The back-and-forth motion could also reshape surface geology at the moon’s south pole.
Space & Planets
Posted inNews
Mars Mission’s Monetary Roller Coaster Hits New Lows
In February, the NASA research center laid off more than 500 people, citing congressional budget uncertainties over the controversial Mars Sample Return mission. What is its path forward?
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Towards a Unified Framework for Earth, Mars, Titan, and Exoplanets
From a simple set of in situ or synthetic data, a general unified model has been developed to calculate turbulent fluxes and evaporation rates on any rocky body with an atmosphere.
Posted inNews
Europa’s Ocean Might Lack the Ingredients for Life
The lack of volcanism and tectonic activity on Europa’s seafloor might hinder the moon’s potential to host living organisms.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Gas Giants with Fuzzy Cores
New measurements of Jupiter and Saturn show that both planets have dense cores that are gradational (fuzzy) and large, rather than small and compact.
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Rare “Glory” Possibly Seen on Exoplanet’s Horizon
This rainbow-like atmospheric phenomenon depends on a very specific set of circumstances. It is common on Earth and incredibly rare beyond it.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Salty Soil May Release Methane on Mars
Through roving and drilling, Mars Curiosity Rover may be breaking up the ground’s salty, hardened soils that seal methane, possibly causing a temporal, local methane spike.
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Tatooine, Trisolaris, Thessia: Sci-Fi Exoplanets Reflect Real-Life Discoveries
After astronomers discovered exoplanets wildly different from Earth, exoplanets in science fiction became less Earth-like, too.
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Fiber-Optic Networks Could Reveal the Moon’s Inner Structure
Distributed acoustic sensing offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional seismic arrays, and building such a network on the Moon might be possible.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Out With the Old, in With the Cold
A 12-meter telescope at the Arecibo Observatory gets outfitted with a wideband cryogenic system to expand its capabilities.