Classical Astronomers Observed a Different Great Red Spot on Jupiter
In 1665, astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini observed a massive storm raging on Jupiter. It became known as the Great Red Spot, a swirling oval of clouds that’s almost twice as…
Spunky Exoplanet Inexplicably Survives Host Star’s Death Throes
In his search for giant stars hosting large worlds, Samuel Grunblatt, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University, came across a strangely puffy planet that’s smaller, hotter, and older than it’s…
Updated Formula on Alien Intelligence Suggests We Really Are Alone in the Galaxy
Astronomer Frank Drake formulated his influential equation in 1961 to estimate the number of civilizations in the Milky Way capable of communicating with us. Our understanding of planetary science has…
Newly Discovered Exoplanet May Have Earth-Like Temperatures, Astronomers Suggest
A newly discovered exoplanet, with its surface temperature estimated to be remarkably temperate, is suddenly one of the most intriguing objects in our immediate celestial neighborhood. This rocky Venus-sized world…
How Did Water Escape From Venus? A New Study May Have Solved the Mystery
Around 4.5 billion years ago, Earth and Venus were born in the midst of a chaotic star system. With the neighboring worlds being of the same size and similar structure,…
Rare ‘Glory’ Effect Spotted on Chaotic Alien World That Rains Iron
WASP-76b is a strange world. Located several hundred light-years away, the Jupiter-like planet is tidally locked to its star, has scorching temperatures, and rains molten iron. Recent observations of the…
New Moons Discovered Around Uranus and Neptune
Astronomers found a new moon orbiting Uranus, as well as two around Neptune. The tiny satellites appeared as faint specks in the outer reaches of the solar system following hours…
Something Is Messing With a Ring System Between Saturn and Uranus
A previously unknown satellite may be shaping the rings of Chariklo, a petite body that orbits the Sun between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus, according to a team of…
Webb Telescope Finds What May Be a Glowing Aurora on a Failed Star
The Webb Space Telescope has spotted something weird: a brown dwarf with what appear to be aurorae, what we Earthlings sometimes call the Northern Lights. What makes the observation particularly…
Ouch! Jupiter Just Got Smacked By an Unidentified Celestial Object
Jupiter’s south pole as captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/John Landino As the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter is not one to play with. That doesn’t stop…