Researchers discovered that Pluto's mountains are snowcapped with frozen methane, formed at high altitudes where the atmosphere is rich in methane. This finding explains why Pluto's glaciers have craggy ridges unlike Earth's flat ones.
Researchers investigate how Arrokoth's pancake-flat shape emerged from the formation process of the Solar System. They suggest that the body may have started as a merger between a spherical and an oblate body, or that its shape developed gradually due to favorable orbital conditions.
A new study published in Nature Geoscience suggests that Pluto and other large Kuiper belt objects began with liquid oceans that have been slowly freezing over time. The 'hot start' scenario is supported by observations, which indicate expansion features on Pluto's surface rather than compression features.
Researchers create tiny aircraft made from 'nanocardboard' that can levitate and carry payloads ten times heavier than themselves in the Martian atmosphere. The design uses a temperature differential to generate thrust, enabling the flyers to potentially serve as atmospheric probes on Mars, Pluto, and other planets.
Researchers have devised a new three-dimensional model of the heliosphere, breaking down charged particles into two groups to understand its shape. The 'croissant' with a long tail and the beach ball models are now reconciled, revealing a unique shape that splits the difference between them.
Astronomers using ESO's SPHERE instrument have observed Hygiea, the fourth largest asteroid in the belt, and found it could be classified as a dwarf planet due to its spherical shape. The team's observations put Hygiea's diameter at over 430 km.
Researchers have measured pressure at the edge of the solar system for the first time, finding it to be greater than expected. The pressure, caused by plasma, magnetic fields and particles like ions and cosmic rays, was calculated using observations of galactic cosmic rays from NASA's Voyager spacecraft.
Scientists from Tokyo Institute of Technology used computer simulations and observations of trans-Neptunian objects to understand how they may have formed. The study found that the size and orbit of satellite systems around large TNOs are best explained by impacts of molten progenitors.
Dr. Kelsi Singer has been awarded the 2019 Harold C. Urey Prize for her outstanding contributions to planetary research, particularly in impact cratering and the geology of icy worlds. Her work has revealed insights into the collisional history of the Kuiper Belt and planetesimal formation.
A team of researchers from Japan and the US found that a gassy insulating layer beneath Pluto's icy surface could be protecting an ocean. The simulations showed that without this layer, the ocean would have frozen hundreds of millions of years ago, but with it, it remains liquid for over a billion years.
The New Horizons spacecraft has revealed a distant Kuiper Belt Object (MU69) as an ancient, untouched relic from the early solar system. The object's flattened bi-lobate shape and discrete geological units indicate a history of gentle collisions.
Researchers investigate Haumea's ring, suggesting a degree of eccentricity is required for resonance to act on particles. They identify stable, circular orbits compatible with the ring, contradicting previous assumptions.
The AGILE particle telescope will analyze charged particles in the heliosphere, shedding light on physical processes in space. The technology could help clinicians accurately measure radiation absorbed by cancer patients during therapy.
Scientists will study Uranus and Neptune's poorly understood regions with greater accuracy using a new, improved net flux radiometer. The instrument, developed for NASA's Planetary Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations program, features thermopile sensors and seven infrared channels to measure heat.
Astronomers have discovered a binary star system with PDS 27 and its companion just 4.5 billion km apart, making them the closest high-mass young stellar objects in binaries resolved to date. This discovery provides a valuable laboratory to test theories on high mass binary star formation.
Researchers mapped scars on Pluto and Charon to determine size distribution of small Kuiper belt objects, revealing a lack of craters smaller than 13 km in diameter. This finding suggests that constituent objects may have survived intact since the Solar System's earliest days.
A Southwest Research Institute-led team of scientists have discovered a lack of very small Kuiper Belt objects with crater counts on Pluto's satellite Charon indicating fewer impactors smaller than 1 mile in diameter than predicted. This finding has deep implications for our understanding of the solar system's origin and evolution.
A team of international scientists and conservationists has successfully rediscovered the world's largest bee, Wallace's giant bee. The species was lost to science since 1981 but has been found in Indonesia, where it is threatened by forest destruction.
A University of Oklahoma astrophysicist is using a new algorithm to model the early stages of planetary system formation and the impact of nearby stars on planets in binary systems. This research will be integrated into Oklahoma classrooms through the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.
Scientists have discovered a 1.3 km radius body beyond Neptune's orbit, revealing more about the planet formation process. The detection supports models where planetesimals grow slowly into kilometer-sized objects before merging to form planets.
A new species of beetle, Iberoporus pluto, has been discovered in Portugal, exclusively inhabiting groundwater. The beetle was found in a cave system and features adaptations for life underground, such as depigmentation and elongated limbs.
Research finds that gravity and unique shapes of small objects in our solar system create and maintain their own rings. Astronomers discovered that rings around Chariklo and Haumea are confined by the object's irregularities, contradicting previous assumptions about moon-dominated ring systems.
The SwRI team developed a fuel-saving orbital tour for a future Pluto orbiter, allowing it to explore the Kuiper Belt after surveying Pluto. The study also demonstrates an electric propulsion system can power the orbiter to fly to other Kuiper Belt objects.
Researchers detected extended infrared emissions around RX J0806.4-4123, suggesting a 'fallback disk' of material or a pulsar wind nebula. The findings challenge current understanding of neutron star evolution and offer new avenues for study with the NASA James Webb Space Telescope.
A new study published in Icarus challenges the International Astronomical Union's 2006 definition of a planet, which requires a celestial body to clear its orbit. Researchers argue that this standard is not supported by scientific literature and propose a new classification method based on size and gravitational dominance.
Researchers have developed a reference catalog of light spectra and albedos for 19 solar system bodies. By comparing this catalog to exoplanet observations, scientists can characterize new worlds in reference to our own diverse planetary system. The catalog offers insights into the challenges of categorizing rocky and icy exoplanets.
Parker Solar Probe aims to study the Sun's dynamic and magnetically active star, focusing on the acceleration of solar wind, corona's high temperatures, and solar energetic particles. The mission uses four suites of instruments to gather data remotely and in situ.
Researchers discovered Pluto's dunes on the boundary of a major mountain range, likely formed by methane ice grain sublimation and transported by moderate winds. The unique features suggest recent formation within the last 500,000 years.
Scientists have discovered dunes made of solid methane on Pluto, defying expectations due to the dwarf planet's thin atmosphere. The findings were made possible by New Horizons' detailed images and modeling, which suggest that wind can create these unique landforms through a process involving sublimation.
Researchers integrated NASA's New Horizons discoveries with ESA's Rosetta mission data to develop a new theory about Pluto's formation at the edge of our solar system. The 'giant comet' cosmochemical model suggests Pluto formed from agglomeration of comets or Kuiper Belt objects similar to 67P.
A team of astronomers has performed one of the highest resolution observations in astronomical history of a pulsar 6,500 light-years away, observing two intense regions of radiation around a rapidly spinning star. The observation could provide clues to the nature of Fast Radio Bursts, which may be amplified by plasma lenses.
A new analysis of Pluto's hydrocarbon haze reveals a novel cooling mechanism controlling the dwarf planet's frigid atmosphere. The study proposes that haze particles absorb heat and emit infrared radiation, resulting in an atmospheric temperature of about 70 Kelvin.
The Global Aerospace Corporation has developed a Pluto lander concept that uses drag from the ultra-thin atmosphere to decelerate and gently land on the surface of Pluto. The lander-hopper can then hop around the surface, investigating surface features and performing science measurements.
A study documents the local extinction of the American pika from a 64-square-mile area in California's northern Sierra Nevada mountains due to climate change. The species is expected to decline drastically by 2050, with pikas disappearing from an area that stretches from near Tahoe City to Truckee.
Researchers at Salk Institute have visualized chromatin structure in living human cells using a novel DNA dye and advanced microscopy. They found that chromatin forms a semi-flexible chain with varying packing density, suggesting that gene activity is determined by compaction rather than higher-order structures.
A NASA-funded citizen science project has discovered a new brown dwarf, a major milestone in the search for a distant planet. The object, WISEA J110125.95+540052.8, was identified by amateur astronomer Rosa Castro and her fellow volunteers through the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project.
A new study published in Scientific Reports found that tardigrades can withstand all astrophysical catastrophes and will continue to thrive for at least 10 billion years. The research suggests that life on Earth will extend as long as the Sun shines, opening the possibility of life on other planets.
Astronomers used novel technique to analyze ETNO orbits, finding clustering of nodes at certain distances from the Sun. The results suggest a planet beyond Pluto, with its orbit potentially interacting with ETNOs.
Researchers have found that radioactive decay in rocky cores of icy bodies can produce molecular hydrogen, a key ingredient for life. This process, known as radiolysis, has the potential to support microbial communities on planets like Enceladus and Europa.
Astrophysicists discovered that the TRAPPIST-1 system remains stable due to a 'resonant chain' configuration, where planets' orbital periods form simple ratios. This harmonic stability explains why the system has survived for millions of years.
Researchers use machine-compiled data to construct a microbial supertree, addressing the challenge of accessing and synthesizing scientific literature. The study demonstrates the potential of high-throughput machine extraction in tackling the vast amount of published science.
Astronomers have revealed extraordinary details about 2014 UZ224, also known as DeeDee, using ALMA. The icy body is roughly 635 kilometers across and has enough mass to be spherical, but lacks official dwarf planet status.
Researchers have used archival data from NASA's New Horizons mission to measure visible light from other galaxies, giving an upper limit to the amount of light in the cosmic optical background. The findings offer promise for future astronomy measurements from the outer solar system.
A group of scientists led by Kirby Runyon argue for a definition of 'planet' that focuses on the body's intrinsic qualities, such as mass and gravitational shape. This new definition would expand the number of planets in our solar system to approximately 110, including Pluto.
Researchers have observed spectroscopically two distant asteroids and found their orbits are almost identical, suggesting a common origin. The team proposes that these asteroids were once a binary pair that separated after an encounter with a planet beyond Pluto's orbit.
Scientists propose that viscous relaxation on Ceres caused older cryovolcanoes to flatten over millions of years, making them indistinguishable from the planet's surface. This process may explain why Ahuna Mons stands alone as the only prominent ice volcano on the dwarf planet.
A new study from Georgia Institute of Technology reveals that Charon, Pluto's largest moon, significantly reduces the stripping of Pluto's atmosphere by solar wind when positioned between the sun and Pluto. This barrier creates a more acute angle of Pluto's bow shock, slowing down atmospheric loss.
A team of researchers from York University, NASA, and Johns Hopkins University have identified icy features on Pluto, including penitentes, which are bowl-shaped depressions with spires around the edge. The study suggests that these features may exist on other planets where environmental conditions are similar.
A new UMD-led study proposes that Pluto's 'icy heart', Sputnik Planitia, formed early in the dwarf planet's history due to its unique climate and spin axis. The model suggests that the ice cap's location is inevitable consequence of evolutionary processes.
A subsurface ocean of water ice may lie beneath Pluto's heart-shaped region, aligning almost exactly opposite its moon Charon. The existence of this ocean solves a longstanding puzzle and provides an explanation for the planet's gravitational tug-of-war with its moon.
Research suggests Pluto's subsurface ocean could be responsible for its current location. The 'heart' region, Sputnik Planitia, may have accumulated ice that made the planet roll over, creating cracks and tensions in the crust. This process, called true polar wander, allows planets to reorient without changing their spin axis.
A liquid ocean beneath Pluto's surface is suggested as the best explanation for its unique features, including Sputnik Planitia. The study provides evidence for a subsurface ocean and challenges traditional theories about Pluto's composition.
Researchers at GFZ found that magnesium sulfate dissolved in water separates less than expected above a pressure of 0.2 Gigapascal, leading to increased ion pairing. This anomaly is relevant for studying cold planetary bodies with deep oceans, potentially making their oceans saltier than thought.
A team of researchers presented a new model for the origin of Saturn's rings based on computer simulations. The study found that Kuiper belt objects were destroyed by tidal forces when passing close to giant planets, forming icy ring systems. This process explains the compositional differences between Saturn and Uranus' rings.
A US survey finds that while 51% of Americans are interested in science, only 28% have a sufficient level of scientific understanding. The adult literacy rate is driven by completion of college-level science courses and baccalaureate degrees. NASA's educational programs aim to boost science literacy among learners of all ages.
Astronomers have observed a water 'snowline' in a protoplanetary disk using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope. The snowline marks the transition point where temperatures and pressures are low enough for water ice to form, and its distance from the star was found to be approximately 40 astronomical units.
A team led by Lucas Cieza has made the first resolved observations of a water snow line in a protoplanetary disc using ALMA's long baselines. The discovery pushes the water snow line out to a distance of around 40 au, significantly impacting our understanding of planetary formation models.
Dr. John Spencer has received the AGU's Whipple Award for his outstanding contributions to planetary science, including deciphering Enceladus' internal ocean and discovering oxygen on Jupiter's moons.
Scientists have discovered a dark moon orbiting Makemake, one of the largest and brightest known Kuiper Belt Objects. The discovery provides insights into the origin and evolution of our solar system, suggesting that giant collisions are a near-universal fixture in the histories of these distant worlds.
A new study led by Brown University Ph.D. student Noah Hammond suggests that Pluto likely has a subsurface ocean today, contrary to previous theories. The research uses thermal evolution models updated with data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which revealed signs of tectonic features and expansion on Pluto's surface.