Tag

Planetary Science

All articles tagged with #planetary science

space5 days ago•14 min saved

Miranda's Hidden Ocean Reframes the Search for Life on Uranus' Moon

A Planetary Science Journal study reexamining Voyager 2 data suggests Miranda, a moon of Uranus, could have hosted a deep subsurface ocean (potentially ≥100 km) in the last 100–500 million years, with tidal heating possibly keeping liquid water inside. While conclusive evidence of life isn’t found, this makes Miranda a notable candidate in the broader search for extraterrestrial life and informs the Drake Equation’s life-fraction term.

via Hackaday|

#extraterrestrial-life #miranda #planetary-science

science12 days ago•4 min saved

New Measurements Sharpen Jupiter’s Size, Narrowing Its Radius

New measurements from NASA's Juno mission refine Jupiter's dimensions, revealing the gas giant is 8 km narrower at the equator and 24 km flatter at the poles than previously estimated, thanks to improved radio occultation data and wind-aware modeling.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#astronomy #juno-mission #jupiter

space22 days ago•3 min saved

Juno Tightens Jupiter's Dimensions: Slightly Smaller Than Earlier Estimates

Juno's latest measurements refine Jupiter's equatorial diameter to 88,841 miles (142,976 km) and polar diameter to 83,067 miles (133,684 km), about 5 miles and 15 miles smaller than earlier estimates, confirming the planet's oblateness and aiding models of its interior and atmosphere.

via Reuters|

#juno #jupiter #nasa

space26 days ago•4 min saved

Venus May Hide Kilometer-Wide Lava Tubes Beneath the Surface

New modeling suggests Venus could harbor underground lava tubes up to about 1 kilometer wide, implying a vast subsurface network. Surface radar observations hint at ongoing volcanism, especially at Maat Mons and Idunn Mons, while simulations indicate explosive plumes could reach tens of kilometers into the atmosphere, informing future missions to study Venus's geology and atmospheric chemistry.

via Indian Defence Review|

#lava-tubes #planetary-science #radar-imagery

space1 month ago•55 min saved

Ancient Martian Ocean Spanned Half the Planet, New Imagery Hints

New high-resolution orbital imagery around Mars reveals delta-like structures near Valles Marineris that researchers say mark an ancient coastline, suggesting an ocean across the northern hemisphere that may have been as large as Earth's Arctic Ocean and existed about 3.37 billion years ago, supporting the idea of a historically “blue” Mars.

via Live Science|

#ancient-ocean #arctic-ocean #mars

policy1 month ago•15 min saved

NASA Shrinks Planetary Science Advisory Groups Amid Budget Constraints

NASA will end funding for eight planetary science advisory groups by the end of April as part of a broader squeeze on advisory structures and a tight Planetary Science Division budget. The groups may continue to operate on their own, potentially under new names, with NASA offering limited support (e.g., travel for students). NASA also plans to replace multiple advisory bodies with a single all-discipline science advisory committee, reflecting a wider federal effort to reduce advisory panels.

via SpaceNews|

#advisory-committees #budget #nasa

science1 month ago•77 min saved

Mars helps stabilize Earth's climate by taming its tilt, new simulations suggest

New simulations quantify Mars' gravitational influence on Earth, showing Mars helps stabilize Earth's axial tilt and orbital eccentricity over Milankovitch cycles, potentially shaping climate over hundreds of thousands to millions of years; removing Mars from the system causes major cycles to vanish, while increasing Mars' mass dampens tilt changes, suggesting Mars plays a stabilizing role in Earth's climate and could influence how we think about habitable worlds elsewhere.

via Space|

#earth-climate #gravity #mars

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Thin Ice, Hidden Lakes: Mars May Harbor Decades-Long Water Under Seasonal Ice

A new LakeM2ARS climate model shows ancient Martian lakes could endure for decades beneath thin, seasonal ice, insulating water enough to stay liquid in a cold, CO2-rich early Mars. By adapting Earth-based Proxy System Modeling, researchers ran 64 simulations across varied conditions, suggesting minimal ice can preserve lakes without leaving obvious glacial traces. If confirmed, this helps explain geological evidence of past water and prompts applying the model to other regions to reassess Mars’ habitability.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#climate #ice #lakes

space-exploration1 month ago•5 min saved

Commercial Backbone Essential for Interplanetary Science

The article advocates for shifting planetary exploration from costly, slow government-led missions to a more agile, industry-led operational model that leverages commercial capabilities, enabling faster, more frequent, and affordable missions to advance science and U.S. leadership in space by 2026.

via SpaceNews|

#commercial-space #infrastructure #mission-efficiency

space-exploration1 month ago•5 min saved

NASA Uncovers Hidden Mysteries Beneath Titan's Icy Seas

New analysis of NASA's Cassini data reveals that Kraken Mare, Titan's largest sea, may reach depths of up to 300 meters, making it the deepest known sea on Titan and a significant surface reservoir, which raises new questions about the moon's geophysical processes and potential habitability.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#cassini #hydrocarbon-lakes #kraken-mare

science2 months ago•4 min saved

Antarctic Meteorite Sparks New Hope for Space Mining

Researchers analyzing rare meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites from Antarctica have revealed their potential as sources of valuable materials like transition metals and water for future space mining, although concentrations are lower than Earth's deposits. These primitive asteroids could support in-space infrastructure development, but mining them remains complex and experimental, with specific asteroid types showing more promise for resource extraction.

via Indian Defence Review|

#asteroid-mining #carbonaceous-chondrites #meteorites

science2 months ago•5 min saved

Scientists Uncover Gold's Reactive Nature Through Accidental Discovery

Scientists accidentally created gold hydride under extreme pressure and temperature conditions, challenging gold's reputation as an inert metal and providing new insights into dense hydrogen behavior relevant to planetary interiors and fusion research.

via Earth.com|

#extreme-conditions #gold-hydride #high-pressure-experiments

science2 months ago•7 min saved

The Brightness of Venus Explained

Venus appears so bright in the night sky primarily due to its high albedo, reflecting about 76% of sunlight because of its thick cloud cover of sulfuric acid droplets, and its proximity to Earth, making it the second-brightest object after the Moon. Its brightness varies with its phase, distance from Earth, and the scattering of sunlight by its clouds, sometimes making it visible during the day.

via Live Science|

#albedo #brightness #planetary-science

science2 months ago•3 min saved

Can a Drill Pass Through the Earth from One Side to the Other?

The article explores the possibility of drilling straight through the Earth, highlighting current deep drilling efforts like China's 10,000-meter hole and Russia's Kola Superdeep Borehole, and discusses the insurmountable challenges posed by extreme pressure and temperature as one approaches the Earth's core, making a complete tunnel through the planet currently impossible.

via IFLScience|

#deep-boreholes #drilling #earth

science3 months ago•4 min saved

NASA's James Webb Discovers Unexplained Phenomenon in Saturn's Atmosphere

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has discovered two mysterious atmospheric phenomena on Saturn—dark beads in the ionosphere and an asymmetric star-shaped pattern in the stratosphere—that defy current scientific understanding, suggesting new, unexplored dynamics in planetary atmospheres.

via Indian Defence Review|

#atmospheric-anomalies #gas-giants #james-webb-space-telescope