What exactly is a moon? It’s an existential question lunar researchers found themselves pondering when they discovered an exosatellite at least 90% the size of Jupiter, orbiting a brown dwarf in a solar system about 73 light-years away from Earth.
weird & wonderful
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Oddball Moon Might Be a Neptune Original After All
Infrared observations of Nereid hint that it might have formed in orbit around Neptune, unlike most of the planet’s other satellites.
Posted inFeatures
Small, Faint, or Fast, Rubin Will Find It
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is set to redraw the map of the solar system by discovering millions of small, fast-moving objects hidden all around us.
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What do BLOBs Have to Do with Earth’s Magnetic Field? A Lot, It Turns Out
Enormous provinces of superheated mantle exert a powerful influence over our planet’s magnetic field, researchers have discovered.
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Our Favorite Science Stories of 2025
What Earth and space science stories stood out this year?
Posted inOpinions
Protein-Powered Biosensors with a Nose for Environmental Ills
Odorant-binding proteins derived from pigs, bovines, and other animals are the next frontier in localized, climate-smart sensing of pesticide spills, greenhouse gas precursors, and more.
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Blame It on the BLOBs
For decades, scientists have suspected that large volcanic eruptions have their origins in two mysterious massive regions at the base of our planet’s mantle. Now, it’s been statistically proven.
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This Exoplanet May Have Grown Stranger as It Journeyed Starward
WASP-121b, an already unusual planet, might have a remote origin that explains some of its peculiar properties—from iron rain to the unexpected presence of methane.
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A Great Whale Conveyor Belt Transports Nutrients Across Oceans
Baleen whales shift huge amounts of nutrients, including nitrogen, from high-latitude feeding waters to tropical breeding areas.