Planetary ScienceAugust 19, 2022
Here’s Why Earth Just Had Its Shortest Day on Record
How wind, ice and rock may have combined to give our planet its shortest day
Planetary Science
Planetary ScienceAugust 15, 2022
NASA’s UFO Study Isn’t Really Looking for Space Aliens
A new investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena could have bigger impacts on atmospheric science than on astrobiology
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Planetary ScienceJuly 28, 2022
Seismic Missions Could Reveal the Solar System’s Underworlds
Seismology has been a long-overlooked tool in planetary exploration, but the success of NASA’s InSight lander has reignited the field
Planetary ScienceJuly 1, 2022
New Satellite Is a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ in Space
The hyperspectral probe can pick out extreme detail of materials on Earth’s surface
Planetary ScienceJune 23, 2022
Controversy Grows Over whether Mars Samples Endanger Earth
Planetary scientists are eager to bring Red Planet rocks, soil and even air to Earth, but critics fear the risk of contaminating our world’s biosphere
Space ExplorationJune 7, 2022
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Begins Key Search for Life on Mars
Rolling up an ancient river delta in Jezero Crater, the rover starts crucial rock sampling.
Planetary ScienceJune 1, 2022
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: June 2022
Innovation and discovery as chronicled by Scientific American
Planetary ScienceMay 5, 2022
NASA Spacecraft Will Visit Apophis, Once Earth’s Deadliest Asteroid Threat
After delivering extraterrestrial samples to Earth in 2023, OSIRIS-REx will embark on an extended mission to a potentially planet-threatening space rock
Planetary ScienceApril 19, 2022
Next Stop, Uranus? Icy Planet Tops Priority List for Next Big NASA Mission
An influential panel’s recommendation makes the ice giant a likely destination for a flagship space mission
Planetary ScienceApril 14, 2022
Hubble Confirms Megacomet Bound for Inner Solar System Is Largest Ever Seen
The icy nucleus of Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is about 80 miles (129 kilometers) wide
AstronomyApril 14, 2022
Ukrainian Astronomers Discover ‘Exocomets’ around Another Star
The alien comets could illuminate the history of their planetary system
Planetary ScienceMarch 17, 2022
China’s First Moon Rocks Ignite Research Bonanza
Samples collected by Chang’e-5 are revealing exciting insights into the moon’s evolution