Solar System

Latest about Solar System

A black and white field of view with a faint white dot in red crosshairs

Goodnight moon! Astronomers snap photo of Earth's departing mini-moon

By Robert Lea published

Astronomers used the Two-meter Twin Telescope to catch a "see-you-soon" image of the asteroid 2024 PT5 as it ended its stint as Earth's second moon on Monday (Nov. 25).

Asteroids
Two astroanuts in white spacesuits stand on either side of a red flag, standing in the center on the moon's surface. On the left, a moon lander with two circular solar panels. On the right, a moon rover.

How China plans to put astronauts on the moon by 2030 (video)

By Andrew Jones published

China's human spaceflight agency has released a video detailing its plans for a first crewed mission to the moon, including progress on lunar hardware.

The moon

What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2024

By Tariq Malik last updated

Reference See what moon phase it is tonight and find out when you can see the rest of the moon phases for 2024.

Reference
The southern hemisphere of Jupiter hangs from above in black space, striped in false color blues, violets, and dark reds

Magnetic tornadoes on Jupiter are spawning Earth-size storms

By Keith Cooper published

Magnetic vortices twisting down from Jupiter's ionosphere into its deep atmosphere cause giant, ultraviolet-absorbing polar anticyclones, each the size of our Earth.

Jupiter
An illustration of the asteroid PT5 as it leaves Earth after a stint as our "second moon."

Earth's mini-moon has finally departed. Will it ever return as a 'second moon?'

By Robert Lea published

Departing on Monday (Nov. 25), Earth's recent "mini-moon" asteroid 2024 PT5 didn't stick around for Thanksgiving, but don't be sad. It will be back... but will it ever be a second moon again?

Asteroids
two grey rocks in orbit around a reddish-orange planet

Mars may have made its 2 moons by ripping an asteroid apart

By Keith Cooper published

A new theory proposes that Phobos and Deimos resulted from the wreckage of a larger asteroid that wandered too close to Mars and was ripped apart.

Mars
an array of planetary bodies and an asteroid belt stretch from left to right across space.

A super-Earth beyond Mars would have made Earth nearly uninhabitable

By Kiona N. Smith published

There's something big missing from our solar system — and that may be a good thing.

Solar System
A composite image of Uranus (left) and Neptune based on Hubble Space Telescope observations.

Neptune and Uranus have a magnetic mystery — but the case may finally be cracked

By Conor Feehly published

We may know why Uranus and Neptune lack dipole magnetic fields, at last.

Solar System
an aircraft flies high above a glacial ice sheet

'We didn't know what it was at first.' NASA aircraft uncovers site of secret Cold War nuclear missile tunnels under Greenland ice sheet

By Brett Tingley published

NASA scientists conducting surveys of arctic ice sheets in Greenland got an unprecedented view of an abandoned "city under the ice" built by the U.S. military during the Cold War.

Earth
The famous Meke Lake, also known as the evil eye of the world, is shown dried up due to drought and climate change on Nov. 15, 2024 in. Konya, Türkiye.

NASA satellites reveal Earth's continents are getting drier

By Meredith Garofalo published

Data from NASA satellites show a plunge in freshwater on Earth since May 2014, with 13 of the 30 most powerful droughts across the globe having taken place since January 2015.

Earth
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