Distant Solar System
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Why Jupiter Has Four Giant Moons While Saturn Has Just One, Study Explains
Scientists suggest the strong magnetic field of Jupiter created regions for multiple large moons to form, unlike Saturn. The findings could reshape how astronomers search for exomoons in distant planetary systems.
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Saturn And Jupiter Gain New Moons, Take Solar System Satellite Count To 442
The newly discovered moons are "irregular" satellites, meaning they are small (averaging about 3 km across) and have distant, often eccentric orbits.
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Green Comet C/2024 E1 Brightens Near Mars as Scientists Forecast a Permanent Exit From the Solar System
Astronomers are closely tracking the bright green comet C/2024 E1 as it approaches Earth and prepares for a future escape from the solar system. Originating from the distant Oort Cloud, the city-sized comet is on a hyperbolic path and is expected to be permanently ejected after its close solar encounter, similar to the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.
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NASA’s TESS Captures First Images of Rare Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has captured rare images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third such object ever detected. Observations from January 2026 reveal the comet rotates every 15 hours and produces sunlight-driven jets, behaving much like Solar System comets. Scientists say studying 3I/ATLAS may unlock clues about th...
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Scientists Study Ancient Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS, Seeking Clues to Early Star System Formation
Comet 3I/ATLAS, a rare interstellar visitor from beyond the solar system, is putting on a striking celestial show as it nears Earth. After passing perihelion in October, the comet brightened nearly tenfold and shifted from red to green due to glowing carbon molecules. Tracked closely by astronomers worldwide, this ancient object offers a unique opp...
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A Nearby Planet May Have Formed the Moon Following a Collision With Early Earth: Study
A new analysis of Apollo samples and Earth rocks suggests that a nearby rocky planet, not a distant object, collided with early Earth and formed the moon. The study argues that this lost planet, Theia, originated in the inner solar system and shared Earth’s early neighbourhood, offering fresh insight into one of the most important events in our p...
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Scientist Claims Alien Probes May Be In Plain Sight, Observing Earth's Growing Intelligence
Ellery suggested that building a nuclear reactor on the Moon could yield chemical signatures that could be explored in the future.
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Uranus and Neptune May Be More Rock Than Ice, New Research Suggests
A new pre-print study proposes that Uranus and Neptune might not be “ice giants” after all. Using assumption-free models, scientists found their interiors could range from mostly icy to mostly rocky, suggesting we know far less about these distant worlds and that new missions are essential to solve the mystery.
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Hubble Spots White Dwarf Devouring Icy Pluto-Like Planet 260 Light-Years Away
Using Hubble’s ultraviolet spectrograph, scientists detected carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, and abundant oxygen falling onto a white dwarf 260 light-years away, evidence of an icy planetesimal being torn apart. The find shows volatile worlds can persist into a star’s final stages, offering a preview of the Sun’s distant fate.
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Not Like Venus Or Mars, Distant Exoplanet May Have Atmosphere Like Earth's
A distant exoplanet might have an atmosphere similar to Earth's, early observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) suggest. It is part of a group of planets orbiting a star called TRAPPIST-1, about 40 light-years away from Earth.
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Why Jupiter Has Four Giant Moons While Saturn Has Just One, Study Explains
Scientists suggest the strong magnetic field of Jupiter created regions for multiple large moons to form, unlike Saturn. The findings could reshape how astronomers search for exomoons in distant planetary systems.
-
Saturn And Jupiter Gain New Moons, Take Solar System Satellite Count To 442
The newly discovered moons are "irregular" satellites, meaning they are small (averaging about 3 km across) and have distant, often eccentric orbits.
-
Green Comet C/2024 E1 Brightens Near Mars as Scientists Forecast a Permanent Exit From the Solar System
Astronomers are closely tracking the bright green comet C/2024 E1 as it approaches Earth and prepares for a future escape from the solar system. Originating from the distant Oort Cloud, the city-sized comet is on a hyperbolic path and is expected to be permanently ejected after its close solar encounter, similar to the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.
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NASA’s TESS Captures First Images of Rare Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has captured rare images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third such object ever detected. Observations from January 2026 reveal the comet rotates every 15 hours and produces sunlight-driven jets, behaving much like Solar System comets. Scientists say studying 3I/ATLAS may unlock clues about th...
-
Scientists Study Ancient Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS, Seeking Clues to Early Star System Formation
Comet 3I/ATLAS, a rare interstellar visitor from beyond the solar system, is putting on a striking celestial show as it nears Earth. After passing perihelion in October, the comet brightened nearly tenfold and shifted from red to green due to glowing carbon molecules. Tracked closely by astronomers worldwide, this ancient object offers a unique opp...
-
A Nearby Planet May Have Formed the Moon Following a Collision With Early Earth: Study
A new analysis of Apollo samples and Earth rocks suggests that a nearby rocky planet, not a distant object, collided with early Earth and formed the moon. The study argues that this lost planet, Theia, originated in the inner solar system and shared Earth’s early neighbourhood, offering fresh insight into one of the most important events in our p...
-
Scientist Claims Alien Probes May Be In Plain Sight, Observing Earth's Growing Intelligence
Ellery suggested that building a nuclear reactor on the Moon could yield chemical signatures that could be explored in the future.
-
Uranus and Neptune May Be More Rock Than Ice, New Research Suggests
A new pre-print study proposes that Uranus and Neptune might not be “ice giants” after all. Using assumption-free models, scientists found their interiors could range from mostly icy to mostly rocky, suggesting we know far less about these distant worlds and that new missions are essential to solve the mystery.
-
Hubble Spots White Dwarf Devouring Icy Pluto-Like Planet 260 Light-Years Away
Using Hubble’s ultraviolet spectrograph, scientists detected carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, and abundant oxygen falling onto a white dwarf 260 light-years away, evidence of an icy planetesimal being torn apart. The find shows volatile worlds can persist into a star’s final stages, offering a preview of the Sun’s distant fate.
-
Not Like Venus Or Mars, Distant Exoplanet May Have Atmosphere Like Earth's
A distant exoplanet might have an atmosphere similar to Earth's, early observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) suggest. It is part of a group of planets orbiting a star called TRAPPIST-1, about 40 light-years away from Earth.
