From Pluto to Ceres: A dwarf planet word search

Hunt for the names of mysterious dwarf planets, most of which orbit on the fringes of our solar system

Venus may get a huge meteor shower this July, thanks to a long-ago asteroid breakup

This coming July, Venus could plow through the dust generated by an asteroid breakup thousands of years ago, potentially sparking an impressive meteor shower.

Magnetic avalanches on the sun reveal the hidden engine powering solar flares

“This is one of the most exciting results from Solar Orbiter so far.”

Moon landings could contaminate evidence about life’s beginnings on Earth. Here’s how

Exhaust from lunar landers drifts across the moon and contaminates ultra-cold polar craters that are rich in ancient ice and organic clues, a new study reports.

A colossal asteroid may have warped the moon from the inside out

The findings are a big clue as to why the far and near hemispheres of the moon look so different.

Sinking ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa may be slowly feeding its ocean the ingredients for life

“Most excitingly, this new idea addresses one of the longstanding habitability problems on Europa and is a good sign for the prospects of extraterrestrial life in its ocean.”

Mysterious polar weather on Jupiter and Saturn could be key to understanding their insides

“I don’t think anyone’s made this connection between the surface fluid pattern and the interior properties of these planets.”

Earth was just hit by the strongest solar radiation storm in over 20 years — here’s what it means

Earth just experienced a rare S4 solar radiation storm, the most intense since 2003 — powerful for satellites and astronauts, but harmless on the ground.

Mars orbiter sees odd etchings in the sand | Space photo of the day for Jan. 20, 2025

Even though the Red Planet’s atmosphere is thin, wind is still one of Mars’ most relentless sculptors.

Comet Wierzchos buzzes the sun later today: But can you see it?

C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) brightened significantly ahead of its close approach to the sun.