SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " planetary " 172 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
A new way to detect life beyond Earth without knowing what life looks like
Researchers from the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) and National Institute for Basic Biology have developed a new method to detect extraterrestrial life without relying on traditional biosignatures. By modelling how life might spread between planets, they demonstrate that life could be detected through statistical patterns across planetary populations rather than on individual planets. This "agnostic biosignature" approach could assist in guiding future searches for life beyond Earth.
Machine Learning As A Transformative Tool for (Exo-)Planetary Science
The exploration of planetary bodies in our Solar system and beyond relies on the processing
82 NASA missions at risk under new proposal
Proposed NASA cuts would reduce NASA’s workforce by thousands and cancel over 50 space missions.
JAXA's 22-Year Bet on Frozen Comet Samples: What a Multi-Decade Mission Timeline Means for Planetary Science Funding
In the world of planetary science, a decade-long mission is considered ambitious. JAXA, Japan’s space agency, is now weighing something far more audacious: a sample return mission that wouldn’t deliver its cargo until the late 2040s, more than 22 years from the earliest planning stages. The proposed Next Generation Small-Body Return (NGSR) mission to comet […]
I found a new meteor shower — and it comes from an asteroid getting baked to bits by the sun
A NASA researcher in planetary sciences explains how he discovered a new meteor shower linked to a disintegrating asteroid.
The Climate Issue: The blue marble, then and now
Our planetary-affairs editor, Oliver Morton, looks at the connection between space travel and climate science
From Apollo to Artemis: LPI’s Continuing Legacy in Lunar Science
USRA’s Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), founded during the Apollo program, continues to play a vital role in lunar science as NASA enters a new era of human exploration.
As San Diego prepares for splashdown, scientists excited about Artemis II discoveries
But once the Orion has come and gone, interplanetary enthusiasts at Scripps and beyond will still have a place in San Diego — in fact, they've been here all along.
Planetary Science Caucus Rejects NASA FY 2027 Budget Request
Planetary Science Caucus Rejects NASA FY 2027 Budget Request
Advocates Ready For NASA Science Funding Fight, Part II
Once again, the Trump administration has proposed an $18.8B NASA budget that would make large cuts to science and STEM missions. And—once again—advocates and lawmakers are saying they won’t stand idly by while programs are gutted.
The Boundless Deep: Young Tennyson, Science, and the Crisis of Belief by Richard Holmes
Pantheon Review by Walter Cummins The image of Alfred Tennyson I’ve carried for decades goes back to the childhood card game of Authors that depicts him with a stately continence sharpened by a jutting black beard. He’s formidable, his aura superior. Holmes opens his biography of the youthful Tennyson by describing the similar formality of the imposing Tennyson statue at Trinty College Cambridge, sharing the honor with other Trinity greats, including Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, and Thomas Babington Macaulay. Holmes doesn’t want to chip away at that statue but rather reveal its inner youthful core of the man—tall, handsome, and talented but unformed, emerging from a disturbed family of addicted or insane male siblings and four unusual sisters struggling under a violent alcoholic clergyman father. Alfred was certainly statuesque, but would he end up a block of unformed stone like his equally promising brothers? He was youngest of three equally regarded Tennyson brothers at Cambridge, all bright, handsome, and talented, in fact Alfred regarded by some as less promising than his elders who also wrote poetry. Yet Alfred wrote one of his major poems, “The Kraken,” at twenty, revealing both his talent, his interest in geological forces, and the haunting creature that embodied his anxieties. While Holmes focuses on Tennyson of the 1830s and 1840s, he can’t tell his story without exploring his involvement with the Victorian intellectual upheaval. Tennyson was fascinated by new scientific perspectives, following the latest findings as soon as books and articles were published. He was especially taken with Charles Lyell’s deep studies of geology and the discovery of fossils and a timeline of the planet’s development that did much to question fundamental religious assumptions. The impact of these discoveries is reflected in Tennyson’s poetry and led to the crisis in belief he shared with so many contemporaries. He was especially taken by the cycles of destruction and renewal that informed the struggles he confronted in In Memoriam, Maud, and Idylls of the King. Tennyson was only one of the eventual major figures at Cambridge at the same time, young men just beginning to realize their potential. Charles Darwin was at Christ College, although there is no evidence that he and Tennyson even met as students or later in life. Yet evolution became significant in Tennyson’s thinking and the issues of his poetry. One of Tennyson’s best and most important Cambridge friends was Edward FitzGerald, who became the translator of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám and in their on and off relationship served as Tennyson’s harshest critic. FitzGerald was also a friend of the novelist William Makepeace Thackeray, the two of them partying in Paris as undergraduates. That connection led to a friendship between Thackeray and Tennyson. Others who came to play significant roles in Tennyson’s life were Thomas Carlyle, the Brownings, and the Pre-Raphaelites. Tennyson’s deepest friend at college was Arthur Hallam, who at twenty wrote a glowing review of Tennyson’s first poetry collection, travelled on European adventures with him, and fell in love with his sister Emily. Hallam was also regarded as one more very promising Cambridge student. His sudden death at twenty-two in Vienna from a stroke while travelling with his father devastated many friends, but perhaps Tennyson most of all. He did not write immediate poems of grief but took years to compile those collected in In Memoriam A.H.H., published in 1850, almost twenty years after Hallam’s death For all of Tennyson’s early poetic successes and successes, Holmes reveals him as an often troubled young man suffering periods of depression, fearing planetary upheaval, concerned about supporting himself, disappointed in romances, and worried that he would inherit the family’s mental illness tendencies. Yet despite his seeming withdrawals, he was always writing poetry that he kept private and would not let go, constantly revising. 1850 became a transformative year for Tennyson. He finally consented to publishing In Memoriam with a last-minute prologue that acknowledged God and perhaps convinced the religious Emily Sellwood to marry him after years of pursuit.. He opened up to Emily, revealing his struggles with fears of depression and “weird seizures.” The devastating event of that time was the stillborn death of his unnamed first son. It shook him, but Emily’s faith brought them closer and convinced him to believe in an afterlife. Two later sons survived. With the death of William Wordworth in April of 1950, Tennyson was named poet laureate at age forty-one, reluctantly accepting. It’s as if Tennyson’s life split in half in that year. He lived another forty years, now a recognized success, with the prestige of being an official poet writing patriotic verse, wealthy and revered, no longer the insecure young man seeking an outlet for his immense talent. He earned a place in the Authors deck, now dignified and in 1884 elevated to the peerage as Arthur, Lord Tennyson. Richard Holmes is the author of twenty previous books on the Romantics and Victorians, several of which received awards. The Boundless Deep was shortlisted for the 2025 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. He captures the complex vicissitudes of Tennyson’s youth, illustrated by frequent excerpts from the poetry, placing that life in the full context of the shattering discoveries that led to an upheaval of thought in the Victorian age.
UNE and Maine Public Health Association announce innovative workforce training partnership
Starting in spring 2026, students across multiple programs, including public health, nutrition, marine science, climate change leadership, medicine, and business, will work together with MPHA to solve real-world problems, learn how to advocate for change, and connect with mentors already working in the field. With UNE's Institute of Public and Planetary Health now MPHA’s largest academic member, the partnership will leverage UNE’s new Institute of Public and Planetary Health to provide critical transdisciplinary public health workforce training for UNE students.
This “forbidden” exoplanet has an atmosphere scientists can’t explain
A strange “forbidden” planet spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope is turning planetary science on its head. TOI-5205 b, a Jupiter-sized world orbiting a small, cool star, has an atmosphere surprisingly poor in heavy elements—even less enriched than its own star, which defies current theories of how giant planets form.
How the Voyager missions rewrote planetary science, tested the limits of 1970s engineering, and became humanity's longest-running experiment in institutional patience
In November 2026, Voyager 1 will become the first human-made object to reach one light-day from Earth. Nearly 49 years after launch, the twin Voyager missions remain the most productive space exploration program ever flown, and a case study in what happens when engineering resilience meets institutional patience.
Dying stars are devouring giant planets, astronomers discover
Dying stars may be wiping out nearby giant planets as they expand into red giants. Astronomers found that these close-in planets become increasingly rare around more evolved stars, suggesting many have already been swallowed. The likely cause is a gravitational tug that drags planets inward until they break apart or fall into the star. It’s a dramatic glimpse into the chaotic final stages of planetary systems.
What is the skinny budget and what does it mean for NASA?
The White House Office of Management and Budget has released its budget for fiscal year 2027. Here's what it includes, and what it means for NASA.
LPI Announces the 2026 Class of Planetary Science Interns
USRA’s Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) is proud to announce the students selected for the 2026 LPI Summer Intern Program in Planetary Science.
Artemis science team recruits Stony Brook planetary geologist to help analyze moon's structure
Timothy Glotch is one of 10 scientists who will shape the research plan for upcoming Artemis moon exploration missions, including the one that will put U.S. astronauts on the moon for the first time since Apollo 17, in 1972.
Two physicists and a curious host walk into a studio…
On GBH’s new show The Curiosity Desk, MIT LIGO researchers revel in the beauties of fundamental discovery science and MIT astronomers talk planetary defense.
Earth formed from material exclusively from the inner solar system, planetary scientists show
Planetary scientists have long debated where the material that formed Earth comes from. Despite its location in the inner solar system, they consider it likely that 6–40% of this material must have come ...
Fourth Texas Area Planetary Science Meeting Returns in August 2026
The 4th Texas Area Planetary Science Meeting (TAPS) will be held on August 20–21, 2026, at the Commons Conference Center at The University of Texas at Austin.
Scientists Solve Decades-Long Mystery About Why Saturn Appears To Change Its Spin
Researchers at Northumbria University have used the most powerful space telescope ever built to answer one of the longest-standing puzzles in planetary science – why does Saturn appear to spin at a...
NASA grappling with planetary science funding shortfall
NASA’s planetary science program is still facing a funding shortfall that requires “strategic choices” about which missions to continue.
This massive crater could expose the heart of a lost planet
A mysterious metal-rich asteroid called Psyche has been baffling scientists for over two centuries, and its true origin remains one of the biggest unanswered questions in planetary science. Is it the exposed core of a failed planet, or a chaotic mix of rock and metal forged through countless violent collisions? To find out, researchers simulated how a massive crater near Psyche’s north pole formed, revealing that the asteroid’s internal “porosity” — how much empty space it contains — may hold the key to its secrets.
How Google Earth AI’s planetary intelligence is supporting global public health
An overview of how Google Earth AI is supporting the global health community’s work to predict outbreaks and deliver proactive care.
Scientists squished microbes into a steel 'sandwich' — and made a profound discovery about life in space
"Extremophile" bacteria could survive asteroid impacts that are strong enough to launch them into space, suggesting that life could travel between planetary bodies.
‘The moon is safe’: asteroid is not on collision course, scientists confirm
ESA’s Planetary Defence team allay fears 100-metre-wide object could hit Earth’s moon and disrupt satellites
Astronomers think they just witnessed two planets colliding
Astronomers have caught what may be a rare cosmic catastrophe unfolding 11,000 light-years away. A seemingly ordinary sun-like star suddenly began flickering wildly, puzzling scientists until they realized the strange dimming was caused by vast clouds of hot dust and debris drifting across the star. The most likely explanation is a violent planetary collision—two worlds smashing together and scattering glowing material throughout the system.
Scientists tracked faint signals from the stars — and may have turned up hundreds of undiscovered planets
A new study shows that stars with low magnetic activity are likely to support exoplanetary systems, making the hunt for these celestial objects less random.
Carbon emissions now more than double the planetary boundary, analysis finds
Earth is not infinite. Pollution beyond certain levels threatens the climate and ecosystems. To prevent this, scientists have proposed planetary boundaries, defining the safe operating limits of the Earth ...
From moonquakes to Mars rovers: Rice science open house sparks curiosity in local community
Rice's second annual Earth, environmental and planetary science (EEPS) open house generated interest in science
2026 NASA Planetary Science Summer School (PSSS)
Now through March 23, 2026, NASA is encouraging applications for its 38th Annual Planetary Science Summer School.
How to see 6 planets align in the night sky this Saturday
Six planets are set to align on Saturday, creating a planetary parade that will be visible to sky-gazers across the globe.
Rare 'planetary parade' will return to the evening sky this week — but you'll have to look at exactly the right time
Six planets will shine together in the evening sky on Feb. 28. Here's how to get the best view before they disappear.
Eighteen years of mobilizing marginalized students, making science more innovative
The Lamat Institute at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is a cohort-based research program designed to advance astronomy and planetary sciences by mobilizing the talents of students from marginalized ...
Scientists discover recent tectonic activity on the moon
Scientists have produced the first global map and analysis of small mare ridges (SMRs) on the moon, a characteristic geological feature of tectonic activity. Published in The Planetary Science Journal ...
Rocky planet discovered in outer orbit challenges planet formation theory
Astronomers have uncovered a distant planetary system that flips a long-standing rule of planet formation on its head. Around the small red dwarf star LHS 1903, scientists expected to find rocky planets close in and gas giants farther out — the same pattern seen in our own Solar System and hundreds of others. And at first, that’s exactly what they saw. But new observations revealed a surprise: the outermost planet appears to be rocky, not gaseous.
Astronomers discover ‘inside out’ solar system
A planetary system 116 light-years from Earth has a peculiar pattern. It could flip the script on how planets form, scientists say.
This inside-out planetary system has astronomers scratching their heads
A rocky exoplanet in the LHS 1903 system defies planet formation models, hinting that gravitational upheaval reshaped the red dwarf’s four worlds.
Astronomers discover 'unique inside-out system' with a rocky planet far from where it belongs
Astronomers have spotted an unusual 'inside-out' planetary system where a rocky world seems to have formed far beyond the realm typically reserved for gas giants.
Amendment 47: Corrections to B.2 Heliophysics Foundational Research
B.2 Heliophysics Foundational Research (HFR) solicits investigations that advance the fundamental physical understanding of the Sun-Heliosphere-Planetary
No Man's Sky's latest update is all about rubbish-flinging spacetrashpeople with gravity guns and interstellar trucks
No Man's Sky developers Hello Games have released the Remanant update, which adds a gravity gun and planetary cleanup trucks.
Amendment 44: Final Text for B.2 Heliophysics Foundational Research
B.2 Heliophysics Foundational Research (HFR) solicits investigations that advance the fundamental physical understanding of the Sun-Heliosphere-Planetary
Community Message From NASA Planetary Science Analysis/Assessment Group Chairs (AGs)
NASA Planetary Science Analysis/Assessment Groups
What’s Up: February 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA
NASA's Artemis II mission has its first opportunity to launch to the moon, Orion the Hunter takes center stage, and a planetary parade marches across the night sky.
NASA is funded. Now what?
With the upheaval of 2025 behind us, here's what we're looking for in space policy this year.
Bill Nye takes Orlando victory lap for science after NASA budget win
Bill Nye was in Orlando to tout The Planetary Society’s efforts to save NASA science after pressuring Congress to defy President Trump’s proposed budget.
Artemis II and III: The science that brings us back to the Moon
This week on Planetary Radio, Sarah Al-Ahmed is joined by Kelsey Young, Artemis Science Flight Operations Lead and lead of the Artemis II Lunar…
“Stars like the Sun don’t just stop shining,” but this one did
A distant Sun-like star suddenly went dark for months, stunning astronomers who quickly realized something massive was passing in front of it. Observations revealed a gigantic disk of gas and dust filled with vaporized metals, swirling around an unseen companion object. For the first time, scientists directly measured the motion of these metallic winds inside such a disk. The findings suggest that even ancient star systems can still experience catastrophic planetary smashups.
NASA quietly ends financial support for planetary science groups
The space agency will quit funding several independent science advisory groups this year
NASA to end support for planetary science groups
NASA is ending financial support for several planetary science groups as part of a broader drawdown of the agency’s advisory structure.
The Future of the Planetary Science Analysis and Assessment Groups (AGs)
The Future of the Planetary Science Analysis and Assessment Groups (AGs)
No More Support For NASA SMD Planetary Science Division Analysis and Assessment Groups
No More Support For NASA SMD Planetary Science Division Analysis and Assessment Groups
Strange discovery offers 'missing link' in planet formation: 'This fundamentally changes how we think about planetary systems'
A decade of observations of four planets around the young planetary system V1298 Tau revealed a rare, long-sought missing link in planet formation.
Letter from the NASA Planetary Science Director: the Future of the Planetary Science Analysis and Assessment Groups (AGs)
A Letter from the NASA Planetary Science Director, Dr. Louise M. Prockter: the Future of the Planetary Science Analysis and Assessment Groups (AGs)
The Politics Of Planetary Color
Color once taught us to see and value our planet. It now records how we are altering it.
Hubble's Album of Planet-Forming Disks
This collection of images taken by Hubble showcases protoplanetary disks, the swirling masses of gas and dust that surround forming stars.
Rocks and rolls: The computational infrastructure of earthquakes and physics of planetary science
Sometimes to truly study something up close, you have to take a step back. That's what Andrea Donnellan does. An expert in Earth sciences and seismology, she gets much of her data from a bird's-eye view, ...
Interplanetary science needs a commercial backbone
Interplanetary science needs a commercial backbone
Did a planet just vanish? Scientists witness a rare cosmic collision
What seemed like new planets around Fomalhaut were actually expanding dust clouds from violent planetary collisions seen by Hubble.
The Guardian view on the new space race: humanity risks exporting its old politics to the moon
Editorial: Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today we look skyward, where a new lunar contest mirrors humanity’s struggle to live within planetary limits
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4750-4762: See You on the Other Side of the Sun
Written by Lucy Thompson, Planetary Scientist and APXS team member, University of New Brunswick, Canada
Collaboration drives Telluride Science
Collaboration sits at the heart of Telluride Science’s mission, uniting global thought leaders to solve societal and planetary challenges.
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4743-4749: Polygons in the Hollow
Written by Lucy Lim, Planetary Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
New Hubble images may solve the case of a disappearing exoplanet
A massive collision between two asteroid-sized bodies around a nearby star offers a rare look at the violent process of planetary construction.
People and planet: How human and planetary health are deeply connected
The health of people and the planet are inextricably intertwined, with time spent in nature positively improving our lives and inspiring us to help keep Earth healthy.
Beneath the icy face of Alaska, a long theorized ‘connector fault’ may be revealed in the wake of major earthquake
After a magnitude 7 earthquake ripped under Hubbard Glacier earlier this month, scientists believe a “connector fault” may exist between established cuts in the thick planetary crust.
NASA Selects 2 Instruments for Artemis IV Lunar Surface Science
NASA has selected two science instruments designed for astronauts to deploy on the surface of the Moon during the Artemis IV mission to the lunar south polar
Jackson selected as editor for the Planetary Science Journal
Brian Jackson, professor of physics at Boise State University and Director of the Central Idaho...