Space Exploration

Astronomers have identified massive rings of plasma around young M dwarf stars that function as built-in monitors for stellar space weather. These structures, presented at the American Astronomical Society meeting, could help assess conditions for habitable planets orbiting these common stars. The findings come from research by Carnegie's Luke Bouma and Moira Jardine of the University of St Andrews.

March 27, 2026 Reported by AI

Scientists have found that localized dust storms on Mars can drive water vapor into the upper atmosphere, where it breaks apart and escapes into space. The discovery, based on observations from multiple Mars orbiters, challenges prior assumptions about when and how the planet loses water. Researchers link the effect to an intense regional storm during the Northern Hemisphere summer.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has observed an unusually thick haze on the exoplanet Kepler-51d, obscuring its atmospheric composition. This super-puff planet, part of a rare low-density system around the star Kepler-51, challenges standard models of planetary formation. The findings, led by Penn State researchers, were published on March 16 in the Astronomical Journal.

March 18, 2026 Reported by AI

Researchers at the University of Arizona simulated the formation of a large crater on metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche to predict its internal structure ahead of NASA's arriving spacecraft. The study highlights the role of porosity in crater shapes and tests two possible compositions: a layered metallic core with rocky mantle or a uniform metal-silicate mix. Findings, published in JGR Planets, will aid interpretation of mission data expected in 2029.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have successfully grown chickpeas in simulated moon dirt, marking a potential step toward lunar farming. The experiment combined lunar regolith simulant with worm compost and fungi to enable plant growth in otherwise inhospitable conditions. While promising, further tests are needed to ensure the crops are safe and nutritious for astronauts.

March 08, 2026 Reported by AI

Images from NASA's DART mission have provided the first direct visual evidence that asteroids in binary systems exchange material through slow-moving debris. Faint streaks on the asteroid moon Dimorphos suggest debris from its parent asteroid Didymos landed there, driven by sunlight-induced spin. This discovery highlights the dynamic nature of near-Earth asteroids.