News by Subject Space & Planetary

Analysis of seismometer data from the InSight Martian lander revealed that different types and frequencies of ambient low-magnitude "microtremors" on Mars were associated with different sources, and some reflected daily variations in wind and solar irradiance, either in distant locations or near the lander. These findings will contribute to future projects seeking to model and monitor the Martian subsurface.

The Moon's subsurface might be richer in metals, like iron and titanium, than researchers thought.

KELT-9 b is one of the hottest planets known. New measurements from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) have enabled astronomers to greatly improve their understanding of this bizarre world.

On a quest to find the Universe's largest black holes, Vanderbilt researcher identifies the center of the solar system within 100 meters.

Southwest Research Institute scientists have increased the speed and accuracy of a laboratory-scale instrument for determining the age of planetary specimens onsite. The team is progressively miniaturizing the Chemistry, Organics and Dating Experiment (CODEX) instrument to reach a size suitable for spaceflight and lander missions.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observed a young star's unseen, planet-forming disk casting a huge shadow across a more distant cloud in a star-forming region - like a fly wandering into a flashlight beam shining on a wall. The feature was dubbed the "Bat Shadow" because it resembles a pair of wings. Now, scientists see the Bat Shadow flapping!

Astronomers using data from NASA's TESS and retired Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered a planet as large as Neptune circling the young star orbiting AU Microscopii.

Scientists have discovered a Neptune-sized planet with an 8-day orbit around a young star called AU Mic that is still surrounded by a disk of dust and gas left over from its formation. The discovery will form the foundation for many years of observational and theoretical studies into the very earliest stages for planet formation.