Planets
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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."
Pluto's huge white 'heart' has a surprisingly violent origin, new study suggests
By Stephanie Pappas published
Tombaugh Regio — the large, pale heart that dominates Pluto's terrain — is made of nitrogen ice that accumulated after a huge, slow-motion impact, new research suggests.
Strange light spotted over distant 'hell planet' may be 1st rainbow 'glory' found beyond our solar system
By Harry Baker published
New data suggest that exoplanet WASP-76 b could harbor a massive, rainbow-colored light show known as a "glory." Until now, this phenomenon has been seen only within our solar system.
Uranus and Neptune aren't made of what we thought, new study hints
By Deepa Jain published
A study suggests the ice giants Uranus and Neptune aren't quite as watery as previously thought. They may also contain huge amounts of frozen methane, potentially solving the puzzle of how they formed.
Single enormous object left 2 billion craters on Mars, scientists discover
By Sascha Pare published
An object that slammed into Mars roughly 2.3 million years ago created 2 billion smaller craters around the main Corinto impact crater, near the Red Planet's equator.
James Webb telescope to zoom in on Uranus and Saturn in study of mysterious auroras
By Robert Lea published
Two projects using the James Webb Space Telescope will look at the auroras of Uranus and Saturn to discover what processes make them tick.
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