
Super Fluffy “Cotton Candy” Exoplanet Discovery Shocks Scientists – “We Cannot Explain How This Planet Formed”
Astronomers have discovered an enormous, low-density planet named WASP-193b, which is 50% larger than Jupiter but has a cotton candy-like density. This finding challenges current…
SPECULOOS Uncovers Earth-Sized Exoplanet Just 55 Light-Years Away
Astronomers have just revealed the existence of an Earth-sized planet around SPECULOOS-3, a nearby star similar in size to Jupiter and twice as cold as…
Chemical Culprit Identified: Scientists Discover Why “Earth’s Twin” Has Almost No Water
Researchers have discovered that Venus loses significantly more water than previously thought due to a process called “dissociative recombination,” where hydrogen atoms escape into space….
From Inferno to Rainbow: Discovering WASP-76b’s Atmospheric Marvel
For the first time, potential signs of the rainbow-like ‘glory effect’ have been detected on a planet outside our Solar System. Glory are colorful concentric…
Peering Through Cosmic Dust: James Webb Telescope Is on the Hunt for Newborn Planets
Planets form in disks of dust and gas called protoplanetary disks that whirl around a central protostar during its final assembly. Although several dozens of…
Mars Express Discovers Mysterious Martian “Spiders”
The European Space Agency’s Mars Express has snapped the telltale traces of ‘spiders’ scattered across the southern polar region of Mars. Rather than being actual…
Venus Unveiled: Carbon and Oxygen Caught Escaping Into Space
New findings from BepiColombo show escape of heavy ions from Venus, hinting at complex atmospheric dynamics. A fleeting visit of the European Space Agency (ESA)/Japan…
Martian Methane Baffles Scientists: Curiosity Rover’s Surprising Discovery
A recent paper may help explain why a portable chemistry lab on NASA’s Curiosity rover has continually sniffed out traces of the gas near the…
Mars Express Marks 25,000 Orbits With a Spectacular Martian Showcase
Mars Express marks 25,000 orbits with a new image of Mars, showcasing volcanoes and the moon Phobos, highlighting the mission’s ongoing contributions to Martian science….
Mystery Solved: The Cosmic Collision That Crafted Pluto’s Heart
The mystery of how Pluto got a giant heart-shaped feature on its surface has finally been solved by an international team of astrophysicists led by…
The Moon’s Great Inversion: How It Turned Itself Inside Out
University of Arizona scientists combined computer simulations and spacecraft data to solve a long-standing mystery surrounding the moon’s “lopsided” geology. About 4.5 billion years ago,…
Chilling Revelations: Ice Shells Expose Alien Ocean Temperatures
A novel method by Cornell scientists uses ice shell thickness to predict ocean temperatures on distant moons, offering new insights into their potential for life….
Twin Suns and Alien Worlds: The Science Fiction Journey From Tatooine to Reality
Research reveals that the discovery of exoplanets has influenced science fiction, leading to more accurate and varied portrayals of these celestial bodies, highlighting the genre’s…
James Webb Space Telescope Captures the Final Stages of Planet Formation
How much time do planets have to form from a swirling disk of gas and dust around a star? A new University of Arizona-led study…
Is Europa Habitable? Juno Spacecraft Measures Oxygen Production on Jupiter’s Moon
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has provided crucial data on the charged particles in Europa’s atmosphere, revealing insights into its potential for supporting life. This study, involving…