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planetary science

Latest Articles

Ewine van Dishoeck at Noordwijk beach in the Netherlands.
Thinking Places

Ewine van Dishoeck, the Netherlander Who Traced Water’s Origin

By Natalie Wolchover +1 authors
Olena Shmahalo
November 1, 2018
Comment
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The astrochemist and winner of the 2018 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics has wondered about the cosmic origin of water while enjoying Noordwijk beach near her hometown of Leiden.

Art for "Interstellar Visitor Found to Be Unlike a Comet or an Asteroid"
astronomy

Interstellar Visitor Found to Be Unlike a Comet or an Asteroid

By Ramin Skibba
October 10, 2018
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The mystery of ’Oumuamua, the first interstellar object ever observed, continues to deepen.

Art for "Planets Found to Be Larger Than the Disks They Come From"
astrophysics

Planets Found to Be Larger Than the Disks They Come From

By Rebecca Boyle
October 4, 2018
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The new finding is challenging established theories of how planets come to be.

Rosaly Lopes above one of the lava lakes at Ambrym, an exceptionally active volcano in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.
Q&A

To Understand Volcanoes on Other Worlds, Stand On Our Own

By Shannon Hall
August 28, 2018
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Rosaly Lopes has visited dozens of active volcanoes on Earth and discovered even more elsewhere in the solar system. Her work is helping to establish whether volcanoes on distant moons could create conditions friendly to life.

geophysics

The Hunt for Earth’s Deep Hidden Oceans

By Marcus Woo
July 11, 2018
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Water-bearing minerals reveal that Earth’s mantle could hold more water than all its oceans. Researchers now ask: Where did it all come from?

Illustration for "Why Can’t We Find Planet Nine?"
Abstractions blog

Why Can’t We Find Planet Nine?

By Charlie Wood
July 3, 2018
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Astronomers suspect that there’s a large planet hiding out in the distant fringes of the solar system. At a recent workshop, they brainstormed ways to coax it into view.

Photo of a diver between two tectonic plates in Silfra. reykjavik. Iceland
geophysics

Why Earth’s Cracked Crust May Be Essential for Life

By Rebecca Boyle
June 7, 2018
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Life needs more than water alone. Recent discoveries suggest that plate tectonics has played a critical role in nourishing life on Earth. The findings carry major consequences for the search for life elsewhere in the universe.

Composite of numerous protoplanetary disc images taken by SPHERE
astronomy

Stellar Disks Reveal How Planets Get Made

By Joshua Sokol
May 21, 2018
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Detailed images of disks swirling around young stars show the details of how solar systems come to be.

Illustration of a hanging mobile with "Planet 9" weighing down 2015 BP519's orbit, thus tilting it.
planetary science

A New World’s Extraordinary Orbit Points to Planet Nine

By Shannon Hall
May 15, 2018
Comment
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Astronomers argue that there’s an undiscovered giant planet far beyond the orbit of Neptune. A newly discovered rocky body has added evidence to the circumstantial case for it.


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