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All articles tagged with "planetary-science"

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planetary-science Articles | Developments Today

Two views of the interstellar invader comet 3I/ATLAS captured by the JUICE spacecraft

JUICE spots interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS ejecting water at extreme rates

ESA's JUICE spacecraft observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS ejecting about two tons of water per second.
The object is only the third known interstellar visitor detected passing through the solar system.
Its activity could help scientists study material linked to planet formation around another star.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Apr 16, 2026·via space.com

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Ink found in meteorites is a warning for the coming era of precious sample return missions

Researchers reported contaminants including ink in meteorite samples.
The team proposed new measures to better protect extraterrestrial sample purity.
The issue is increasingly important as analytical methods become more sensitive and sample return missions grow in value.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Apr 14, 2026·via phys.org

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JAXA Sets Its Sights on Pristine Comet Samples in a New Push to Study the Early Solar System

JAXA is planning a mission to return pristine samples from a comet.
The project builds on JAXA’s earlier small-body successes with Hayabusa and Hayabusa2.
The scientific appeal is access to early solar system material that may be unusually well preserved.
The supplied source text does not include the target comet or mission timeline.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Apr 13, 2026·via phys.org

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The LROC team discovered a new crater that formed since LRO entered orbit, identifiable in the above image by its bright ejecta rays. (Credit : NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)

A 225-meter lunar crater gives scientists a rare before-and-after impact record

NASA imagery revealed a new lunar crater about 225 meters across formed in late spring 2024.
The crater is much larger than any other newly formed crater identified during the LRO mission.
Debris distribution suggests the impactor arrived from the south-southwest.
Dark material inside the crater is described as likely impact-melted glassy rock.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Apr 12, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Jupiter's four largest moons are known as the Galilean moons. This composite image shows from left to right, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Credit: NASA/JPL/DLR

Young Jupiter’s Magnetic Environment May Explain Why It Has More Large Moons Than Saturn

Researchers modeled young Jupiter and Saturn and their circumplanetary disks.
The study links moon-system differences to magnetic accretion and a magnetospheric cavity.
The model helps explain why Jupiter formed four large moons while Saturn is dominated by Titan.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Apr 12, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Image of part of Cerberus Fossae near the Athabasca Valles takes by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit - NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona

Proposed Mars hopper mission would search volcanic pits for signs of life below the surface

Orpheus is a proposed VTOL hopper mission aimed at Mars’ Cerberus Fossae region.
The mission would target fissures, pits, and cave vents that may be better habitats for extant life.
Cerberus Fossae includes some of the youngest known volcanic terrain on Mars.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Apr 8, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Photographed in ultraviolet light and rendered in false color, this view reveals the complexities of the clouds that coat Venus. Credit: JAXA/ISIS/DARTS/Damia Bouic

Study explores whether Venus cloud life, if real, could have arrived from Earth

A study at LPSC 2026 explored whether Earth ejecta could seed Venus’ clouds.
The models suggest life could persist there for a few days per century.
The work expands panspermia debates beyond the usual Earth-Mars focus.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Apr 7, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Study Suggests Saturn’s Magnetic Shield Is Not Symmetrical Like Earth’s

A new study suggests Saturn’s magnetic shield is asymmetrical.
Researchers say fast rotation and solar wind interaction are likely causes.
The result could affect how giant-planet magnetospheres are modeled.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Apr 1, 2026·via phys.org

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NASA’s asteroid Bennu sample reveals a hidden chemical patchwork

Bennu Sample Study Finds Water-Shaped Chemical Zones Inside the Asteroid

Researchers found three distinct chemical region types inside a Bennu sample.
The study suggests water altered Bennu’s parent material in a localized, uneven way.
Organic compounds survived within the altered material, adding to prebiotic chemistry research.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Apr 1, 2026·via sciencedaily.com

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KYTHERA Concept Aims to Keep a Venus Lander Alive for 200 Earth Days

KYTHERA is a proposed Venus lander designed for up to 200 Earth days on the surface.
The concept targets sites including Lakshmi Planum and Lada Terra.
Its science goals include descent atmospheric data, continuous monitoring, spectroscopy, and seismology.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Apr 1, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Study co-author and NASA X-ray scientist, Dr. Scott Eckley, seen loading a Bennu sample into an X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) machine that was used for the study. (Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz)

Bennu’s Boulder Mystery May Be Explained by Deep Cracks Inside Its Rocks

Returned Bennu samples suggest the asteroid’s low thermal inertia is caused by cracks within surface rocks.
Before OSIRIS-REx arrived, thermal data had led researchers to expect more small rock fragments on the surface.
The findings reinforce the value of sample-return missions for validating remote observations.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Mar 30, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Chinese scientists' new integrated system could unlock secrets of Venus

Chinese Researchers Pitch Integrated Venus System to Probe a Hostile Atmosphere

Chinese scientists proposed an integrated system aimed at studying Venus’s extreme atmosphere.
The concept was described as a potentially transformative approach to Venus exploration.
Technical details and mission timelines were not included in the supplied source text.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Mar 30, 2026·via interestingengineering.com

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Two side-by-side images of Saturn showing the planet in different wavelengths. The one on the left makes the planet appear more orange with glowing blue rings while the image on the right makes it appear soft yellow with more silvery rings.

Webb and Hubble Team Up for a New Look at Saturn’s Restless Skies

Webb and Hubble observed Saturn in complementary wavelengths.
The combined view offers one of the most comprehensive looks yet at the planet’s atmosphere.
The observations help reveal what makes up Saturn’s atmospheric layers.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Mar 29, 2026·via livescience.com

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artemis

NASA Selects 10 Scientists to Shape Artemis Lunar South Pole Research

NASA selected 10 participating scientists to help shape lunar surface science under Artemis.
The scientists will support plans for instrument deployment, landing-site observations, and Moon rock collection.
They will join the first Artemis lunar surface science team and support the inaugural Artemis geology team.
NASA tied the effort to sustained lunar operations and future human exploration of Mars.

DE

DT Editorial Team·Mar 29, 2026·via science.nasa.gov

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saturn

Webb and Hubble Reveal Saturn's Atmosphere Layer by Layer

Webb infrared and Hubble visible-light observations were combined to map Saturn's atmosphere at multiple altitudes simultaneously
Images reveal the Ribbon Wave jet stream, remnant of the 2010 Great Storm, and parts of the North Polar Hexagon
Saturn's rings glow bright icy white in Webb infrared due to the high reflectivity of water ice particles

DE

DT Editorial Team·Mar 26, 2026·via science.nasa.gov

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JWST reveals a strange sulfur world unlike any planet we know

JWST Discovers Sulfur-Rich Exoplanet That Defies Classification

JWST found unusual sulfur-rich atmospheric chemistry on exoplanet L 98-59 d, 35 light-years away
The planet likely contains a deep magma ocean that traps sulfur compounds under extreme pressure, lowering its detectable density
The discovery suggests sulfur worlds may be a common but previously unrecognized class of planet

DE

DT Editorial Team·Mar 18, 2026·4 min read·via sciencedaily.com

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Hidden Water Reservoir Found Deep Beneath Mars Surface

InSight seismic data suggests a liquid water reservoir exists 10-20 km beneath Mars's surface in water-saturated fractured rock
Discovery may explain where Mars's ancient surface water went and reopens questions about deep-crust habitability
Water is far too deep for any near-term drilling technology; confirmation awaits future missions

DE

DT Editorial Team·Mar 15, 2026·3 min read·via livescience.com

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Images of the 2024 solar storm captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory's instruments, developed by the ESA/NASA. The bright spots to the right of the Sun are Jupiter and Venus. Credit: NASA/ESA

Solar Superstorm Slams Mars, Disrupting ESA Spacecraft

ESA's Mars Express and Trace Gas Orbiter experienced radiation-induced glitches during the storm
Mars's ionosphere expanded dramatically as solar particles deposited energy into the atmosphere
Data directly informs radiation shielding requirements for future crewed Mars missions

DE

DT Editorial Team·Mar 14, 2026·4 min read·via universetoday.com

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Images of the surface of Ryugu taken by the navigation camera on Hayabusa-2. Credit - JAXA, Chiba Institute of Technology, University of Tokyo, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Meiji University, University of Aizu, AIST

Ancient Asteroid Dust Contains 4.6-Billion-Year Magnetic Record

Ryugu dust samples contain magnetic signatures dating to the solar system's formation 4.6 billion years ago
The study resolved conflicting earlier results by analyzing many more samples
Findings inform models of how planets formed from the protoplanetary disk

DE

DT Editorial Team·Mar 8, 2026·3 min read·via universetoday.com

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James Webb Space Telescope captures strange magnetic forces warping Uranus

James Webb Space Telescope Captures Strange Magnetic Forces Warping Uranus

First-ever 3D map of Uranus's upper atmosphere created using JWST's NIRSpec instrument
Uranus's magnetic field is tilted 59 degrees from its rotation axis — the strangest in the solar system
Auroral patterns sweep across the planet in complex, shifting configurations unlike Earth's stable rings
Upper atmosphere has continued cooling over 30 years, now averaging 426 kelvins
15-hour continuous observation tracked faint molecular emissions up to 5,000 km above the clouds

DE

DT Editorial Team·Feb 21, 2026·6 min read·via sciencedaily.com

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