Astronomy, features and articles | Educational Science

Dec 14, 2022

James Webb Space Telescope captures 'extraordinary' clouds in the atmosphere of Saturn's alien moon Titan

Scientists spotted something exciting on Saturn's moon Titan in images taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in early November — clouds. Specifically, clouds in Titan's northern hemisphere. To a casual observer, clouds might be a dime a dozen. But to scientists, clouds can reveal a lot about the atmosphere...

Oct 7, 2010

Frozen World of Eris Looks a Lot Like Pluto

The frozen surface of the dwarf planet Eris looks a lot like that of its smaller neighbor Pluto, new research has found. Both frozen worlds are covered predominantly with nitrogen ice, a research team announced Tuesday (Oct. 5). The find could help astronomers get a better handle on the history...

Nov 9, 2010

Dwarf Planet Eris May Be Smaller Than Pluto After All

The dwarf planet Eris — once thought to be the largest body in the solar system beyond Neptune's orbit — may actually be smaller than Pluto, new observations suggest. Three teams of astronomers watched through telescopes as the icy Eris passed in front of a distant star over the weekend....

Nov 19, 2010

Should Pluto Be a Planet? Experts Weigh In

Now that Pluto may have regained its status as the largest object in the outer solar system, should astronomers consider giving it back another former title — that of full-fledged planet? Pluto was demoted to a newly created category, dwarf planet, in 2006, partly because of the discovery a year...

Jun 20, 2011

Pluto's Mysterious Moons, Nix & Hydra, Turn 5

In June 2005, two small moons were discovered orbiting Pluto, much farther out than its larger moon, Charon. For a year, the discovery team, led by planetary astronomer Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., debated what to call the moons. On June 21, 2006, they settled...

Jun 28, 2011

Flying Telescope Chases Down Pluto's Shadow

A NASA airborne telescope has chased Pluto's shadow over the Pacific Ocean to measure new details of the dwarf planet's atmosphere. The telescope, called the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), is a 100-inch (2.5-meter) reflecting instrument mounted on a highly modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. A stronomers used the flying...

Jul 20, 2011

Pluto Has Another Moon, Hubble Photos Reveal

A tiny new moon has been discovered around Pluto, the fourth and smallest one yet found orbiting the dwarf planet, photos from the Hubble Space Telescope reveal. The moon, which has been temporarily named P4, was spotted in a Hubble survey searching for rings around Pluto. The tiny satellite is...

Jul 21, 2011

Hell of a Choice: Cerberus Leads for New Pluto Moon Name

A fourth moon orbiting the dwarf planet Pluto has just been discovered. The tiny satellite — it's a mere 8 to 21 miles (13 to 34 km) across — showed up as a faint dot on new, long-exposure photos of the Pluto system taken by NASA's Hubble Telescope. But enough...

Jul 21, 2011

New Pluto Moon Foreshadows More Surprises for NASA Probe En Route

The discovery of a new moon around Pluto hints that a NASA spacecraft streaking toward the dwarf planet could uncover more surprises when it finally gets there. The tiny new moon — announced today (July 20) and called P4 for now — brings the number of known Pluto satellites to...

Jul 21, 2011

New Pluto Moon Adds Another Chapter to Dwarf Planet's Saga

The discovery of a fourth moon around Pluto — which astronomers announced Wednesday (July 20) — is just the latest twist in the dwarf planet's convoluted story, one that's packed full of surprises and drama. Pluto was once thought to be as big as the Earth. It was regarded as...

Jul 21, 2011

Hell of a Choice: 'Cerberus' Leads for New Pluto Moon Name

A fourth moon orbiting the dwarf planet Pluto has just been discovered. The tiny satellite — it's a mere 8 to 21 miles (13 to 34 km) across — showed up as a faint dot on new, long-exposure photos of the Pluto system taken by NASA's Hubble Telescope. But enough...

Aug 23, 2011

Countdown: 5 Strange Facts About Pluto

Intro Images of the dwarf planet Pluto taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. CREDIT: NASA, ESA, and M. Buie (Southwest Research Institute) Pluto is so far away from Earth that everything we know about it can be written down on a couple of 3 x 5 inch index cards. Pluto...

Aug 24, 2011

Five Years Later, Pluto's Planethood Demotion Still Stirs Controversy

Five years ago today, the solar system lost a planet. On Aug. 24, 2006, Pluto — which had been known as the ninth planet since its 1930 discovery — was demoted to the newly created category of dwarf planet. The decision was controversial, rankling some scientists who disagreed with the...

Aug 24, 2011

Dwarf Planet Pluto Holds Big Surprises for Speedy NASA Probe

Pluto may be small, but it is proving to be big on surprises. With NASA's New Horizons spacecraft now speeding toward it, our understanding of the dwarf planet should transform even further. We've never had a reconnaissance of a dwarf planet such as Pluto before, and every time we've been...

Aug 31, 2011

The Greatest Mysteries of Pluto

Each week Life's Little Mysteries presents The Greatest Mysteries of the Cosmos, starting with our solar system. For more than 70 years since its discovery in 1930, Pluto had the distinction of being the ninth and final planet in the solar system. But the detection of other objects such as...