Planetary Science
Researchers have identified an unknown compound absorbing specific wavelengths of light on both Saturn's moon Titan and the dwarf planet Pluto. The finding comes from data collected by the James Webb Space Telescope.
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Researchers have traced the origins of diverse early space rocks to a dust trap just outside Jupiter's orbit. The findings come from computer simulations matching meteorite compositions found on Earth. They suggest this region produced multiple generations of planetesimals over millions of years.
Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have identified 16 large drainage basins on ancient Mars, highlighting prime locations for evidence of past life. These basins, covering just 5% of the planet's ancient terrain, accounted for 42% of river erosion. The findings suggest these areas offered the most promising conditions for habitability when liquid water flowed.
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A new study from the University of Zurich challenges the traditional view of Uranus and Neptune as ice giants, suggesting they could be dominated by rock. Researchers developed a hybrid modeling approach to explore possible interior structures. The findings also shed light on the planets' irregular magnetic fields.
A new study reveals that a massive asteroid struck the moon from the north about 4.3 billion years ago, forming the vast South Pole-Aitken basin and exposing deep interior materials. This glancing blow explains the basin's uneven terrain and the concentration of key elements on the moon's near side. The findings could aid NASA's Artemis missions in uncovering lunar history.
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NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully altered the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos more than expected, but scientists were puzzled by the discovery that the impact caused the moonlet to start tumbling. The mission, which involved crashing a spacecraft into Dimorphos in September 2022, aimed to test planetary defense techniques. Observations from ground-based telescopes confirmed the surprising rotational change.