Solar System’s Most Distant Planetoid Confirmed
A team, including an astronomer from the University of Hawai?i Institute for Astronomy (IfA), have confirmed a planetoid that is almost four times farther from the Sun than Pluto, making it the most distant object ever observed in our solar system.
New Theory Explains Possible Origin of the Armageddon-Causing Object That Killed the Dinosaurs
The enduring puzzle: Where did the asteroid or comet originate, and how did it come to strike Earth? Now, a pair of researchers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian believe they have the answer.
Mars Crater Offers Window on Temperatures 3.5 Billion Years Ago
Once upon a time, seasons in Gale Crater probably felt something like those in Iceland. But nobody was there to bundle up more than 3 billion years ago.
Researchers Rewind the Clock to Calculate Age & Site of Supernova Blast
Astronomers are winding back the clock on the expanding remains of a nearby, exploded star.
Primordial Black Holes & Search For Dark Matter From Multiverse
The Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) is home to many interdisciplinary projects which benefit from the synergy of a wide range of expertise available at the institute.
Key Building Block for Organic Molecules Discovered in Meteorites
Scientists from Japan and NASA have confirmed the presence in meteorites of a key organic molecule which may have been used to build other organic molecules, including some used by life.
Inouye Solar Telescope Releases First Image of a Sunspot
The world's largest solar observatory, the U.S. National Science Foundation's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, just released its first image of a sunspot.
Voyager Spacecraft Detect New Type of Solar Electron Burst
More than 40 years since they launched, the Voyager spacecraft are still making discoveries.
Field Geology at Mars’ Equator Points to Ancient Megaflood
Floods of unimaginable magnitude once washed through Gale Crater on Mars' equator around 4 billion years ago - a finding that hints at the possibility that life may have existed there, according to data collected by NASA's Curiosity rover and analyzed in joint project by scientists from Jackson State University, Cornell University, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Hawaii.
The Milky Way Galaxy has a Clumpy Halo
University of Iowa astronomers have determined our galaxy is surrounded by a clumpy halo of hot gases that is continually being supplied with material ejected by birthing or dying stars.
Magnetic Fields on the Moon are the Remnant of an Ancient Core Dynamo
Presently, the moon does not have an internal magnetic field as it can be observed on Earth. However, there are localized regions on its surface up to several hundred kilometers in size where a very strong magnetic field prevails.
Geoscience: Cosmic Diamonds Formed During Gigantic Planetary Collisions
It is estimated that over 10 million asteroids are circling the Earth in the asteroid belt. They are relics from the early days of our solar system, when our planets formed out of a large cloud of gas and dust rotating around the sun.
Remnants Ancient Asteroid Shed New Light on the Early Solar System
Researchers have shaken up a once accepted timeline for cataclysmic events in the early solar system.
Venus’ Ancient Layered, Folded Rocks Point to Volcanic Origin
An international team of researchers has found that some of the oldest terrain on Venus, known as tesserae, have layering that seems consistent with volcanic activity. The finding could provide insights into the enigmatic planet's geological history.
Meteorite Strikes May Create Unexpected Form of Silica
When a meteorite hurtles through the atmosphere and crashes to Earth, how does its violent impact alter the minerals found at the landing site?
