Pluto’s atmosphere is cold and hazy. Recent observations have shown it to be much colder than predicted theoretically, suggesting an unknown cooling mechanism. Atmospheric gas molecules, particularly water vapour, have been proposed as a coolant; however, because Pluto’s thermal structure is expected to be in radiative–conductive equilibrium, the required water …
Pluto’s atmosphere is cold and hazy. Recent observations have shown it to be much colder than predicted theoretically, suggesting an unknown cooling mechanism. Atmospheric gas molecules, particularly water vapour, have been proposed as a coolant; however, because Pluto’s thermal structure is expected to be in radiative–conductive equilibrium, the required water …
NASA's Cassini spacecraft continues to yield surprising discoveries, more than a month after it burned up on its mission-ending dive into Saturn. New data from the probe suggest that Saturn's majestic rings are showering tiny dust particles into the planet's upper atmosphere, where they form a complicated and unexpected chemical …
Scientists are sucking carbon dioxide from the air with giant fans and preparing to release chemicals from a balloon to dim the sun's rays as part of a climate engineering push to cool the planet. Backers say the risky, often expensive projects are urgently needed to find ways of meeting …
Seven small planets whose surfaces could harbour liquid water have been spotted around a nearby dwarf star. If such a configuration is common in planetary systems, our Galaxy could be teeming with Earth-like planets.
Agricultural systems for space have been discussed since the works of Tsiolkovsky in the early 20th century. Central to the concept is the use of photosynthetic organisms and light to generate oxygen and food. Research in the area started in 1950s and 60s through the works of Jack Myers and …
Scientist have developed a set of five instruments that can potentially advance NASAs understanding of wind and weather conditions on the surface of Mars that can help ascertain the planet's habitability. The US space agency sends rovers to the surface of Mars to photograph the landscape and operate scientific experiments …
European astronomers on Wednesday announced their discovery of a small rocky planet potentially hospitable to life circling the star closest to our own solar system—our nearest neighbor in a galaxy dense with unexplored alien worlds. In research made public in Nature, a team of 31 scientists from eight countries said …
Two potentially habitable rocky planets have been discovered with Nasa's Kepler telescope during a 'round-up' of exoplanets in which more than 100 new worlds were found. While current technology would not allow scientists to probe the planets any further, they could be shortlisted as targets for the James Webb telescope, …
An international team of astronomers has announced the discovery of a new dwarf planet in our Solar System, finding a distant object beyond Neptune that circles the Sun in a spectacularly wide orbit. Dubbed 2015 RR245 by the International Astronomical Union while they come up with a better name, the …
Liquid water is a requirement for life on Earth. But on Saturn' s largest moon Titan, life might exist beyond the bounds of water-based chemistry, according to a new study by scientists at Cornell University. Reporting in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published …
The Juno satellite, which left Earth five years ago, had to fire a rocket engine to slow its approach to the planet and get caught by its gravity. A sequence of tones transmitted from the spacecraft confirmed the braking manoeuvre had gone as planned. Receipt of the radio messages prompted …
Mars used to have far more oxygen than it does now, scientists have said, potentially making it far more Earth-like (and possibly habitable) than previously believed. Researchers have found high levels of manganese oxides in Martian rocks, which they say can only have come from two sources they know of …
On 4 July, NASA intends to finish a job that started with the agency’s Galileo mission 21 years ago. At 8:18 p.m. Pacific time, the Juno spacecraft will ignite its main engine for 35 minutes and nudge itself into orbit around Jupiter. If all goes well, it will eventually slip …
Astronomers have discovered the largest planet outside our solar system orbiting two stars, at a distance that would make it potentially habitable for people, scientists announced Monday. A team of NASA astronomers that made the discovery using the Kepler space telescope revealed the findings at a meeting of the American …
An analysis of radar images that peered inside the polar ice caps of Mars shows that Earth's neighbor is coming out of an ice age that is part of an ongoing cycle of climate change, scientists said on Thursday. The Martian ice began its retreat about 370,000 years ago, marking …
Scientists have found evidence for widespread buried deposits of iron- and calcium-rich carbonates on Mars, which suggests that the red planet once hosted habitable environments with liquid water. "Identification of these ancient carbonates and clays on Mars represents a window into history when the climate on Mars was very different …
Convective motion in the deep metallic hydrogen region of Jupiter is believed to generate its magnetic field, the strongest in the solar system. The amplitude, structure and depth of the convective motion are unknown. A promising way of probing the Jovian convective dynamo is to measure its effect on the …
The most detailed map of Mars' gravity has been released, using the planet's gravity to indicate contours and curves on the surface. The map also allows scientists to see inside the planet to investigate its core. The research, published in Icarus, explains how some features of the planet formed in …
The solar system may host a ninth planet that is about 10 times bigger than Earth and orbiting far beyond Neptune, according to research published on Wednesday. Computer simulations show that the mystery planet, if it exists, would orbit more than 50 times farther from the sun than Earth, astronomers …
A team of astronomers have found a mysterious dwarf planet, which is believed to be three times further from the Sun than Pluto. Astronomers claimed that the dwarf planet could be one of the most distant objects within the solar system. "It could end up joining an emerging class of …
