Atmosphere
Minerals Could Form on Mars Without an Oxygen-Rich Atmosphere
Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere does more than provide the foundation for complex life. The oxygen in the atmosphere is so reactive…
SOFIA Fails to Find Phosphine in the Atmosphere of Venus, But the Debate Continues
The on-again, off-again detection of phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus appears to be off-again – for now. The latest…
NASA is Mapping Giant Clouds of Methane Released by “Super-Emitters” Across the World
Everybody's heard of methane. It's a major part of the atmosphere in places like Uranus and Neptune. On Earth, it's…
The Heaviest Element Ever Seen in an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere: Barium
Astronomers have spotted barium in the atmosphere of a distant exoplanet. With its 56 protons, you have to run your…
Scientists Discover a New Way Exoplanets Could Make Oxygen; Unfortunately, it Doesn’t Require Life
Finding oxygen in an exoplanet's atmosphere is a clue that life may be at work. On Earth, photosynthetic organisms absorb…
These Ancient Microbes Give a Glimpse of What Extraterrestrial Life Might Look Like
Will we discover simple life somewhere? Maybe on Enceladus or Europa in our Solar System, or further away on an…
A New Instrument is Going to the ISS to Study the Climate Impact of Dust in Earth’s Upper Atmosphere
People often seem surprised when they learn that NASA doesn't just look out to the other planets, stars, and galaxies.…
Smaller, Ground-Based Telescopes can Study Exoplanet Atmospheres too
The next step to understanding exoplanets is to understand their atmospheres better. Astronomers can determine a planet's mass, density, and…
We Might Know Why Mars Lost its Magnetic Field
Mars is a parched planet ruled by global dust storms. It's also a frigid world, where night-time winter temperatures fall…
An Exoplanet Reaches 2400 C in One Hemisphere. Does it Really Rain Iron?
WASP-76b is an ultra-hot Jupiter about 640 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Pisces. A few years ago it…