Solar System

Latest about Solar System

An image of Jupiter.

Cyclones on Jupiter and a moon with flowing magma: NASA Juno probe's latest discoveries are awesome

By Keith Cooper published

NASA's mission to Jupiter has revealed new findings about the giant planet and its volcanic moon.

Jupiter
A hazy orange glow with stars in the background.

NASA's sun-studying PUNCH mission captures its 1st-light images. Everything looks great so far

By Monisha Ravisetti published

NASA's PUNCH sun-studying mission has seen first light — and the team says all four instruments are indeed working as expected.

The Sun
The full moon as seen from the International Space Station on Dec. 8, 2022. The moon is setting below Earth’s horizon as the station flew 269 miles above the southern Indian Ocean.

Easter is coming late in 2025, astronomically speaking. Here's why

By Joe Rao published

Easter falls on the Sunday that follows the first full moon occurring on or after the day of the spring equinox. So it seems like Easter should be this weekend. Here's why it isn't.

The moon
a silver open-air four-wheeled vehicle on a showroom floor

Lunar Outpost unveils sleek new 'Eagle' moon rover (photos)

By Brett Tingley published

Lunar Outpost unveiled its new "Eagle" moon rover at the 40th annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, and it looks straight out of science fiction.

The moon
This view shows the thin crescent Moon setting over ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. As well as the bright crescent the rest of the disc of the Moon can be faintly seen. This phenomenon is called earthshine. It is due to sunlight reflecting off the Earth and illuminating the lunar surface. By observing earthshine astronomers can study the properties of light reflected from Earth as if it were an exoplanet and search for signs of life. This picture was taken on 27 October 2011 and also records the planets Mercury and Venus.

Did Covid lockdowns really cause temperatures on the moon to drop?

By Nola Taylor Tillman published

Scientists have been arguing about a curious topic recently: Did temperatures on the moon dip due to the world's Covid-19 lockdown?

The moon
Artist's illustration of Astrobotic's Griffin lunar lander and Astrolab's FLIP rover on the moon.

Private FLIP moon rover replaces NASA's cancelled VIPER on 2025 lunar south pole mission

By Mike Wall published

Astrolab's FLIP moon rover has replaced NASA's VIPER vehicle on the first-ever mission of Astrobotic's Griffin lunar lander, which is scheduled to launch in late 2025.

The moon
a four-wheeled robot in a cleanroom under UV lights

VIPER back from the dead? NASA asks US companies to partner on ice-hunting moon rover

By Mike Wall published

NASA is asking U.S. companies for proposals to move forward with the ice-hunting VIPER moon rover, a $450 million project the agency canceled last summer.

The moon
a footprint of a large clunky boot in dusty gray soil

Moon selected as historical preservation site to protect lunar heritage

By Leonard David published

The World Monuments Fund has added the moon to its watch list of 25 historic places that face major challenges and has called for preserving lunar heritage.

The moon
You can't see a black moon but this image shows a very slim crescent of a slightly illuminated moon visible in the days following a black moon.

Black Moon: What is it and why does it occur?

By Joe Rao last updated

Reference A Black Moon is a rare occurrence. Here we explore what causes them and when the next one will happen.

Reference
an illustration of a four-wheeled robot with long extendable arms

Meet Endurance, a pioneering NASA moon rover designed to survive the frigid lunar night

By Leonard David published

NASA has begun blueprinting the Endurance rover to traverse the gigantic South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin, a wonderland of promising geological surprises.

The moon
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