Planetary Science

  1. An illustration of an exoplanet passing in front of a star.
    Planetary Science

    Methylated gases could be an unambiguous indicator of alien life

    On Earth, methylated gases are produced by organisms cleaning up their environment — and by little else. The same might be true on some exoplanets.

    By James R. Riordon
  2. A volcano erupts (blue) on Jupiter’s innermost moon, Io, in this picture from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft.
    Space

    Io may have an underworld magma ocean or a hot metal heart

    New calculations support dueling ideas for what powers the ubiquitous volcanoes on the hellish surface of Jupiter’s innermost moon.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  3. Enceladus, the moon of Saturn, shown partly illuminated against the backdrop of space
    Planetary Science

    The last vital ingredient for life has been discovered on Enceladus

    The underground ocean on Saturn’s icy moon may contain phosphorus in concentrations thousands of times greater than those found in Earth’s ocean.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  4. A photo of NASA’s Perseverance rover (whose wheel is seen at left) exploring Mars’ dusty Jezero crater on November 5.
    Planetary Science

    NASA’s Perseverance rover captured the sound of a dust devil on Mars

    A whirlwind swept over Perseverance while its microphone was on, capturing the sound of dust grains hitting the mic or the NASA rover’s chassis.

    By Sid Perkins
  5. two researchers crouched on the ground in a field examining and collecting pieces of the Winchcombe meteorite
    Planetary Science

    The pristine Winchcombe meteorite suggests that Earth’s water came from asteroids

    Other meteorites have been recovered after being tracked from space to the ground, but never so quickly as the Winchcombe meteorite.

    By Lisa Grossman
  6. Mars' Cerberus Fossae region, seen as a barren landscape with a prominent fault line running through it
    Planetary Science

    Marsquakes hint that the planet might be volcanically active after all

    Seismic data recorded by NASA’s InSight lander suggest molten rock moves tens of kilometers below the planet’s fractured Cerberus Fossae region.

    By Katherine Kornei
  7. A close up of orange bacteria on a yellow background
    Microbes

    Ancient bacteria could persist beneath Mars’ surface

    Radiation-tolerant microbes might be able to survive beneath Mars’ surface for hundreds of millions of years, a new study suggests.

    By Sid Perkins
  8. A blue split stream of dust and rock wafting off the asteroid Dimorphos seen after the DART spacecraft mission
    Planetary Science

    NASA’s DART mission successfully shoved an asteroid

    Data obtained since the spacecraft intentionally crashed into an asteroid show that the impact altered the space rock’s orbit even more than intended.

    By Lisa Grossman
  9. image of Mars’ south polar ice cap
    Planetary Science

    Mars’ buried ‘lake’ might just be layers of ice and rock

    Evidence grows that possible detections of liquid water buried near Mars’ south pole might not hold water.

    By Katherine Kornei
  10. Robin Wordsworth stands in front of a martian meteorite exhibit wearing a gray sweater and glasses
    Planetary Science

    Robin Wordsworth re-creates the atmosphere of ancient Mars

    Robin Wordsworth studies the climates of Mars and other alien worlds to find out whether they could support life.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  11. The asteroid moonlet Dimorphos, taken by DART just seconds before the spacecraft smashed into it.
    Planetary Science

    NASA’s DART spacecraft just smashed into an asteroid — on purpose

    If the first-ever attempt to knock a space rock off course works, it could provide a blueprint to protect Earth from a killer asteroid.

    By Maria Temming
  12. Neptune and its rings as seen in infrared by JWST
    Planetary Science

    Here is the first direct look at Neptune’s rings in more than 30 years

    In 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft took the first pics of Neptune’s rings. Now, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is providing a more detailed look.

    By Christopher Crockett