planets
Exoplanets with moons may be likelier to host life
Life finds a way — particularly if it has a moon.
Six places to find water in the solar system
Water is vital for life. Luckily for spacefaring humans, the solar system is full of it.
Cracking a mystery about Vesta, our solar system’s second largest asteroid
How did the troughs form?
Hycean worlds: a new class of habitable exoplanet
Researchers hypothesize that these exoplanets could support the development of alien life.
New research solves the mystery of magnetic moon rocks brought back on Apollo
Surrounding Earth is a powerful magnetic field created by swirling liquid iron in the planet’s core. Earth’s magnetic field may be nearly as old as the Earth itself – and […]
The magnetosphere waxes and wanes every 200 million years
Yes, the magnetosphere is weakening. It does that from time to time.
Is it raining helium on Jupiter?
How can we understand mysterious planets like Jupiter? Use giant lasers!
Solved: A 50-year mystery about Jupiter
Jupiter's atmosphere is hotter than it should be, and now we know why.
How to take Earth’s inner temperature with erupted sea glass
Scientists look to erupted sea glass — lava that erupted in the ocean and was instantly chilled by the surrounding water — to take Earth's temperature.
Earth’s solid metal inner core is growing more on one side than the other
The eastern inner core located beneath Indonesia's Banda Sea is growing faster than the western side beneath Brazil.
Why so gassy? Mysterious methane detected on Saturn’s moon
Scientists do not know what is causing the overabundance of the gas.
Going rogue: runaway planets roam the galaxy
Tiny fluctuations in old Kepler data reveals four runaway planets that are reminiscent of Earth.
Rumbling: New Zealand supervolcano needs to be monitored
The Taupo volcano was responsible for one of the most violent eruptions on record.
Every 27.5 million years, the Earth’s heart beats catastrophically
Geologists discover a rhythm to major geologic events.
Mystery of the gigantic Oort cloud from deep space explained
Astronomers possibly solve the mystery of how the enormous Oort cloud, with over 100 billion comet-like objects, was formed.
Supermoon, lunar eclipse, red blood moon — and they’re happening all at once
The eclipse season is starting with a bang.
How space debris created the world’s largest garbage dump
Since 1957, the world's space agencies have been polluting the space above us with countless pieces of junk, threatening our technological infrastructure and ability to venture deeper into space.
Humanity’s most distant space probe captures a strange sound
A new paper reveals that the Voyager 1 spacecraft detected a constant hum coming from outside our Solar System.
Icy clouds on ancient Mars may have given rise to lakes and rivers
Scientists have long puzzled over how Mars, a cold and dry planet, was once warm enough to support liquid water.
False positive: Exoplanets could have lots of oxygen but no life
Oxygen is thought to be a biomarker for extraterrestrial life, but there are at least three different ways that a lifeless planet can produce it.
A rogue ‘pristine’ comet reveals clues about the origins of our Solar System
New studies find the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov is the most "pristine" ever discovered.
‘Smoking gun’ dark matter signature possibly identified
Researchers propose a new method that could definitively prove the existence of dark matter.
Ancient computer found in shipwreck decoded by scientists
A new model of the Antikythera mechanism reveals a "creation of genius."
Did Earth eat the protoplanet it crashed into long ago?
A new study makes a compelling case for the origin of unexplained masses of underground rock causing changes to the Earth's magnetic field.
Is the Earth’s “heartbeat” of 7.83 Hz influencing human behavior?
Some scientists believe the lightning-produced frequencies may be connected to our brain waves, meditation, and hypnosis.
Got a question for Michelle Thaller? Ask it here!
NASA astronomer Michelle Thaller is coming back to Big Think's studio soon to answer YOUR questions! Here's all you need to know to submit your science-related inquiries.
The universe is expanding faster than estimated, finds new study
The controversy over the universe's expansion rate continues with a new, faster estimate.
Physicist creates AI algorithm that may prove reality is a simulation
A physicist creates an AI algorithm that predicts natural events and may prove the simulation hypothesis.
Astrophysicists find rare star spinning backwards
A unique star system where exoplanets orbit their star backwards located by researchers.