Latest Planets News
Scientists detect longest pair of jets streaming from a supermassive black hole
NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have discovered the longest pair of jets streaming from a black hole in a distant galaxy. The jets shooting hot plasma are the largest ever spotted – about as long as 140 Milky Way galaxies lined up end-to-end. “This one has managed to...
Catch a partial lunar eclipse during September’s supermoon
NEW YORK (AP) — Get ready for a partial lunar eclipse and supermoon, all rolled into one. The spectacle will be visible in clear skies across North America and South America Tuesday night and in Africa and Europe Wednesday morning. A partial lunar eclipse happens...
NASA spacecraft to study Jupiter moon's underground ocean cleared for October launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA on Monday approved next month’s launch to Jupiter’s moon Europa after reviewing the spacecraft’s ability to withstand the intense radiation there. Questions about the reliability of the transistors on the Europa Clipper spacecraft arose...
Tiny glass beads suggest the moon had active volcanoes when dinosaurs roamed Earth
NEW YORK (AP) — Volcanoes were still erupting on the moon when dinosaurs roamed Earth, new research suggests. The evidence: three tiny glass beads plucked from the surface of the moon and brought to Earth in 2020 by a Chinese spacecraft. Their chemical makeup indicates that there...
New research suggests volcanoes were still erupting on the moon when dinosaurs roamed Earth
Small, harmless asteroid burns up in Earth's atmosphere over the Philippines
NEW YORK (AP) — A small asteroid discovered on Wednesday harmlessly burned up in Earth's atmosphere the same day, NASA said. The asteroid — about 3 feet (1 meter) across — was spotted by astronomers in Arizona and broke apart over the coast of the Philippines hours after the...
August's supermoon is the first of four lunar spectacles
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Monday's supermoon is the first of four this year. During a supermoon, the full moon inches a little closer than usual to Earth. A supermoon isn’t bigger, but it can appear that way in the night sky, although scientists say the difference can be...
August's supermoon kicks off four months of lunar spectacles. Here's how to watch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The first of four supermoons this year rises next week, providing tantalizing views of Earth’s constant companion. Stargazers can catch the first act Monday as the full moon inches a little closer than usual, making it appear slightly bigger and...
International astronomy group joins calls for a lunar clock to keep time on the moon
WASHINGTON (AP) — Time moves a tad faster on the moon. Now an international group of astronomers has joined calls to give the moon its own clock so that future space missions can keep track of minutes on the celestial body. The International Astronomical Union voted Thursday...
New Mars study suggests an ocean's worth of water may be hiding beneath the red dusty surface
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Mars may be drenched beneath its surface, with enough water hiding in the cracks of underground rocks to form a global ocean, new research suggests. The findings released Monday are based on seismic measurements from NASA’s Mars InSight lander, which...