Researchers have discovered water in tiny dust particles from asteroid Itokawa. Japan’s Hayabusa spacecraft brought the asteroid dust to Earth in 2010. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/researchers-find-water-samples-asteroid-itokawa…
Tag: Planetary Science
Listen to 1st-ever recorded marsquake
On April 6, NASA’s Mars InSight lander captured the 1st-ever audio of a likely “marsquake.” Source: https://earthsky.org/space/insight-lander-marsquake-audio…
One comet, 70 thousand images
Scientists released the OSIRIS Image Viewer to make the amazing images of comet 67P – acquired by the Rosetta spacecraft – easily accessible on the internet. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/comet-67p-rosetta-osiris-image-viewer…
Planet Mercury Has Solid Inner Core About the Same Size as Earth’s
A new analysis has found that Mercury has a solid inner core, just like Earth does. And Mercury’s core is just about the same size as our own planet’s. Read more…Source: https://gizmodo.com/planet-mercury-has-solid-inner-core-about-the-same-size-1834145079…
The delight of discovering an asteroid that spits
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses recent news about the asteroid Bennu and Kuiper Belt–object Ultima Thule. Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/delight-discovering-asteroid-spits
This planetary remnant somehow survived the death of its sun
A small, sturdy piece of planet survived the collapse of its sun and now orbits the dead star. Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/planetary-remnant-survived-death-sun-white-dwarf
Saturn’s rings paint some of its moons shades of blue and red
Moons located among Saturn’s inner rings are different colors depending on their distance from the planet, suggesting they’re picking up ring debris. Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cassini-saturn-rings-moons
Kuiper Belt dust may be in our atmosphere (and NASA labs) right now
Bits of space debris that collect in Earth’s atmosphere may come from as far as the cold, distant Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. Source
Exploring Mercury in a new book
Up until 2008, only one spacecraft had ever visited the planet Mercury, and it didn’t linger long. NASA’s Mariner 10 mission flew past the tiny world three times in the 1970s, giving humanity a helpful but limited glimpse of the solar system’s innermost planet. Mariner 10 imaged about 45 percent of Mercury’s surface and discovered its internal magnetic field, among other things.
Ryugu is probably a chip off one of these two other asteroids
Japan’s Hayabusa2 team has narrowed down the asteroid Ryugu’s origins based on its color. Source