Our solar system’s ocean worlds offer scientists intriguing instances of exotic phenomena and fresh prospects in the elusive search for planetary habitability.
moons
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Visualizing the Deep Insides of Planets and Moons
A novel method uses gravity data to determine where density anomalies lie inside planetary bodies.
Posted inScience Updates
The Nitty-Gritty Forces That Shape Planetary Surfaces
Scientists are coming up with ingenious ways to compare terrestrial sand dunes, dust storms, and rain with their counterparts on Mars and Titan.
Posted inENGAGE, News
Saturn’s Shiny Rings May Be Pretty Young
The rings are fairly shiny despite being bombarded by dust, indicating that they haven’t been around for very long.
Posted inNews
Tiny Martian Moon May Be a Chip Off the Old Block
A close approach to Deimos reveals that its surface does not look like that of an asteroid, hinting at a Martian origin.
Posted inNews
Marauding Moons Spell Disaster for Some Planets
In solar systems beyond our own, some moons might eventually collide with their host planets, new simulations suggest.
Posted inNews
Quaoar’s Ring Defies Gravity
The dwarf planet’s ring makes astronomers question whether a long-held theory about ring and moon formation needs tweaking.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
What Surprises do the Icy Uranian Moons Hold?
With efforts ramping up to send a spacecraft back to the Uranian system, anticipation is increasing as to what geological surprises are hiding inside and on the surfaces of the icy Uranian moons.
Posted inFeatures
Marine Science Goes to Space
Space and ocean scientists take a splash course in multidisciplinary science to chart our solar system’s ocean worlds.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Callisto’s H Corona: Offspring of the Surface or the Atmosphere?
The mostly unknown Callisto’s H corona is created by a global tenuous H2 atmosphere and not by surface water as previously believed, providing the first evidence for H2 in Callisto’s atmosphere.