Latest articles by Sharmila Kuthunur
'Best. Mars. Mission. Ever.' Scientists hail MAVEN's legacy as NASA retires Red Planet orbiter
NASA's MAVEN Mars mission ended after 11 years, having revealed how the planet lost its atmosphere and served as a key communications relay for surface missions.
James Webb Space Telescope forecasts extreme weather on exoplanet that rains rubies and sapphires
"With its unprecedented observational quality, JWST gives us the most detailed glimpses into distant planets to date."
Scientists find strange changes on sun hours before a powerful X9 solar flare: 'I was not expecting what I found'
These results could benefit space weather forecasts.
Scientists propose spraying chemicals into Earth's magnetic field to protect us from powerful solar storms
Scientists have proposed a spacecraft-based system to actively strengthen Earth's magnetic shield and reduce the impact of powerful solar storms.
Meteorite found in Sahara desert may be 1st evidence of lost solar system world
A rare meteorite recovered from the Sahara Desert contains evidence of a long-lost moon-size world that existed just a few million years after the solar system formed.
Where did Mercury get its water ice? Maybe from a single slow asteroid impact
Mercury may have gotten much of its polar ice within a single Mercurian day following a massive asteroid impact, a new study suggests.
'Very interesting wiggles' in data from silent NASA Mars spacecraft lead to unexpected solar wind discovery
Data from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft revealed a never-before-seen atmospheric effect on Mars, revealing how solar storms may shape planets without strong magnetic fields.
The universe's 'most relaxed' galaxy cluster was shaped by cosmic violence, new study finds
What's the truth behind this unusually tranquil city of galaxies?
NASA's Psyche spacecraft is flying to a metal asteroid. So, why did it just visit Mars?
NASA's Psyche flyby of Mars highlights how gravity assists help spacecraft gain speed, conserve fuel and travel across the solar system.
James Webb Space Telescope directly studies an exoplanet's surface for the 1st time: 'We see a dark, hot, barren rock'
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have directly analyzed the surface of a distant super-Earth, revealing a dark, airless, Mercury-like world.
Is Tatooine the norm? Planets may prefer living with two suns instead of one
New simulations suggest binary star systems may be ideal for planet formation, and may produce more gas giants than single-star systems.
These 'interstellar glaciers' could give water to young star systems. Could they support alien life, too?
NASA's SPHEREx space telescope reveals widespread water ice in Cygnus X, showing how dust shields molecules in star-forming regions across the Milky Way.
Dozens of hidden star streams found in the outskirts of our Milky Way galaxy
Astronomers discovered dozens of stellar streams in the Milky Way using Gaia data, offering new clues about galaxy formation and dark matter.
Astronauts on the ISS watched NASA's historic Artemis 2 launch from space
From the ground to low Earth orbit, the Artemis 2 launch became a shared moment across the planet and beyond.
1st results from Blue Ghost lunar lander reveal how much we still don't know about the moon
Data from Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander casts doubt on the decades-old view of the moon as divided between a hotter near side and cooler far side.
What do scientists hope to learn from NASA's historic Artemis 2 moon flyby?
Here's what's on the experiment roster for the Artemis 2 moon mission.
Are Saturn's rings made of a lost, shattered moon? New evidence arises for the case
New simulations suggest Saturn's rings formed from a shattered moon called Chrysalis, offering clues to the planet's tilt and surprisingly young rings.
NASA's ambitious 'decade of Venus' exploration may bank on 1 probe: 'Not everything can move forward'
NASA may not be able to move forward with all three of its planned Venus missions as budget pressures force difficult trade-offs across its planetary science portfolio.
NASA won't give up hope on silent MAVEN Mars probe: 'We're still looking for it'
NASA has not reestablished contact with its MAVEN Mars orbiter since a planned communications blackout ended Jan. 16.
Beyond Artemis 2: NASA pursuing a 'more achievable' path back to the moon
As NASA gears up for the launch of Artemis 2, the agency is revising its moon landing strategy, aiming to make future missions more achievable and sustainable.
No sun, no problem? How life could thrive on moons of starless 'rogue' planets
Exomoons orbiting rogue planets could host liquid water for billions of years, offering potential habitats for life deep in interstellar space.
NASA's DART planetary defense mission reveals asteroids hurling 'cosmic snowballs' at each other
New images from NASA's DART asteroid-smashing mission show space rocks exchanging material in a slow process that reshapes their surfaces over millions of years.
Did Earth life actually begin on Mars? Asteroid impacts could let microbes planet-hop, study suggests
"Life might actually survive being ejected from one planet and moving to another."
