New estimates show that a mineral likely common in these rocky planets’ interiors is resistant to melting, even at high temperatures.
planetary interiors
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Io’s Hidden Heat Revealed for the First Time
Data from the Juno spacecraft also suggest that Jupiter’s moon has a relatively smooth, low-density surface.
Posted inNews
Apollo Samples Told a Conflicting Story About Lunar Magnetism, Until Now
Observations suggested the Moon had both a weak and strong magnetic field in the distant past. A new study presents a theory accommodating all the evidence.
Posted inNews
What Tumbling Asteroids Tell Us About Their Innards
Data from the Gaia space observatory reveal that many slowly spinning asteroids rotate chaotically. A new theory links that chaos to their inner structure and history.
Posted inNews
Scientists May Have Finally Detected a Solid Inner Core on Mars
Seismic clues from NASA’s InSight mission suggest that Mars hides a solid inner core, and raise new questions about why the planet’s magnetic field disappeared.
Posted inNews
Buried Sediments Point to an Ancient Ocean on Mars
Ground-penetrating radar data collected by the Zhurong rover reveal gently sloping sediments in Mars’s northern lowlands that hint at a shoreline.
Posted inNews
Scientists Finally Get a Good Look at a Disintegrating Exoplanet
The James Webb Space Telescope offers astronomers a rare glimpse into the chemical composition of a rocky planet’s interior—and the results are “very surprising.”
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Three Ways to Track Venusquakes, from Balloons to Satellites
The planet’s harsh conditions make studying seismicity challenging, but it is likely possible.
Posted inENGAGE, News
Clipper Sets Sail for an Ocean Millions of Miles Away
Europa Clipper will assess whether Jupiter’s moon has the right ingredients to host life, and could illuminate the mysteries of icy worlds throughout the solar system.