Posted
| UpdatedOur solar system may have a ninth planet about 10 times the mass of Earth far out beyond Neptune, only the third discovered in our solar system since ancient times, astronomers say.
Topics: science-and-technology, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space
Posted
Pluto's heart-shaped Sputnik Planum region is only 10 million years old — far younger than the rest of the dwarf planet — according to a survey of impact craters on the distant world's surface.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, geology, the-universe, spacecraft, space-exploration, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space
Posted
| UpdatedWho owns a rare 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite once it plunges to Earth? The case of a 1.8kg meteorite which fell from space and buried itself into the bed of the outback's Lake Eyre has shed light on the little-known laws governing Australia's meteorite finds.
Topics: astronomy-space, royal-and-imperial-matters, planets-and-asteroids, geology, sa, wa
Posted
January may not have any spectacular comets or eclipses to herald the New Year, but the January skies will have lots to fill you with wonder, especially if you are an early riser, writes Ian Musgrave.
Topics: science-and-technology, stars, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space, australia
Posted
| UpdatedAstronomers discover the Moon's tenuous atmosphere expands and contracts, or "breathes", depending on its exposure to the Sun and meteor showers.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, geology, the-universe, the-moon, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space, united-states
Posted
| UpdatedAustralian astronomers discover the closest potentially habitable planet found outside our solar system so far — a super-Earth located just 14 light years away.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, the-universe, space-exploration, telescopes, stars, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space
Posted
Astronomers confirm water is a key ingredient for making planets, after discovering water exists on a range of exoplanets called hot Jupiters.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space
Posted
| UpdatedThis year's Geminids meteor shower is set to provide a spectacular finale to the International Year of Light, with an estimated 150 meteors an hour expected to light up the moonless night skies.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space, australia
Posted
| UpdatedNASA has released the sharpest, most detailed images yet of Pluto in its ongoing effort to understand the geology of the dwarf icy planet.
Topics: space-exploration, planets-and-asteroids, united-states
Posted
| UpdatedStrange bright spots on the dwarf planet Ceres are giant salt pans caused by the evaporation of water from a sub-surface ocean, according to data from the Dawn mission.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, the-universe, spacecraft, space-exploration, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space
Posted
| UpdatedNASA's New Horizons spacecraft sends back what the space agency describes as the best close-up images of Pluto that humans may see for decades.
Topics: science-and-technology, astronomy-space, space-exploration, spacecraft, planets-and-asteroids, united-states
Posted
| UpdatedThe Moon was nudged into its tilted orbit by the gravitational pull of small planetary bodies left over from the formation of the solar system, according to a new model.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, the-moon, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space
Posted
| UpdatedThe red planet is set to get a spectacular planetary ring system to rival Saturn's, with Martian moon Phobos destined to break up because it is too weak to withstand tidal stress.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, geology, the-universe, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space
Posted
| UpdatedAstronomers observe up to three newborn planets evolving from a disk of gas and dust particles circling a distant Sun-like star, the first to be seen that are still forming.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, stars, geology, the-universe, telescopes, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space, the-university-of-sydney-2006
Posted
| UpdatedGiant icy mountains seen on the surface of the distant frozen world of Pluto could be cryovolcanoes, scientists say.
Topics: science-and-technology, geology, physics, the-universe, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space
Posted
Earth's water was not added by comets or asteroids, but was present when our planet formed, according to a new study of ancient rocks from deep inside the Earth's mantle.
Topics: science-and-technology, earth-sciences, physics, geology, the-universe, stars, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space
Posted
| UpdatedAn international team of scientists finds a new Earth-like planet so close it is possible to study the atmosphere using optical telescopes.
Topics: planets-and-asteroids, united-states
Posted
Topics: planets-and-asteroids
Posted
| UpdatedA new model that solves the last remaining major questions about the birth of the Earth's Moon is developed by astronomers.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, geology, planets-and-asteroids, the-moon, astronomy-space
Posted
| UpdatedAuroras can occur almost anywhere on Mars, according to new data from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, the-universe, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space
Posted
| UpdatedHave you got what it takes to be an astronaut? NASA is accepting applications for the next generation of "space pioneers" that could one day journey to Mars.
Topics: space-exploration, astronomy-space, science-and-technology, planets-and-asteroids, spacecraft, united-states
Posted
High-resolution images of the 500m wide Halloween asteroid that zoomed past Earth last weekend reveal a mysterious world.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, the-universe, telescopes, space-exploration, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space, united-states
Posted
| UpdatedThe arrival of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft at the Pluto system in July has finally allowed astronomers to complete the centuries-long mission of obtaining a family portrait of our solar system.
Topics: science-and-technology, stars, physics, the-moon, telescopes, spacecraft, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space
Posted
| UpdatedA large asteroid that scientists only discovered this month will make a relatively close approach to Earth this weekend, providing one of the best opportunities in years to gather data about a passing space rock.
Topics: planets-and-asteroids, united-states
Posted
| UpdatedThe Rosetta spacecraft has detected significant levels of molecular oxygen coming from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in a discovery that has taken astronomers by surprise.
Topics: science-and-technology, physics, geology, the-universe, space-exploration, planets-and-asteroids, astronomy-space