Solar System

Latest about Solar System

Illustration of China's Chang'e 7 mission on the surface of the moon.

China plans to plant a waving flag on the moon in 2026. Here's how

By Leonard David published

China's Chang'e 7 moon-landing mission will apparently include a flag that can flutter in the moon's thin and tenuous atmosphere.

The moon

What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2025

By Tariq Malik, Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference See what moon phase it is tonight and find out when you can see the rest of the moon phases for 2025.

Reference
A false-color satellite image by Planet Labs shows the Palisades Fire consumed coastal neighborhoods. Land covered in vegetation is seen in red.

Devastation of raging Los Angeles fires visible from space in satellite images

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

Satellite images show destruction caused by huge, fast-moving fires raging this week in Southern California.

Climate Change

NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory back online after 2024 data center flood

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

The spacecraft themselves continued to operate normally in Earth orbit during the outage and "no science data has been lost."

The Sun

Arecibo Observatory: The rise, legacy, and tragic collapse of a giant

By Vicky Stein last updated

Reference The legacy of Arecibo's nearly 60 years of astronomy research is strong, even after its loss in a dramatic 2020 collapse.

Reference
A tan, gaseious Jupiter hangs in black space, layered like a cross section of geological survey, a swirling red storm at its lower left.

An amateur astronomer used an old technique to study Jupiter — and found something strange

By Victoria Corless published

The long-held assumption that Jupiter's iconic swirling clouds are made of frozen ammonia could be upended.

Jupiter
Astronauts watch giant spider cranes 3d-print landing pads on the moon.

Humans will soon be able to mine on the moon. But should we? 4 questions to consider

By Evie Kendal, Alan Duffy published

By the end of this decade, nations and private companies may well be mining the surface of the Moon.

The moon
Two domes and one under construction are connect by short tubes on the grey surface of the moon. Neighboring the their upper left, two additional domes, like mounds covered with moon dust, and rows of solar panels on the right. Above in the black sky, Earth hangs upper left.

Food grows better on the moon than on Mars, scientists find

By Tom Brown published

Scientists expect the moon to have better soil for growing food than the red planet

Mars

Once-in-a-160000-year comet G3 ATLAS could shine as bright as Venus next week. Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao published

One of the brightest comets in 20 years, Comet 2024 G3 (ATLAS) returns for a close encounter with the sun — but will we be able to see it?

Comets

Clyde Tombaugh: The astronomer who discovered Pluto

By Nola Taylor Tillman last updated

Reference From farm boy to cosmic pioneer: The life and legacy of Clyde Tombaugh.

Reference
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