Planetary Scientist
- All
- News
- Videos
-
Uranus and Neptune May Be Rock-Dominated Planets, Study Suggests
Uranus and Neptune may not be true ice giants after all. New research using advanced hybrid simulations suggests the distant planets could be dominated by rocky material rather than water-rich ices. The findings challenge decades of planetary models and may help explain the planets’ unusual, non-dipolar magnetic fields. Scientists say future dedi...
-
Uranus and Neptune May Be Rocky Worlds Not Ice Giants, New Research Shows
A new analysis challenges decades-old assumptions about Uranus and Neptune, revealing that both planets may contain far more rock than icy materials. These findings help explain their strange magnetic fields and show that traditional "ice giant" models may be incomplete. Scientists say only dedicated future missions can uncover the true interior ma...
-
Mars Orbiter Tracks Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS With Unprecedented Precision
Scientists mapped the path of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with ten times greater accuracy using images from ESA’s Mars orbiter. The breakthrough shows how observations from different points in space can improve future planetary defense. The data, the first of its kind from another planet’s orbit, offers a powerful new tool for tracking fast-mov...
-
China’s Tianwen-1 Captures Rare Interstellar Comet From Orbit Around Mars
China’s Tianwen-1 Mars mission achieved a new milestone by photographing interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the third such object ever recorded. This breakthrough highlights China’s growing strength in planetary science, deep-space imaging, and interstellar observation, offering scientists an unprecedented look at materials beyond our solar syste
-
Chang’e-6 Lunar Samples Reveal Water-Rich Asteroid Fragments
Analysis of Chang’e-6 lunar dust uncovered microscopic carbonaceous chondrite fragments—evidence of water-bearing asteroids that once struck the Moon. The discovery indicates a far greater delivery of water and organics to Earth and the Moon than thought, helping scientists refine theories about the solar system’s early volatile sources.
-
Astronomers Detect Heavy Water in Planet-Forming Disk Around Young Star
Scientists have detected heavy water in the planet-forming disk around young star V883 Orionis, confirming the water existed long before the star formed. The discovery, made using ALMA, shows that water’s origins trace back to ancient interstellar clouds, linking molecular gas, comets, and planetary systems across billions of years.
-
Mysterious Asteroid Impact Found in Australia, But the Crater is Missing
Scientists have identified 11-million-year-old glass fragments in South Australia that record a massive asteroid impact never before known. Despite the event’s magnitude, the crater remains undiscovered, raising new questions about how often large asteroids have struck Earth and their role in shaping its surface.
-
Astronomers Spot Rapidly Growing Rogue Planet Feeding on Surrounding Gas
Astronomers have discovered that Cha 1107-7626, a rogue planet 620 light-years away, is now the fastest-growing planet ever observed. The massive world consumes six billion tonnes of gas per second, a rate never before recorded. The findings suggest rogue planets can grow in star-like ways, reshaping how scientists view free-floating planetary obje...
-
Scientists May Finally Explain Mysterious Crown-Like Features on Venus
Venus’ distinctive crown-like coronae may be explained by heat trapped beneath a rigid mantle layer, according to recent studies. This discovery provides key insights into the planet’s geological activity and helps researchers compare Venus’ surface evolution to that of other planets in our solar system
-
Astronomers Reveal Sudden Explosion of Small Asteroid Over France
In February 2023, asteroid 2023 CX1 exploded suddenly over France, stunning scientists. Tracked only hours before impact, the tiny rock disintegrated in a powerful airburst, scattering meteorites across Normandy. The rare event provides crucial insights into asteroid behavior and raises new considerations for future planetary defense strategies.
-
NASA’s InSight Reveals Ancient Planetary Remains Preserved Deep Inside Mars
Scientists using NASA’s InSight lander data have uncovered dozens of dense blobs hidden in Mars’ mantle, possibly remnants of failed protoplanets from the early solar system. Preserved for billions of years, these structures reveal Mars’ mantle evolved sluggishly compared with Earth, offering a unique window into planetary formation and the v...
-
Scientists Reveal A Surprising Mathematical Pattern Hidden In Earth's History
These insights have important implications for understanding Earth's geological past and improving predictions of future planetary changes.
-
Mars' Interior Holds Evidence Of Violent Early History, NASA Scientists Confirm
NASA scientists have discovered massive fragments of ancient planetary collisions buried deep in Mars' mantle, using seismic data from the InSight lander.
-
Researchers Discover New Plasma Wave in Jupiter’s Auroral Skies
Scientists at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have detected a new plasma wave in Jupiter’s aurora using NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The finding, published in Physical Review Letters, reveals how Jupiter’s magnetic field shapes auroral activity differently from Earth. The study opens new directions for understanding planetary auroras and m...
-
James Webb Telescope Discovers Tiny New Moon Orbiting Uranus
A team from the Southwest Research Institute has discovered a tiny new moon orbiting Uranus using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The moon, called S/2025 U1, is just 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide, too small for Voyager 2 to detect during its 1986 flyby. This discovery brings Uranus’s total known moons to 29, with S/2025 U1 orbiting 35,000 mil...
-
Uranus and Neptune May Be Rock-Dominated Planets, Study Suggests
Uranus and Neptune may not be true ice giants after all. New research using advanced hybrid simulations suggests the distant planets could be dominated by rocky material rather than water-rich ices. The findings challenge decades of planetary models and may help explain the planets’ unusual, non-dipolar magnetic fields. Scientists say future dedi...
-
Uranus and Neptune May Be Rocky Worlds Not Ice Giants, New Research Shows
A new analysis challenges decades-old assumptions about Uranus and Neptune, revealing that both planets may contain far more rock than icy materials. These findings help explain their strange magnetic fields and show that traditional "ice giant" models may be incomplete. Scientists say only dedicated future missions can uncover the true interior ma...
-
Mars Orbiter Tracks Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS With Unprecedented Precision
Scientists mapped the path of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with ten times greater accuracy using images from ESA’s Mars orbiter. The breakthrough shows how observations from different points in space can improve future planetary defense. The data, the first of its kind from another planet’s orbit, offers a powerful new tool for tracking fast-mov...
-
China’s Tianwen-1 Captures Rare Interstellar Comet From Orbit Around Mars
China’s Tianwen-1 Mars mission achieved a new milestone by photographing interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the third such object ever recorded. This breakthrough highlights China’s growing strength in planetary science, deep-space imaging, and interstellar observation, offering scientists an unprecedented look at materials beyond our solar syste
-
Chang’e-6 Lunar Samples Reveal Water-Rich Asteroid Fragments
Analysis of Chang’e-6 lunar dust uncovered microscopic carbonaceous chondrite fragments—evidence of water-bearing asteroids that once struck the Moon. The discovery indicates a far greater delivery of water and organics to Earth and the Moon than thought, helping scientists refine theories about the solar system’s early volatile sources.
-
Astronomers Detect Heavy Water in Planet-Forming Disk Around Young Star
Scientists have detected heavy water in the planet-forming disk around young star V883 Orionis, confirming the water existed long before the star formed. The discovery, made using ALMA, shows that water’s origins trace back to ancient interstellar clouds, linking molecular gas, comets, and planetary systems across billions of years.
-
Mysterious Asteroid Impact Found in Australia, But the Crater is Missing
Scientists have identified 11-million-year-old glass fragments in South Australia that record a massive asteroid impact never before known. Despite the event’s magnitude, the crater remains undiscovered, raising new questions about how often large asteroids have struck Earth and their role in shaping its surface.
-
Astronomers Spot Rapidly Growing Rogue Planet Feeding on Surrounding Gas
Astronomers have discovered that Cha 1107-7626, a rogue planet 620 light-years away, is now the fastest-growing planet ever observed. The massive world consumes six billion tonnes of gas per second, a rate never before recorded. The findings suggest rogue planets can grow in star-like ways, reshaping how scientists view free-floating planetary obje...
-
Scientists May Finally Explain Mysterious Crown-Like Features on Venus
Venus’ distinctive crown-like coronae may be explained by heat trapped beneath a rigid mantle layer, according to recent studies. This discovery provides key insights into the planet’s geological activity and helps researchers compare Venus’ surface evolution to that of other planets in our solar system
-
Astronomers Reveal Sudden Explosion of Small Asteroid Over France
In February 2023, asteroid 2023 CX1 exploded suddenly over France, stunning scientists. Tracked only hours before impact, the tiny rock disintegrated in a powerful airburst, scattering meteorites across Normandy. The rare event provides crucial insights into asteroid behavior and raises new considerations for future planetary defense strategies.
-
NASA’s InSight Reveals Ancient Planetary Remains Preserved Deep Inside Mars
Scientists using NASA’s InSight lander data have uncovered dozens of dense blobs hidden in Mars’ mantle, possibly remnants of failed protoplanets from the early solar system. Preserved for billions of years, these structures reveal Mars’ mantle evolved sluggishly compared with Earth, offering a unique window into planetary formation and the v...
-
Scientists Reveal A Surprising Mathematical Pattern Hidden In Earth's History
These insights have important implications for understanding Earth's geological past and improving predictions of future planetary changes.
-
Mars' Interior Holds Evidence Of Violent Early History, NASA Scientists Confirm
NASA scientists have discovered massive fragments of ancient planetary collisions buried deep in Mars' mantle, using seismic data from the InSight lander.
-
Researchers Discover New Plasma Wave in Jupiter’s Auroral Skies
Scientists at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have detected a new plasma wave in Jupiter’s aurora using NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The finding, published in Physical Review Letters, reveals how Jupiter’s magnetic field shapes auroral activity differently from Earth. The study opens new directions for understanding planetary auroras and m...
-
James Webb Telescope Discovers Tiny New Moon Orbiting Uranus
A team from the Southwest Research Institute has discovered a tiny new moon orbiting Uranus using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The moon, called S/2025 U1, is just 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide, too small for Voyager 2 to detect during its 1986 flyby. This discovery brings Uranus’s total known moons to 29, with S/2025 U1 orbiting 35,000 mil...
