Geologically young regions of Pluto’s southern hemisphere were likely resurfaced by cryovolcanism, data from the New Horizons spacecraft reveal.
Space & Planets
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Meteoric Ions Influence Conductance in the Jovian Ionosphere
Meteoric ions dominate the Jovian lower ionosphere due to their long lifetimes. Due to the large densities of the meteoric ions, conductance is enhanced independently of local time.
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Diagnosing Neptune’s Chilly Summer
A pandemic project analyzing a trove of infrared images revealed an unexplained phenomenon taking place in Neptune’s atmosphere.
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Life on Mars? Estimating Radiation Risks for Martian Astronauts
New research suggests that to minimize radiation risk for human exploration of Mars, astronauts will need to dig deep for safety.
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Impact Structure Hidden Under Arctic Ice Dates to the Paleocene
Greenland’s Hiawatha impact structure, more than 30 kilometers in diameter, is much older than previously thought, new results suggest.
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Giant Planet’s Formation Caught in Action
Astronomers took a direct image of a massive protoplanet embedded in a protoplanetary disk. The system provides strong evidence for an as-yet-unconfirmed theory of planet formation.
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Mars’s Dust Cycle Controls Its Polar Vortex and Snowfall
On Earth, the water cycle is a dominant climate force. On Mars, it’s the dust.
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Saturn’s Powerful Winds Explain Changes in the Length of Its Day
Atmospheric winds moving at more than 7,000 kilometers per hour distort Saturn’s magnetic field, revealing why spacecraft have measured changes in the length of a day on the ringed world.
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Satellites Help Cement South Africa’s Space Industry
A trio of CubeSats allows South Africa to showcase its growing space industry as well as monitor its coastal zones.
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Martian Meteorites Reveal Evidence of a Large Impact
By analyzing rare Martian meteorites, researchers have uncovered a crystalline structure created by a large asteroid or comet impact that potentially affected the Red Planet’s habitability.