How likely are habitable exo-moons
Of the roughly 6,000 exoplanets we've discovered, a significant number are in the apparent habitable zones of their stars.
Most are giant planets; either gas...
Far beyond Pluto: Scientists spot mysterious new world on solar system’s edge
Scientists have discovered a mysterious new object far beyond Neptune, and it could be one of the most distant dwarf planets ever found.
Named 2017...
Scientists may have solved the mystery of the moon’s missing magnetism
For decades, scientists have been puzzled by a strange feature of the Moon: while the Moon today has no magnetic field, some of the...
Is Venus hiding dangerous asteroids
Twenty years ago, the US Congress instructed NASA to find 90% of near-Earth asteroids threatening Earth.
They've made progress finding these asteroids that orbit the...
Is there life on distant planet K2-18b? Scientists say it’s too soon to tell
In April, the scientific world—and the public—was abuzz with the thrilling news that a distant planet called K2-18b might show signs of life.
Researchers from...
Black hole winds could be firing the universe’s most energetic bullet
Scientists may be a step closer to solving a cosmic mystery that has puzzled researchers for decades: where do the universe’s most powerful particles—ultra-high-energy...
Twin stars, wild storms: Strange magnetism discovered in binary systems
Scientists have long known that a star’s magnetic activity—responsible for dramatic flares, sunspots, and energetic outbursts—is linked to how fast the star spins.
Generally, faster...
Titan’s wobbly atmosphere spins like a gyroscope, surprising scientists
Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, has always fascinated scientists with its thick, hazy atmosphere—the only one like it on any moon in our solar system.
Now,...
Scientists discover mysterious Pluto-like object at the edge of the solar system
Astronomers have discovered a strange and distant object orbiting far beyond Neptune, raising new questions about the outer edges of our solar system.
The object,...
Scientists uncover how the Sun speeds up mysterious space particles
A new discovery by scientists at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is shedding light on how the Sun influences a special kind of space...