In 2018, Mars was enveloped by a global dust storm that lasted for months. Although such storms had been seen before, the 2018 storm offered an unprecedented opportunity for observation Keep reading
Tag: planetary science
Jupiter in Infrared
This stunning new image of Jupiter in infrared is part of a data set combining measurements from ground- and space-based observatories. The glowing Jovian orb seen here is a composite Keep reading
Exploring Martian Mud Flows
When looking at Mars and other parts of our solar system, planetary scientists are faced with a critical question: if what I’m looking at is similar to something on Earth, Keep reading
Martian Landslides
Sometimes there are advantages to studying planetary physics beyond Earth. Mars does not have plate tectonics, vegetation, or the level of erosion we do, allowing geological features like those left Keep reading
Titan’s Dragonfly
Last week, NASA announced its next New Frontiers mission: a nuclear-powered drone named Dragonfly heading to Titan. This astrobiology mission is set to search our solar system’s second largest moon for Keep reading
Pluto’s Subsurface Ocean
Since the New Horizons probe visited Pluto in 2015, scientists have suspected that Sputnik Planitia (a.k.a. Pluto’s Heart), shown above, may hide a subsurface ocean. But it’s tough to explain Keep reading
Earth, Moon, and Magma Ocean
Among objects in our solar system, the Moon is rather unusual. It’s the only large moon paired with a rocky planet, and only Pluto’s Charon boasts a larger size relative Keep reading
Rays in Craters
On bodies around the solar system, there are craters marking billions of years’ worth of impacts. Many of these craters have rays–distinctive lines radiating out from the point of impact. Keep reading
Anak Krakatoa Tsunami
In late December 2018, a landslide on the island Anak Krakatoa triggered a deadly tsunami in Indonesia. The island (upper left, pre-landslide) lost an estimated 300 meters of height in Keep reading
Recreating Pyroclastic Flow
One of the deadliest features of some volcanic eruptions is the pyroclastic flow, a current of hot gas and volcanic ash capable of moving hundreds of kilometers an hour and Keep reading