Pulp Fiction

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

The Sun May Have Swallowed a Planet

An artist’s impression of a star engulfing a planet. The blue line traces the path of the planet as it spirals toward the star and ultimately collides with it.
NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)
Licence type
Attribution (CC BY 4.0)

New research suggests that some unusual characteristics of the Sun may be explained if it swallowed a large planet sometime during the Solar System’s formation.

Mercury is Shrinking, But Faster Than Previously Thought

Mercury as seen by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft in 2008. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/Carnegie Institution of Washington

The rough, impact-debris-covered surface of Mercury has hidden the true rate at which Mercury has been shrinking, which scientists previously underestimated by 30%

When Stars Engulf Rocky Planets, Beryllium Gives It Away

This illustration shows a planet spiralling inwards, where it's engulfed by its star. Researchers have developed a method to determine which stars have eaten rocky planets. It's all based on the rare element Beryllium. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI).
Licence: Attribution (CC BY 4.0)

Astronomers know that stars can engulf planets when they stray too close. But how can they know, by looking at a star, if it has ever done so? The answer lies in Beryllium, an element not synthesized inside stars.

Webb Searches for Brown Dwarfs in a Stunning Star-Forming Region

The JWST captured this image of the star-forming region IC 348 with its NIRCam instrument. At 1,000 light years away, the region is relatively close to us. This makes it a good place to search for the lowest-mass brown dwarfs. Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, K. Luhman, C. Alves De Oliveira, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)

How small can brown dwarfs be before the definition breaks down? That question is at the heart of new research, and new JWST images. Using the space telescope, researchers have discovered a new class of brown dwarfs with low masses, marked by a peculiar hydrocarbon feature.

For Trans-Neptunian Objects, The Past Is Written On Their Surface

This artist’s concept depicts a Trans-Neptunian Object, a small, faint, icy body orbiting the Sun beyond the orbit of Neptune. Credit: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI)

Some Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) formed closer to the Sun and migrated to the outer solar system, while others formed there originally. A new study finds that "hot" and "cold" origin TNOs can be distinguished not only by their orbits, but also by their surface color.

Saturn's South Pole Features Newly Formed Atmospheric Decagon

Astronomers examining recent Hubble Space Telescope images of Saturn have spotted a remarkable 10-sided wave pattern, or decagon, cutting through several layers of the gas giant's southern atmosphere. (Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, Agustin Sánchez-Lavega (UPV), Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), Michael Wong (UC Berkeley); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan)

The planet Saturn is arguably the most recognizable planetary object in the entire solar system because of its massive rings. Anytime a child is asked what their favorite planet is, the answer is often “The one with the rings!” But, while Saturn’s rings are its most striking feature, the famed planet has a myriad of other unique features that often get overlooked, specifically its polar activity. This includes a long-known rotating hexagon in its north polar region, but what kinds of activity could be occurring in Saturn’s southern polar region, and what could this teach scientists about planetary formation and evolution?

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

If Venus Had An Ancient Moon, It Was Doomed

A false-colour radar image of Venus' surface based on Magellan data. New research says that the planet may have had a moon in the past. But it was eventually pulled toward the planet, where it was consumed. Image Credit: NASA

Earth has a big beautiful Moon, while Venus, its 'sister planet', doesn't. Why is that? Did it ever have one? If it did, new research shows it was never going to last very long.