A ‘Breathing’ Comet
The Rosetta orbiter sent back lots of mystifying data from its time spent following the comet 67P/C-G. Today we focus on just one of its discoveries: molecular oxygen in the comet’s coma.
Like a Captured Stone: How did Pluto Settle in its Peculiar Orbit?
We dive back into one of the earliest studies of the outer solar system that helped us understand how four gas giants playing a chaotic game of catch could have knocked Pluto into its topsy-turvy orbit.
A Pebbly Barrier to Planet Formation
While a planet is forming, its passage through the protoplanetary disk can prevent pebbles from migrating inwards and accreting onto the planet.
Has Anyone Found a Lost Comet?!
Comet D/Lexell has been lost to memory since its discovery in 1770. Can modern astronomical methods track it down?
Testing the Limits of Gravity at Mercury
By studying the precise movements of NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft around Mercury we can constrain some of the fundamental parameters of general relativity.
Making Mountains out of…?
If there’s one thing that 21st-century telescopes have shown us about Pluto, it’s that there’s still a lot we don’t know about our very far-off neighbor. Today we look into just one of Pluto’s many mysteries: the formation of its complex five-moon system.