No exomoons yet, but we may have spotted a disk that will form them
Enlarge / There’s a lot going on near a young star, with at least two planets forming around it. Up until the last few decades, our picture of what might…
China’s Chang’E-4 may have landed near pieces of the Moon’s interior
Enlarge / The original Yutu rover, shown on the Moon. (credit: NASA) While some of the details are still being worked out, it’s generally agreed that the Moon formed when…
First results from New Horizons’ time in the Kuiper Belt
Enlarge / When Ultima met Thule. A view of the two-lobed body, showing the bright neck and the large Maryland crater. (credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University APL/Southwest Research Institute.) For many…
Impact that formed the Moon might have splashed into Earth’s magma ocean
Enlarge / An early version of the collision model, showing a head-on impact. The Earth and its moon are unique in our Solar System. Earth is the only rocky planet…