Planets
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SpaceLearning from what Apollo astronauts left on the moon
In the 1960s and ’70s, Apollo astronauts left trash, mementos and science experiments on the moon. Researchers want to study and preserve the relics.
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PlanetsPreserving remnants of human culture on the moon
Artifacts left behind by lunar landings have value to research and human history. Scientists now want to preserve those cast-offs while also learning from them.
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PlanetsStudents help name 5 of Jupiter’s newly discovered moons
Astronomers announced discovering 12 new moons of Jupiter in July 2018. Five of them now just been named for goddesses and spirits of Greek and Roman mythology.
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PlanetsWelcome to moon rock central
A Science News reporter’s visit to NASA’s moon-rock lab shows the hyper-pristine conditions in which these rocks are kept — and why that’s so important.
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PlanetsWhat do you call a moon that escapes its planet? A ‘ploonet’
Giant planets in other star systems might lose their moons, creating new planets. And if moons do go rogue, current telescopes may be able to find them.
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PlanetsWas that a Marsquake?
‘Marsquakes’ could help scientists learn more about the Red Planet’s inner activity.
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PlanetsTeen astronomer finds a planet with two suns
Brian Wu, a teen researcher from New York City, has discovered a handful of distant planets, including a massive world that orbits two suns.
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SpaceChina landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon
China just brought down a lander and rover on the far side of the moon. Let the science begin!
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ClimateDistant volcano could turn latest lunar eclipse dark red
The recent eruption of Anak Krakatau, an Indonesian volcano, could alter the color of this coming weekend’s lunar eclipse.
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PlanetsScientists Say: Exomoon
A moon that orbits a planet in our solar system in a moon. But a moon that orbits a planet outside our solar system? That’s an exomoon.
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SpaceQuake-scouting lander safely touches down on Mars
NASA’s InSight lander has just arrived safely on the Martian surface. Its two year mission is to record any ‘Marsquakes’ and other signs of the planet’s geologic activity.
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PlanetsPrepping for drone exploration of Mars
Twelve-year-old James Fagan, a budding engineer from Riverside, Calif., has built a wind tunnel. He uses it to test scale models of drones and other vehicles under Mars-like conditions.