[ weird things ] | planetary science
articles tagged: planetary science
zombie worlds are out there, and they’re terrifying places
# space

zombie worlds are out there, and they’re terrifying places

It turns out there is life after stellar death. Say hello to zombie worlds, undead planets orbiting the most extreme objects in the universe.

world of weird things podcast: probing the mysteries of space with the fishes
# podcast

world of weird things podcast: probing the mysteries of space with the fishes

Impress your friends and family with some surprising facts about space and the weird stuff floating in it to start 2022.

what is a planet anyway? astronomers campaign to avenge pluto
# space

what is a planet anyway? astronomers campaign to avenge pluto

A group of scientists want Pluto to be considered a planet again, even if hundreds of other objects earn the same rank.

did we really discover the day that venus turned to hell?
# space

did we really discover the day that venus turned to hell?

A new study shows just how little we know about why Venus became the hothouse world it is today.

world of weird things podcast: look, up in the sky! it’s super-earth!
# podcast

world of weird things podcast: look, up in the sky! it’s super-earth!

Far from being just a slightly bigger rocky sphere than our planet, Super-Earths are a fascinating class of worlds ranging from Earths with a few extra tons to failed seeds of gas giants.

how jupiter may have moved it, moved it from the outer reaches of the solar system
# space

how jupiter may have moved it, moved it from the outer reaches of the solar system

Considering what we know about planetary formation, Jupiter shouldn’t have been able to grow as massive in its current orbit. But a new simulation shows it could’ve been born much, much further away.

oldest earth rock found in lunar exile
# space

oldest earth rock found in lunar exile

Scientists think they found a time capsule from Earth’s earliest days buried just under the Moon’s surface for the last 4.1 billion years.

astronomers find a fossil from the early days of the solar system
# space

astronomers find a fossil from the early days of the solar system

A tiny, roughly kilometer sized rock might not seem like much of a discovery, but it’s an important confirmation of our models of planetary formation and solar system evolution.

this weird star system is, literally, flipping awesome
# space

this weird star system is, literally, flipping awesome

A binary system observed by ALMA isn’t wonky, it’s the first example of an anomaly we only thought was possible until we saw it with our own eyes: a polar protoplanetary disk.

we think aliens may lurk in europa’s oceans. we might be disappointed…
# astrobiology

we think aliens may lurk in europa’s oceans. we might be disappointed…

New models trying to infer the geology of potentially habitable moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn hint at surprisingly cool, geologically inactive worlds, the opposite of what a diverse alien ecosystem would need.

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