Large volcanic outburst on Jupiter’s moon Io
A large volcanic outburst was discovered on Jupiter’s moon Io in the fall of 2022.
InSight Mars lander detects the largest quake ever observed on another planet
NASA’s InSight Mars lander has detected the largest quake ever observed on another planet – an estimated M5.0 that occurred on May 4, 2022, the 1 222nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.
Global temperatures at Neptune unexpectedly cooled over the past 20 years
Researchers using ground-based telescopes to track Neptune’s atmospheric temperatures over a 17-year period found a surprising drop in the planet’s global temperatures followed by dramatic warming at its south pole.
Astronomers record small asteroid impacting Jupiter
A bright fireball — most likely a small asteroid or a comet — struck Jupiter at 22:39 UTC on September 13, 2021. The impact was seen and captured by astronomers across the world who were observing the ongoing transit of the shadow of Jupiter's moon Io. "A…
C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein) – the largest comet ever discovered
Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein (C/2014 UN271) — the largest comet ever discovered — is heading towards our solar system and forecast to make its closest approach in 2031 at 10.1 AU or slightly farther than Saturn. The current estimate suggests its nucleus is…
Venus’ ionosphere undergoes puzzling changes over the 11-year solar cycle
A new study published today in Geophysical Research Letters confirms that Venus' upper atmosphere undergoes puzzling changes over the Sun's 11-year activity cycle. The scientists studied data provided by Parker Solar Probe's first direct measurement of…
Record-breaking solar flare erupts from Proxima Centauri
Scientists have observed an extreme, record-breaking solar flare from Proxima Centauri, our sun's closest star. The outburst was roughly 100 times more powerful than any similar event seen from our own sun. Proxima Centauri is a small but 'mighty' red…
InSight reveals surprising seismicity on Mars in its first continuous year of data
The SEIS seismometer package from the Mars InSight lander has revealed some surprises among more than 500 quakes detected so far on Mars in its first continuous year of data. The findings come from The Marsquake Service, part o the InSight ground team that monitors…
Study reveals key discovery about aurora activity on Jupiter
A team of international researchers has made a major discovery about aurora activity on Jupiter. Their study supports the previously controversial idea that Jupiter's polar cap is threaded in part with closed magnetic field lines and proves the lights hold clues…
NASA’s InSight lander detects two strong quakes on Mars
The InSight lander has registered two strong, clear quakes with magnitudes 3.3 and 3.1 in Cerberus Fossae on Mars– the same location where two other powerful tremors with magnitudes 3.6 and 3.5 were detected earlier in the mission. The mission has recorded more…