solar system
2020 Has Been Bad for Earth, But Great for Mars
Emily Lakdawalla, a solar system expert and science author, explains what three Mars-bound spacecraft will do once they reach the red planet in February.
This Is the First Image of Planets Orbiting a Sun-Like Star in Deep Space
An international team of astronomers snapped this photo of a young star and its two gigantic planets from a distance of 300 light years.
Is There a Black Hole Hiding in Our Solar System? This Is How We'll Find Out
Edward Witten, an influential physicist who developed M-theory, recently started thinking about how to scan the solar system for a primordial black hole.
Scientists Found More Than 100 Tiny Worlds Hidden in the Solar System
A telescope looking for dark matter discovered 139 new minor planets lurking beyond Neptune's orbit, which could help scientists look for hidden planets in the outer solar system.
Scientists Identify Tight Window to Visit Uranus
The approach of a rare cosmic alignment could cut down travel time to Uranus and Neptune. Will scientists be able to meet the deadline?
A Key Ingredient for Life Has Been Found on an ‘Extraterrestrial Source,’ Scientists Report
This is the first time a complete protein has been discovered on an object from space, if the study's results are confirmed.
Scientists Are Rapidly Finding Weird Materials Older Than the Solar System on Earth
First, scientists found stardust crystals dating back seven billion years. Just weeks later, another team has reported finding more “presolar” compounds in an unexpected place.
There Might Be a Second Super-Earth Orbiting the Star Closest to Our Sun
Scientists traced another super-Earth around the Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star only 4.2 light-years away.
Physicist Proposes Turning the Sun Into a Gigantic Engine
“That’s the new result of the paper: What exactly is possible if you have a Dyson sphere and you want to use it to drive a jet to push a star around?”
Earth-Like Planets May Be Common Outside Our Solar System, Scientists Discover
After studying the remains of exoplanets that crashed into dead stars, scientists think that rocky planets similar to Earth and Mars are likely common outside of our solar system.
How Humans Will Bring the Internet to Space
In the future, orbiters, rovers, deep space probes, and even human space habitats will be nodes on the internet of things.
Astronomers Peer at a Young Star System That Is Strikingly Similar to Our Own
DM Tau has its own asteroid belt, and may be developing its own versions of Earth and Neptune, too.