HomeThe Planetary Science Journal

The Planetary Science Journal

Titan moon
Space

Saturn’s moon Titan, has an insulating methane-rich crust

Pranjal Malewar

It is up to six miles thick.

"Spiders" in the southern hemisphere
Space

NASA scientists recreated Mars’ ‘spiders’ in a lab

Amit Malewar

Tests on Earth appear to confirm how the Red Planet’s spider-shaped geologic formations are carved.

NASA’s DART Impact Permanently Changed the Shape and Orbit of Asteroid Moon
Space

NASA’s DART mission alters Asteroid Moon’s shape and orbit

Amit Malewar

Insights on the geophysics behind asteroid formation and evolution.

water molecules on the surface of an asteroid
Space

Water molecule found on Asteroid for the first time

Amit Malewar

A feature that is unambiguously attributed to molecular water.

The epicenter of one of the strongest moonquakes
Space

Moon shrinking causes moonquakes and faults near lunar south pole

Amit Malewar

Shallow moonquakes capable of producing strong ground shaking in the south polar region.

far side of the moon
Space

Unraveling the Mystery: A rocket booster leaves two craters on the Moon

Amit Malewar

Tracking an errant space rocket.

Mercury’s north polar chaotic terrain
Space

Evidence of potential salt glaciers on planet Mercury

Amit Malewar

Unveiling mercury’s geological mysteries.

The large mound structures that dominate one of the lobes of the Kuiper belt object Arrokoth are similar enough to suggest a common origin, according to a new study led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Planetary Scientist and Associate Vice President Dr. Alan Stern
Space

Large mounds on Kuiper belt object Arrokoth may have a common origin

Amit Malewar

These “building blocks” could guide further work on planetesimal formational models.

Image showing sun and mercury
Space

How the solar wind interacts with Mercury’s surface?

Amit Malewar

New insight into how interactions with the Sun alters the surface and produces Mercury’s very thin atmosphere.

asteroid Phaethon being heated by the Sun
Space

Asteroid’s comet-like tail is not made of dust

Amit Malewar

A weird asteroid has just gotten a little weirder.

a signal or “light signature” of water
Space

The first detailed, wide-area map of water distribution on the Moon

Amit Malewar

A new map reveals the distribution of Water near the Moon's south pole.

oxygen aurora on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede
Space

New Aurorae detected on Jupiter’s four largest moons

Amit Malewar

The team detected aurorae at visible wavelengths.

Saturn's moon Enceladus
Space

What it would take to discover life on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus?

Amit Malewar

Enceladus is a hot candidate for potentially harboring alien life.

Maat Mons
Space

Massive volcanism may have transformed ancient Venus’ climate

Amit Malewar

Massive volcanism may have altered ancient Venus’ climate.

Jupiter’s moon Europa
Space

Shallow lakes in Europa’s Icy Crust could erupt

Amit Malewar

Any plumes or volcanic activity at the Jovian moon’s surface are caused by shallow lakes in its icy crust.

Sharpest Earth-based images of Europa and Ganymede
Space

Sharpest Earth-based images of Europa and Ganymede reveal their icy landscape

Amit Malewar

The cocktail of chemicals that make up the frozen surfaces on two of Jupiter's largest moons are revealed.

Info graphic which shows what effects the collision of DART could have on the orbit of Didymos B
Space

World’s first full-scale planetary defense test against potential asteroid impacts

Amit Malewar

A giant asteroid's impact is considered the likely cause of the mass extinction of the dinosaurs almost 66 million years ago. While there is no...

moon's snakelike Schroeter's Valley
Space

Ancient moon volcanoes may one day provide astronauts with drinkable water

Amit Malewar

Roughly 41% of the water from volcanoes may have condensed onto the moon as ice.

Venus might be habitable today, if not for Jupiter
Space

Venus might be habitable today, if not for Jupiter

Amit Malewar

Study shows destabilizing effect of the giant gas planet.

Recent Stories

Neolithic people sacrificed unique ‘suns stones’ due to a volcanic eruption

Archaeology

Astronomers solve Sulfur mystery with Ammonium Hydrosulfide salt

Space

A copper catalyst can efficiently convert carbon dioxide into acetaldehyde

Invention

Not all Hot Jupiters orbit alone

Space

The long-term benefits of girls’ education

Social Science