Every second, 149.6 million kilometers away, a colossal ball of plasma converts hydrogen into helium and quietly makes every form of life on Earth possible. Here's a rundown of the numbers behind our star. The basics The Sun is a... Continue Reading →
Venus is the closest planet to Earth in size and structure, yet it's arguably the most inhospitable place in the solar system. Here's what the science actually says about our nearest planetary neighbor. Almost Earth's twin, until you look closer... Continue Reading →
Jupiter is a world of superlatives: the fastest spinner, the most magnetically powerful planet, and home to a storm that has raged for over 350 years. Here's a closer look at the giant next door.
If Mercury ever applied for a job, its resume would be short on words and long on extremes. Small, fast, and built to survive conditions that would destroy almost anything else, it's the closest planet to the Sun and, in... Continue Reading →
New radio astronomy observations of a planetary system in the process of forming show that once the first planets form close to the central star, these planets can help shepherd the material to form new planets farther out. In this... Continue Reading →
Since its launch on March 12, 2015, NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, or MMS, has been making new discoveries as it flies around Earth studying magnetic reconnection — the explosive snapping and forging of magnetic field lines, at the heart of... Continue Reading →
New NASA research confirms that Saturn is losing its iconic rings at the maximum rate estimated from Voyager 1 & 2 observations made decades ago. The rings are being pulled into Saturn by gravity as a dusty rain of ice... Continue Reading →