Solar System

Earth surrounded by plasma from a distant pulsar. Image was prepared using DALEE and is not a scientific image.

Plasma storms have been found in space around Earth that is supposed to be empty.

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By analyzing a twinkling pulsar, scientists have mapped plasma plumes and a bow shock wave with unprecedented clarity, upending the assumption that our local interstellar neighborhood is calm.
Asteroid Donaldjohansson as captured by Lucy's L'LORRI camera. This is one of the most detailed images Lucy has taken during its flyby. It was taken on April 20.4.25, 1,100 from a distance of about XNUMX km. The image has been sharpened and processed to improve contrast. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL/NOIRLab

Lucy spacecraft captures ice cream cone-shaped asteroid

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Asteroid encounter reveals 150-million-year-old fracture: The Lucy spacecraft took stunning images of the asteroid Donaldjohansson, revealing it to be a pair in contact, in the unusual shape of an "ice cream cone" with two spheres.
Lucy will study Jupiter's Trojan asteroids – considered "fossils of the planet formation process." Credit: NASA

The Lucy spacecraft is preparing for a fascinating encounter tomorrow (Sunday) with a mysterious space relic

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The Lucy spacecraft will make a close flyby of the asteroid Donald Johanson on April 20, a systems practice before arriving at Jupiter's Trojan asteroids.
An asteroid on its way to collide with Earth. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Webb Telescope measurements dispel fears about asteroid 2024 YR4

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While in the past, percentages of risk for a dangerous encounter with Earth were measured, the new data from advanced discoveries with NIRCam and MIRI indicate absolute confidence – with unique discoveries in the thermal and structural properties of the asteroid.
After delivering ten NASA science and technology payloads to the near side of the Moon through the CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and NASA's Artemis operation, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander captured this image of a sunset from the surface of the Moon. Credit: Firefly Aerospace

NASA captures sunset on the moon in stunning leaping images of dust and light (4K)

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Illustration: An image showing the Orion Nebula in visible and infrared light. Astronomers have discovered that about 14 million years ago, the solar system sailed through the Orion Nebula, a dense region where stars are forming. This journey may have compressed the heliosphere and increased the amount of interstellar dust, which could have affected Earth's climate and left an imprint on the geological record. Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, and F. Summers, G. Bacon, Z. Levay, J. DePasquale, L. Hustak, L. Frattare, M. Robberto, M. Gennaro (STScI), R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC), M. Kornmesser (ESA); Special thanks: A. Fujii, R. Gendler)

Scientists reveal that the sun's journey through the Orion Nebula could have changed Earth's climate

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About 14 million years ago, in the middle of the Miocene epoch, the solar system passed through the Orion Nebula. At the same time, the Earth cooled and the Antarctic ice sheet formed. Is there a connection between the two phenomena?
Impact structure in Amelia Crater, Australia. Credit: NASA

600 million years ago, an asteroid impact shook the Earth – and its effects may still linger

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How an ancient impact on Australia may have triggered global changes in climate and ocean chemistry
An artist's impression shows the internal structure of Jupiter's moon Io. Data from NASA's Juno spacecraft indicate that Io does not have a shallow global magma ocean, and is consistent with a mostly solid mantle (shown in green), with significant molten material (yellow and orange), above a liquid core (red/black). Credit: NASA/Caltech-JPL/SwRI, edited

Juno's amazing discovery: Io's face is not what we expected

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Juno spacecraft data suggests Io's controversial magma ocean may not exist
The Europa Clipper spacecraft is using Mars' gravity to accelerate its way to Jupiter's mysterious moon. Credit: NASA

Europa Clipper uses Mars' gravity to accelerate its way to Jupiter's mysterious moon

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NASA's Europa Clipper probe has performed a gravity maneuver around Mars on its way to Jupiter's moon Europa, to investigate whether it might be home to extraterrestrial life.
A view of the Utopia Planitia region on Mars which is believed to be the site of an ancient ocean. ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA

Scientists discover 3 billion-year-old beach buried on Mars

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Researchers have found evidence of a beach on the Utopia Plain on Mars, strengthening the hypothesis that an ocean once covered a large part of the planet and its influence may have been evident for a longer time than previously thought.
The planets in our solar system always appear along a line in the sky. This line, called the ecliptic, represents the plane in which the planets orbit the Sun, as seen from our perspective within that plane. Credit: NASA / Preston Dykes

Not one planet, not two – but seven: A rare parade of planets in the night sky this week

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Asteroid 2024 Yr4 as observed from ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, image released on 25 February 2025

Advanced observations almost eliminate the risk of asteroid 2024 YR4 collision in 2032

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The European Southern Observatory (ESO) tracked the asteroid with the Very Large Telescope in Chile and reached a more accurate prediction of the trajectory of the asteroid that threatened to destroy entire cities. * In recent weeks, calculations have been made according to which
A rendering of the OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft leaving the surface of asteroid Bennu after collecting a sample. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab/SVS

Billion-year-old secret revealed in dust from asteroid Bennu

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Researchers are uncovering secrets of our solar system by analyzing samples from the asteroid Bennu, some of the finest ever collected.
TGO took this image on November 3, 2023. At its center is Cerberus Fossae (163.07°E, 9.25°N) Credit: ESA

Meteor collides with Mars: Seismic waves shake the Red Planet

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TGO image from November 3, 2023 reveals impact effects in Cerberus Fossae region, deepening understanding of Martian tremors and seismic effects
Near-Earth asteroid. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Asteroid 2024 YR4: Chances of collision with Earth in 2032 increased to 2.3%

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NASA and international scientists are monitoring new data to determine the risk of a collision and potential impacts. Since it is a short-range event, actions to deal with it have already begun. Among other things, China has launched a campaign to recruit experts for the "protection" team.
Visible coronal loops observed by the TRACE spacecraft. Credit: NASA/TRACE

NASA Just Found the Sun's Secret Warning Before Massive Solar Outbursts

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This discovery could help NASA and other organizations protect astronauts, satellites, and technologies on the ground from the potentially harmful effects of space weather.
SwRI is studying how Saturn's largest moon maintains its dense atmosphere. Scientists think Titan's core is covered in layers of ice and a subsurface liquid ocean. New experiments show that nitrogen and methane gases produced by organic matter in the core seep to the surface, regularly renewing the atmosphere. Credit: Southwest Research Institute

Scientists decipher Titan's dense atmosphere – new discoveries about the sources of nitrogen and methane

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New research suggests that nitrogen and methane seep from Titan's rocky core to the surface, helping to maintain its dense atmosphere. The findings could shed light on the planet's internal chemistry.
An asteroid is about to hit Earth. Illustration: depositphotos.com

NASA is tracking a skyscraper-sized asteroid with a 1% chance of hitting Earth in 2032

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Asteroid 2024 YR4 has been identified by NASA with a low chance – just over 1% – of colliding with Earth in December 2032. Scientists continue to collect data and refine calculations to assess the true risk.
This artist's impression shows NEO Surveyor in deep space. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NEO Surveyor Mission: NASA's Pioneering Planetary Defense Effort

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New models suggest that Pluto and Charon were formed by a giant collision. This composite of enhanced color images of Pluto (lower right) and Charon (upper left) was taken by the New Horizons spacecraft as it passed through the Pluto system in 2015. Pluto and Charon are shown at approximately their relative sizes, but their true separation is not at the correct distance. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

How Pluto and its moon Charon were formed from a giant collision

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New research reveals that Pluto and its large moon Charon formed from a unique "kiss and capture" process following a giant collision, with significant implications for understanding the solar system.
NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this image of Vesta as it left orbit around the giant asteroid in 2012. The camera looked down at the North Pole, in the center of the image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

What is hidden in Vesta's channels? Evidence of transient fluids in the giant asteroid

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Korolev crater on Mars in a close-up view, showing an ice center and surrounding rocks.

Why is it hard to find liquid water on Mars, even more than we thought?

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A new study reveals the complexity of the presence of liquid water on Mars, emphasizing the cold conditions and atmospheric pressure that challenge its existence, despite decades of research on the subject
The main asteroid belt. Image: NASA

The James Webb Space Telescope reveals the smallest asteroids yet found in the main asteroid belt

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A group of 138 new asteroids, ranging in size from a bus to a stadium, has been discovered in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter by observations of the Webb Space Telescope
The Parker Solar Probe is approaching the Sun. Image: NASA

NASA's Parker Solar Probe makes history in its closest pass to the Sun

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The Parker Solar Probe reached a distance of only 6.1 million km from the Sun, at a record speed of 690,000 km/h, in a groundbreaking operation to improve our understanding of our planet
Large asteroids collide with Earth. The illustration was prepared using DALEE and is not a scientific image

Two huge asteroids hit the Earth 35 million years ago - and did not change anything

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New research reveals that massive asteroid impacts, which created two of the largest craters on Earth, did not cause long-term climate changes
Plasma loops above sunspots, visible in UV light. Credit: DKIST/NSO

Artificial intelligence reveals secrets of the Sun's atmosphere

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Researchers at the University of Hawaii are using the world's largest solar telescope and artificial intelligence to study plasma above sunspots, improving understanding of the sun and space predictions.
Imaging of Jupiter as seen in ultraviolet light. In addition to the Great Red Spot, visible in blue in this image, another oval structure can be seen in the brown haze at Jupiter's south pole. The oval structure, a region of fog concentration, may have been caused by mixing generated in higher vorticity in Jupiter's ionosphere. These dark oval structures also appear in the North Pole, although less frequently. Credit: Troy Tsubota and Michael Wong, University of California - Berkeley.

Magnetic eddies reveal the secrets of Jupiter's poles

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New discoveries reveal the fascinating dynamics of Jupiter's magnetic field and atmosphere, with the help of ultraviolet observations from the Hubble telescope
Eddy currents at the solar poles. The image was prepared using DALEE and is not a scientific image

Magnetic eddies at the poles of the Sun

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This image taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope shows Comet Anka moving through its debris orbit. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Minnesota

What is the level of risk from the "doomsday" asteroid swarm?

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A new study shows that the Taurid swarm contains fewer large asteroids than predicted, so the risk level from it is lower.
Many objects have been discovered at the edge of the solar system. Figure: Avi Blizovsky using FLEX-1

Astronomers discover mysterious new objects beyond the edge of the solar system

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Observations made with the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii have revealed new objects in the outer region of the Solar System, pointing to a large, unknown population beyond the Kuiper Belt.
El Médano 128 meteorite, a regular chondrite (L group), was found in the Atacama Desert in 2011 by a team of researchers from the Research and Teaching Center for Environmental Geosciences (CEREGE - University of Aix-Marseille/CNRS/INRAE/IRD). Credit: © Jérôme Gatakzka, CNRS, CEREGE

70% of the meteorites that landed on Earth came from a small number of collisions in the asteroid belt

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A new study reveals that most of the meteorites on Earth were formed as a result of collisions that occurred in the asteroid belt in the last tens of millions of years. The discovery provides new insights into the origins of meteorites and the possible threat to Earth
Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

NASA and NOAA: The sun has reached the peak of the solar cycle and will continue to operate strongly for the next two years

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NASA and NOAA forecasts indicate an increase in solar activity, increasing the risk of space weather and affecting satellites, communications and the aurora borealis
This artist's concept shows NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft as it orbits Jupiter and passes over the icy moon Europa. The mission, scheduled to reach Jupiter in April 2030, will be the first to conduct an in-depth study of Europa. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's Europa Clipper launches: A bold search for life on Jupiter's icy moon

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The largest spacecraft ever built for an interplanetary mission has begun its long journey to explore Europa, with the goal of uncovering the secrets of the ocean beneath the ice and possibly finding evidence of extraterrestrial life.
Illustration of the anatomy of the sun. Credit: ESA–S.Poletti

When the sun doesn't behave accordingly: the mysterious time gaps in solar flares challenge scientists

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Researchers have identified significant time gaps in emissions in solar flares that challenge the accuracy of current models of solar flares, and point to possible alternative energy transfer mechanisms
This view of Belva Crater was created using data collected by the Mars Perseverance rover on April 22, 2023. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

The lost atmosphere of Mars has been discovered hidden in its clay

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Mars was not always the cold, desolate desert we see today. There is more and more evidence that water once flowed across the surface of the Red Planet, necessitating the existence of a thick atmosphere, but suddenly
Storm clouds over the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Archive photo). Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Due to Hurricane Milton, the launch of the Europa Clipper spacecraft to Jupiter, which was planned for yesterday, 10/10/2024, was postponed

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Severe weather conditions in Florida are forcing NASA and SpaceX to delay the launch of the Europa Clipper mission, which was designed to explore Jupiter's icy moon.
An artist's illustration depicts a primordial black hole (left) speeding across the surface of Mars and causing a slight "tremor" in Mars' orbit (right), with the sun in the background. Scientists from MIT claim that such a tremor may be detectable with the instruments available today. Credit: Illustration by Benjamin Lehmann, used with SpaceEngine @ Cosmographic Software LLC.

Dark matter: primordial black holes and the mysterious wobble of Mars' orbit

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These holes, which are theoretical remnants of the early universe, may be detectable every decade as they pass through the solar system, offering a new way to study the elusive dark matter
A close-up of the intense X7.1 solar flare on October 1, 2024, by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Credit: NASA/SDO

A strong solar flare was recorded on October 1, 2024

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NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has recorded one of the strongest outbursts in the current solar cycle, with the potential to impact technological systems on Earth and in space
This photo shows technicians completing operations before refueling the Europa Clipper spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 11, 2024. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Ready for justice: NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft will be fueled for launch

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The Europa Clipper spacecraft was recently refueled, an important step in preparation for its mission to Jupiter's moon Europa
The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was a carbonaceous asteroid

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This asteroid, which led to the extinction of the dinosaurs, came from a C-type asteroid that originated beyond Jupiter, thus ruling out other hypotheses such as volcanic activity or comets
This artist rendering shows NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft in orbit around Jupiter. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Europa Clipper spacecraft: Large solar wings power NASA's largest planetary spacecraft ever

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A meteor breaks up in the atmosphere. Such a phenomenon caused global cooling and the extinction of large animals 12,800 years ago. The image was prepared using DALEE and is not a scientific image

Surprising discovery: a cosmic explosion in the atmosphere may have caused global cooling 12,800 years ago

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Astronauts walk on Mars soil. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The science of survival on Mars: What really protects astronauts from radiation

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Effective radiation shielding materials such as plastics, rubber, synthetic fibers and Martian soil have been identified as protecting astronauts on Mars, increasing the viability of long-duration missions and future settlement plans
An asteroid hits the Earth. Illustration: depositphotos.com

NASA faces a (theoretical) 72% chance of an asteroid impact

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NASA's biennial exercises simulate an asteroid impact to prepare international response strategies. These scenarios use real data to test emergency preparedness and explore diversion techniques like the DART mission
The Webb telescope, seen in the lower right corner of this figure, was used to verify the presence of mummified minerals on the surface of the asteroid Psyche. Credit: Southwest Research Institute

The Webb telescope reveals water compounds in asteroid Psyche

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The observations will help analyze data from NASA's Psyche spacecraft on its way to this interesting asteroid that orbits the Sun in the main asteroid belt - between Mars and Jupiter
The Sun is now again approaching its 11-year "Schwab Cycle" maximum activity, here image taken by Solar Orbiter in October 2023. Credit: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team

A cosmic mystery solved? New evidence shows that the planets influence the Sun's magnetic cycles.

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Researchers identify eddy currents in the Sun, called Rossby waves, as mediating the tidal effects of Venus, Earth and Jupiter on the Sun's magnetic activity
The Parker Solar Probe ruled out the possibility that the S-shaped bands in the Sun's magnetic field are the source of the corona's heat. Credit: NASA and Levi Hutmacher, Michigan Engineering

The Parker Solar Probe shatters a theory related to the very hot corona of the Sun

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This composite image shows suspicious jets of water vapor erupting at the 7 o'clock position outside the boundary of Jupiter's moon Europa. The streams, imaged by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope's Imaging Spectrometer camera, were seen in silhouette as the moon passed in front of Jupiter. The Hubble data were collected on January 26, 2014. The image of Europa superimposed on the Hubble data consists of data from the Galileo Voyager missions Credit: NASA/ESA/W. Sparks (STScI)/USGS Astrogeology Science Center

NASA researchers propose looking for signatures of life near the surface of Enceladus and Europa

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NASA scientists conducted an experiment simulating the conditions on the icy moons Europa of Jupiter and Enceladus of Shabati and came to the conclusion that if there is life on them you don't need to dig deep to find at least their remains
A top view of one of the containers containing rocks and dust from the Beno asteroid, scaled in centimeters. Credit: NASA/Erika Blumenfeld and Joseph Aebersold

Surprise in the sample from the asteroid: its structure contains the "original ingredients" of the solar system

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The OSIRIS-Rex sample analysis team found that the asteroid dust was rich in carbon, nitrogen, organic compounds and magnesium sodium phosphate, suggesting special historical conditions.
Comet attack on young earth. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Mysterious Travelers: Are We Drinking Water Brought by Dark Comets?

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Could asteroids, which are remnants of comets, be one of the main sources of water on Earth?