Rubies and opals on Mars? The real treasure in the planet’s gemstones may not be what you think
NASA’s Mars rovers have found traces of minerals akin to those that make up precious gems on Earth. But their appearance and abundance on Mars is likely very different, experts say
This sulfurous hell world might change the way we classify exoplanets
An oddity among exoplanets, L 98-59 d is (so far) in a class all its own, but astronomers expect powerful new telescopes will eventually reveal more like it
Pluto and the folly of planethood
The problem with Pluto isn’t its planetary or nonplanetary status—it’s our insistence on declaring the world must be one or the other
NASA chief Jared Isaacman hints at campaign to make Pluto a planet again
The NASA administrator’s latest remarks in support of reexamining Pluto’s status come 20 years after the orb was downgraded to a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union
The solar system’s first solids formed in a rush
Rather than slowly condensing over millions of years, the first building blocks of Earth and other planets may have formed rapidly in a chaotic disk at the dawn of the solar system
What’s the weirdest planet in the solar system?
All the sun’s planets are oddballs. But some are more so than others
What’s this fast-moving wave of darkness creeping across Mars?
Observations by the Mars Express orbiter reveal rapid changes on the Red Planet’s surface from windblown volcanic ash
Artemis II reveals why humans still love the moon
The triumph of NASA’s first crewed lunar mission in a half-century is a reminder of what the moon really means for Earth—and why we’re going back
NASA’s Dragonfly will explore the air, land and seas of Titan, Saturn’s most mysterious moon
NASA plans to launch a wildly ambitious nuclear-powered octocopter to Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, in 2028
Is this the year the U.S. finally lands a robotic rover on the moon?
A hidden milestone lurks in the U.S.’s Artemis-focused lunar ambitions—the nation’s first-ever successful robotic moon rover
NASA’s Artemis era may finally solve three major moon mysteries
If NASA’s ambitious lunar exploration plans succeed, scientists will cover the moon with sensors—and find answers to several long-standing questions about the inner solar system
NASA’s Artemis II mission nears its historic lunar flyby
The fifth day in space for Artemis II saw space suit tests, an Easter egg hunt and final preparations for an imminent close encounter with the moon