Solar System
Vesta’s Deep Grooves Could Be “Stretch Marks” From Impact
Dawn image of Vesta showing its nearly circumferential equatorial grooves (NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA) Even though NASA's Dawn spacecraft has departed Vesta the…
Planets in our Solar System May Have Formed in Fits and Starts
Solar shockwaves would have produced proto-planetary rings at different times, meaning the planets did not form simultaneously (artist concept). Credit:…
Researchers Present the Sharpest Image of Pluto Ever Taken from Earth
A "speckle image" reconstruction of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon (Gemini Observatory/NSF/NASA/AURA) Real planet, dwarf planet, KBO, who cares?…
How Many Asteroids Are Out There?
Answer: a LOT. And there's new ones being discovered all the time, as this fascinating animation by Scott Manley shows.…
Saturn Shows Off Its Shadow
Take a look up at the enormous shadow cast by Saturn onto its own rings in this raw image, acquired…
Clay Deposits Don’t Prove Existence of Ancient Martian Lakes
HiRISE image of branching features in the floor of Antoniadi Crater thought to contain clay material. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona) In…
Is Triton Hiding an Underground Ocean?
Voyager 2 mosaic of Neptune's largest moon, Triton (NASA) At 1,680 miles (2,700 km) across, the frigid and wrinkled Triton is Neptune’s…
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…
Winds of Change at the Edge of the Solar System
As the venerable Voyager 1 spacecraft hurtles ever outward, breaking through the very borders of our solar system at staggering…
Beneath the Mask, Titan looks Surprisingly Smooth and Youthful
Caption: Images from the Cassini mission show methane river networks draining into lakes in Titan's north polar region. Credit: NASA/JPL/USG…