Solar System

Latest about Solar System

Composite image of the moon created using data gathered by the joint NASA-DoD Clementine mission in 1994

Lunar laser: China makes 1st daytime laser-ranging measurement from Earth to the moon

By Andrew Jones published

China has achieved a milestone feat, making the first-ever laser ranging measurement from Earth to the moon during the daytime.

The moon
a photograph of the moon

Japan's Resilience moon lander arrives in lunar orbit ahead of June 5 touchdown

By Mike Wall published

Japan's private Resilience lunar lander arrived in orbit around the moon on Tuesday (May 6), a month ahead of its planned touchdown try.

The moon
a grey lumpy rock on a black background

Asteroid Vesta could be a fragment of a solar system planet, but which one?

By Keith Cooper published

The interior of asteroid Vesta has been shown not to be a protoplanet after all, meaning that new explanations for its origin are needed.

Asteroids
A giant orb takes up the majority of the image, bordered on either sitde by black. Its face is riddled with craters, with colors blotched throughout in vibrant blues, greens, yellows, and reds.

A giant crater on the moon may hold remnants of an ancient magma ocean. Artemis astronauts could bring home samples of it

By Nola Taylor Tillman published

Crewmembers on upcoming Artemis missions could potentially return samples from the moon's mantle back to Earth, providing insight into the final stages of lunar formation.

The moon

What time is it on the moon? US House space committee wants a standard lunar clock

By John Loeffler published

Time moves faster on the moon, and now we're one step closer to getting a lunar time zone to keep track of it.

The moon
a lumpy grey rock covered in craters floats in front of a blue-and-white earth beneath it. hundreds of pinpoint-like stars dot the black background of space

A whole 'population' of minimoons may be lurking near Earth, researchers say

By Nola Taylor Tillman published

The discovery of 2024 PT5, a small, rocky body dubbed a "minimoon" during its discovery last year, hints at a hidden population of lunar fragments traveling near Earth.

Solar System
Composite image of the moon created using data gathered by the joint NASA-DoD Clementine mission in 1994

DARPA wants a spacecraft to search for water on the moon

By Julian Dossett published

DARPA (the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is looking for a private company to build spacecraft to orbit the moon and search for water.

The moon
graphic illustration of the solar system shows the sun in the center and a number of planets orbiting around it.

Solar system guide: Discover the order of planets and other amazing facts

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference Explore the eight (or nine) planets of the solar system in order from nearest to the sun and discover the many wonders of our solar system along the way.

Reference
three grey moons orbit a planet lined with rings of clouds

Evidence of controversial Planet 9 uncovered in sky surveys taken 23 years apart

By Keith Cooper published

An object seen to have moved in the time between when it was imaged by the IRAS and AKARI surveys in 1983 and 2006 respectively could be Planet Nine.

Solar System
a bright white full moon rises above the ruins of an ancient building

May full moon 2025: The Flower Moon hides the red star Antares

By Jesse Emspak last updated

Reference The Full Flower Moon of 2025 will occur in the eastern U.S. during the evening hours of May 12. Two days later, the just-past-full moon will occult the star Antares.

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