Solar System
Are Titan's Dunes Made of Comet Dust?
A new theory suggests that Titan's majestic dune fields may have come from outer space. Researchers had always assumed that…
Formation-Flying Spacecraft Could Probe the Solar System for New Physics
It's an exciting time for the fields of astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology. Thanks to cutting-edge observatories, instruments, and new techniques,…
DART Changed the Shape of Asteroid Dimorphos, not Just its Orbit
On September 26th, 2022, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) collided with the asteroid Dimorphos, a moonlet that orbits the…
What Can We Learn Flying Through the Plumes at Enceladus?
In the next decade, space agencies will expand the search for extraterrestrial life beyond Mars, where all of our astrobiology…
This Hot Jupiter is Doomed to Crash Into its Star in Just Three Million Years
In 2008, astronomers with the SuperWASP survey spotted WASP-12b as it transited in front of its star. At the time,…
Comets: Why study them? What can they teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has explored the importance of studying impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, astrobiology, and solar physics, and what this…
Asteroid Ryugu Contained Bonus Comet Particles
On December 5th, 2020, Japan's Hayabusa2 mission successfully returned samples it had collected from the Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) 162173 Ryugu…
Six Planets Found Orbiting an Extremely Young Star
The field of exoplanet study continues to grow by leaps and bounds. As of the penning of this article, 5,572…
Since Interstellar Objects Crashed Into Earth in the Past, Could They Have Brought Life?
On October 19th, 2017, astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey detected an interstellar object (ISO) passing through our Solar System for…
Voyager 1 Has Another Problem With its Computer System
For more than 46 years, the Voyager 1 probe has been traveling through space. On August 25th, 2012, it became…