Martian Polar Crater Ice Shifts with Seasonal Frost

The planet Mars shares many landforms and weather patterns with the Earth, including changing seasons, volcanoes, canyons, dust storms and dust devils, and water ice. But one feature that Earth and Mars share among the eight planets in our solar system are polar ice caps. Both are one of each planet’s striking features, but the major difference is while Earth’s polar ice caps are both comprised of water, Mars’ north polar ice cap is only comprised of water while its southern polar ice cap is carbon dioxide. The reasons for this are determined by altitude, but Mars’ northern polar ice cap is one of the most studied regions primarily due to its water ice composition. But how does the north polar ice cap water ice change with the seasons compared to Earth, and what can this teach scientists about Mars’ climate history?

Ceres' Water Ice Can Mask Massive Surface Salt Deposits

The dwarf planet Ceres is arguably one of the most overlooked and underappreciated planetary objects in the entire solar system. This could be because while Ceres has the same dwarf planet designation as Pluto, Ceres is largely considered an “asteroid” since it resides the in main asteroid belt. However, along with being the largest object in the main asteroid belt, Ceres’ mass comprises between 25 to 30 percent of all the mass of the entire main asteroid belt. Despite its lack of recognition, Ceres’ interior is layered like most rocky planets, including Pluto, and its surface displays evidence of past water ice activity (also called cryovolcanism) with several “bright spots”, which are highly reflective salt deposits. But what can these salt deposits teach scientists about Ceres’ formation and evolution?

Space Outposts Beyond the Moon May Rely on Planetary AI

NASA plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028 for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. But the famed agency has no intention of stopping there, as they plan to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon through a slow and meticulous process involving power, resource extraction, and habitat technologies. However, with the soaring use of artificial intelligence (AI) in our everyday lives, how could this emerging technology be used to identify new landing sites for future outposts on the Moon and possibly Mars?

Hera Probe Sees Asteroid Pair Separately for First Time

Planetary defense is a growing concern among the scientific community, as efforts have been made to design and implement missions meant to deflect incoming threats to the Earth well in advance. In 2022, NASA intentionally collided the Double Asteroid Redirection test (DART) planetary defense spacecraft into the smaller asteroid of the binary asteroid, Didymos and Dimorphos, with the latter being the smaller one. While the goal was to ascertain if deflecting an asteroid is feasible, how did this influence the geological characteristics of Dimorphos, and what can it teach us about planetary defense missions?

What Could Split a Black Hole in Two?

We all know that black holes can collide. It has happened since black holes began to form, early in cosmic time. The result is always a clash that gives off gravitational waves and a giant bang. Since black holes have such strong gravity, it's almost impossible to imagine a way that any force could break one apart. Yet, that's the task that a group of scientists in Europe set for themselves.

Queen's University Belfast Students Find Neptune's Elusive Trojan Asteroids

Astronomers at Queen’s University Belfast have led an international team studying new solar system bodies near Neptune, helping to unravel the mysteries of our solar system’s evolution.

This Ancient Meteorite Hints at Mars' Warm, Wet Past

Ancient Martian meteorites are like time-capsules from the planet's past. They're delivered to us by impacts that launch them into space, where some of them find their way to Earth. One recently discovered meteorite found in the Sahara desert adds weight to the idea that Mars was once warm and wet, and possibly habitable.