Planets
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James Webb telescope spots wind blowing faster than a bullet on '2-faced planet' with eternal night
By Ben Turner published
New James Webb Space Telescope observations of the exoplanet WASP-43b reveal that the hot gas giant is tidally locked, meaning one side permanently faces its sun while the other always stares out into space.
It's the best time of year to spot Mercury. Here's how to find it.
By Jamie Carter published
Mercury is about to reach its "greatest elongation west" of the sun, meaning stargazers will have their best view of the "swift planet" all year. Here's how to see it.
Enormous 'San Andreas fault' on Saturn's moon could help reveal signs of alien life
By Robert Lea published
Huge "tiger stripe" fault lines seen on Saturn's moon Enceladus raise hopes that a "long-lived" ocean containing potential alien life may lurk beneath the moon's icy shell.
Sun's chaotic peak triggers record-breaking 'global auroras' on Mars
By Harry Baker published
Mars has had frequent planet-wide auroras in recent months, including an unprecedented trio of events in February. Experts say the sudden increase is the result of the ongoing solar maximum.
Jupiter may be the reason why Earth has a moon, new study hints
By Keith Cooper published
The great planetary instability, which saw Jupiter and the other gas giants wander chaotically through the solar system, coincides with the collision that formed Earth's moon. Could the two events be linked?
Hundreds of black 'spiders' spotted in mysterious 'Inca City' on Mars in new satellite photos
By Stephanie Pappas published
Every spring, creepy black 'spiders' sprout up on Mars as buried carbon dioxide ice releases dusty geysers of gas. New ESA images show the phenomenon has begun in the strange Inca City formation.
NASA reveals 'glass-smooth lake of cooling lava' on surface of Jupiter's moon Io
By Stephanie Pappas published
The volcanic surface of Jupiter's huge moon Io got a stunning close-up thanks to NASA's Juno mission.
Venus is leaking carbon and oxygen, and scientists aren't totally sure why
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Observations of Venus taken with the BepiColombo space probe show that our cosmic neighbor is leaking significant amounts of carbon and oxygen from its atmosphere, and researchers can't totally explain why.
NASA Mars samples, which could contain evidence of life, will not return to Earth as initially planned
By Mike Wall published
NASA's plan to retrieve as many as 30 geological samples from Mars is getting a major rewrite, agency officials said on Monday. The initial plan, which would not return the samples to Earth until 2040, was deemed "too expensive" and "unacceptably too long."
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