The latest Hubble Space Telescope observations reveal a twist in the story of Uranus’s moons. Rather than the expected radiation “sunburn,” the moons Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon seem to be literally gathering cosmic dust. It turns out the planet’s odd tilt isn’t scorching their backsides as predicted, but coating the front ends of the … Read more
Jupiter’s weather just got even stranger. A new study published in the Journal Science Advances revealed that the gas giant’s turbulent thunderstorms create massive, softball-sized hailstones called “mushballs,” made of ammonia and water ice. These violent storms churn Jupiter’s atmosphere so deeply that they may explain a long-standing mystery among the scientists: the missing ammonia … Read more
A private space mission is being developed to collect atmospheric samples from Venus and transport them to Earth for analysis. The initiative, led by planetary scientists and supported by commercial spaceflight companies, is focused on determining whether Venus’ clouds could support life. The planet’s atmosphere, composed largely of sulfuric acid, has long been thought to … Read more