The first mission to a metallic asteroid, scheduled for launch on 5 October, could provide clues to the formation of Earth and the solar system’s other inner planets.
solar system
Posted inAGU News
Oceans of Opportunity
Our solar system’s ocean worlds offer scientists intriguing instances of exotic phenomena and fresh prospects in the elusive search for planetary habitability.
Posted inNews
There and Back Again: Asteroid Samples Return to Earth
OSIRIS-REx will help reveal Bennu’s detailed carbon chemistry and history of space weathering and unlock a key piece of the solar system’s early history.
Posted inNews
Rare Granite Body Discovered on Moon’s Farside
The granite couldn’t have formed the same way that it does on Earth—with liquid water and plate tectonics. So how did it get there?
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Decrypting Lunar Craters Quickly and Easily
Machine learning can reveal the stories written in the marks on the Moon.
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 inNews
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
A Mission to Uranus Could Help Find Planet 9
Narrowing down the search is essential for gaining time on a high-powered telescope that could spot the hypothesized planet directly.
Posted inNews
Molten Meteorites Didn’t Deliver Earth’s Water
A new study has ruled out large, once-molten meteorites called achondrites as sources of Earth’s water.
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.