Saturn’s radiation belts: A stranger to the solar wind

Saturn’s radiation belts: A stranger to the solar wind

The high energy proton population in the environment of Saturn develops independently of the solar wind – and thus in a considerably different way from the one on Earth. The radiation belts of Earth and Saturn differ more strongly than previously assumed. In these…

‘Monster’ planet discovery challenges formation theory

‘Monster’ planet discovery challenges formation theory

A giant planet – the existence of which was previously thought extremely unlikely – has been discovered by an international collaboration of astronomers, with the University of Warwick taking a leading role. New research, led by Dr. Daniel Bayliss and Professor…

Surprisingly erratic X-ray auroras discovered at Jupiter

Surprisingly erratic X-ray auroras discovered at Jupiter

ESA and NASA space telescopes have revealed that, unlike Earth’s polar lights, the intense auroras seen at Jupiter’s poles unexpectedly behave independently of one another. Auroras have been seen in many places, from planets and moons to stars, brown…

Saturn’s ‘weird’ magnetic field perplexes scientists

Saturn’s ‘weird’ magnetic field perplexes scientists

The Cassini probe's first results from inside Saturn's rings make scientists question the conventional wisdom on how planets form magnetic fields. As NASA's Cassini spacecraft makes its unprecedented series of weekly dives between Saturn and its rings,…

New mysteries surround MU69, New Horizons’ next flyby target

New mysteries surround MU69, New Horizons’ next flyby target

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft doesn't zoom past its next science target until New Year's Day 2019, but the Kuiper Belt object, known as 2014 MU69, is already revealing surprises. Scientists have been sifting through data gathered from observing the…

Study suggests another large planetary body exists in Solar System

Study suggests another large planetary body exists in Solar System

A new study from the University of Arizona suggests that an unknown, and currently unseen planetary body exists in the outer reaches of our solar system. The planet is located far beyond Pluto and has a mass somewhere between that of Mars and Earth. This object is…

Electric Jupiter and its many surprises

Electric Jupiter and its many surprises

Scientists working on NASA’s historic Juno mission to the gas giant Jupiter have recently presented their early findings for the first time. Like so many other recent space missions, what they have discovered is not what they expected. As reported by New…

Enceladus’ spin axis may have tilted due to asteroid impact

Enceladus’ spin axis may have tilted due to asteroid impact

Cassini mission scientists found evidence that Saturn's icy, ocean-bearing moon Enceladus may have tipped over in the distant past. Its spin axis, the line through the north and south poles, has reoriented, possibly due to a collision with a smaller body such as…

Juno mission rewrites what we know about Jupiter

Juno mission rewrites what we know about Jupiter

NASA’s Juno mission, led by Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. Scott Bolton, is rewriting what scientists thought they knew about Jupiter specifically, and gas giants in general, according to a pair of Science papers released today. The Juno spacecraft…