kuiper belt

A Recipe for Returning Pluto to Full Planethood

A storm is brewing, a battle of words and a war of the worlds. The Earth is not at risk. It is…

10 years ago

It Looks Like These Are All the Bright Kuiper Belt Objects We’ll Ever Find

The self-professed “Pluto Killer” is at it again. Dr. Michael Brown is now reminiscing about the good old days when…

10 years ago

The Dark Energy Survey Begins to Reveal Previously Unknown Trans-Neptunian Objects

Sometimes when you stare at something long enough, you begin to see things. This is not the case with optical…

10 years ago

‘Naked’ Comets Could Expose Solar System’s Ancient Origin Story

What's a comet that doesn't look like a comet? The question sounds contradictory, but astronomers believe these objects exist. As…

10 years ago

Did An Icy Collision Produce The Odd Shape Of Asteroid 624 Hektor?

Two icy asteroids could have crashed into each other early in the solar system's history to form the strange-looking 624…

11 years ago

Trailer: New Horizons Gets Ready to Meet Pluto

Less than a year from now, the New Horizons spacecraft will begin its encounter with Pluto. While closest approach is…

11 years ago

Where Should We Look for Life in the Solar System?

Emily Lakdawalla is the senior editor and planetary evangelist for the Planetary Society. She's also one of the most knowledgeable…

11 years ago

What Has the Kuiper Belt Taught Us About The Solar System?

Over 4 billion miles (6.7 billion km) from the Sun, the Kuiper Belt is a vast zone of frozen worlds…

12 years ago

Cassini Exposes Phoebe As More Planet Than Moon

[/caption] Saturn's curious moon Phoebe features a heavily-cratered shape and orbits the ringed planet backwards at a considerable distance of…

13 years ago

Evidence of a Late Heavy Bombardment Occuring in Another Solar System

[/caption] Planetary scientists have not been able to agree that a turbulent period in our solar system’s history called the…

13 years ago