http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/jupiter/ Jupiter Research. From Hubble's latest pictures of Jupiter's new red spot to astronomy articles on Jupiter's moons, learn all the Jupiter facts here. en-us Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:05:02 EST Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/jupiter/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125091057.htm The planet Jupiter keeps asteroids on stable orbits -- and in a similar way, electrons can be stabilized in their orbit around the atomic nucleus. Calculations have now been verified in a new experiment. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125091057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111154039.htm The smallest exoplanets yet discovered orbit a dwarf star almost identical to Barnard's star, one of the sun's nearest neighbors. The similarity helped the astronomers calculate the size of the distant planets. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111154039.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213144717.htm In 1977, Jimmy Carter was sworn in as president, Elvis died, Virginia park ranger Roy Sullivan was hit by lightning a record seventh time and two NASA space probes destined to turn planetary science on its head launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The identical spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, were launched in the summer and programmed to pass by Jupiter and Saturn on different paths. Voyager 2 went on to visit Uranus and Neptune, completing the "Grand Tour of the Solar System," perhaps the most exciting interplanetary mission ever flown. Scientists who designed and built identical instruments for Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were as stunned as anyone when the spacecraft began sending back data to Earth. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:47:47 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213144717.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121114903.htm Lightning storms on planets like Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars may also produce "sprites," bursts of electric energy. Scientists have re-created the atmospheres of these planets to produce artificial "sprites," and the research could lead to a new understanding of electrical and chemical processes on these planets. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121114903.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110142102.htm Just as an expert chess player sacrifices a piece to protect the queen, the solar system may have given up a giant planet and spared the Earth, according to a new article. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110142102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027132502.htm Three planets -- each orbiting its own giant, dying star -- have now been discovered by a team led by Alexander Wolszczan, the discoverer of the first planets ever found outside our solar system. One of these stars has another mystery object orbiting it. The research is expected to shed light on the evolution of planetary systems around dying stars and the influence of metal content on the behavior of dying stars. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027132502.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111011154451.htm A team of astronomers has discovered over two dozen new free-floating brown dwarfs, including a lightweight youngster only about six times heftier than Jupiter, that reside in two young star clusters. What's more, one cluster contains a surprising surplus of them, harboring half as many of these astronomical oddballs as normal stars. Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:44:44 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111011154451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006084235.htm Uranus' highly tilted axis makes it something of an oddball in our solar system. The accepted wisdom is that Uranus was knocked on its side by a single large impact, but new research rewrites our theories of how Uranus became so tilted and also solves fresh mysteries about the position and orbits of its moons. Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:42:42 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006084235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907122534.htm An international team of astronomers has set out on the largest program to date exploring the alien atmospheres of "Hot Jupiters" -- massive planets in solar systems far away from our own. Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907122534.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110830215633.htm On its way to the biggest planet in the solar system -- Jupiter, NASA's Juno spacecraft took time to capture its home planet and its natural satellite -- the moon. Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:56:56 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110830215633.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811105115.htm Astronomers have discovered the darkest known exoplanet -- a distant, Jupiter-sized gas giant known as TrES-2b. Their measurements show that TrES-2b reflects less than one percent of the sunlight falling on it, making it blacker than coal or any planet or moon in our solar system. Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:51:51 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811105115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110805132541.htm NASA's solar-powered Juno spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 5, 2011 to begin a five-year journey to Jupiter. Juno's detailed study of the largest planet in our solar system will help reveal Jupiter's origin and evolution. As the archetype of giant gas planets, Jupiter can help scientists understand the origin of our solar system and learn more about planetary systems around other stars. Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110805132541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110803092309.htm In August of 2016, when NASA's Juno Mission begins sending back information about the atmosphere of the planet Jupiter, research done by engineers using a 2,400-pound pressure vessel will help scientists understand what the data means. Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:23:23 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110803092309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110802232505.htm When it comes to magnetic fields, Jupiter is the ultimate muscle car. It's endowed with the biggest, brawniest field of any planet in the solar system, powered by a monster engine under the hood. Tue, 02 Aug 2011 23:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110802232505.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801171302.htm NASA's Juno Mission to Jupiter is slated for launch Aug. 5 from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. The primary goal of the mission is to understand the origin and evolution of the massive gas planet. The data should reveal not only the conditions of the early solar system, but also help scientists to better understand the hundreds of planetary systems recently discovered around other stars, she said. Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801171302.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110721131201.htm Earth's aurorae, or Northern and Southern Lights, provide a dazzling light show to people living in the polar regions. Shimmering curtains of green and red undulate across the sky like a living thing. New research shows that aurorae on distant "hot Jupiters" could be 100-1000 times brighter than Earthly aurorae. They also would ripple from equator to poles (due to the planet's proximity to any stellar eruptions), treating the entire planet to an otherworldly spectacle. Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110721131201.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110714102456.htm Scientists have discovered 10 new planets. Amongst them is one orbiting a star perhaps only a few tens of million years old, twin Neptune-sized planets, and a rare Saturn-like world. Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:24:24 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110714102456.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110630091826.htm By tracking atmospheric features on Neptune, a planetary scientist has accurately determined the planet's rotation, a feat that had not been previously achieved for any of the gas planets in our solar system except Jupiter. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110630091826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110617124013.htm Earlier this month, ESA's Mars Express performed a special maneuver to observe an unusual alignment of Jupiter and the martian moon Phobos. The impressive images of this rare event are now available.. Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:40:40 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110617124013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110615080207.htm A new scenario describing a key step in the formation of the solar system has been proposed by a French-American collaboration. According to this model, Jupiter migrated towards the Sun to the position where Mars is today before beginning its outward migration to its current location, much further away. This is how the researchers explain the formation of the asteroid belt as well as the size difference between the terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars). The scientists are now seeking to include in this scenario Uranus and Neptune, which are the most distant planets in the solar system. Wed, 15 Jun 2011 08:02:02 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110615080207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110606171416.htm Jupiter's travels profoundly influenced the solar system, changing the nature of the asteroid belt and making Mars smaller than it should have been. These details are based on a new model of the early solar system developed by an international team that includes NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110606171416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110605132437.htm Planetary scientists have long wondered why Mars is only about half the size and one-tenth the mass of Earth. As next-door neighbors in the inner solar system, probably formed about the same time, why isn't Mars more like Earth and Venus in size and mass? A new paper provides the first cohesive explanation and, by doing so, reveals an unexpected twist in the early lives of Jupiter and Saturn as well. Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:24:24 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110605132437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110518131757.htm Astronomers, including a NASA-funded team member, have discovered a new class of Jupiter-sized planets floating alone in the dark of space, away from the light of a star. The team believes these lone worlds were probably ejected from developing planetary systems. Wed, 18 May 2011 13:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110518131757.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110512150723.htm A new analysis of data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft reveals a subsurface "ocean" of magma beneath the surface of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io. The finding is the first direct confirmation of such a magma layer at Io and explains how Io can be the most volcanic object known in the solar system. Thu, 12 May 2011 15:07:07 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110512150723.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110511134213.htm More than 500 extrasolar planets -- planets that orbit stars other than the sun -- have been discovered since 1995. But only in the last few years have astronomers observed that in some of these systems the star is spinning one way and the planet, a "hot Jupiter," is orbiting the star in the opposite direction. Wed, 11 May 2011 13:42:42 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110511134213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110420143622.htm Data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have revealed that Enceladus, one of Saturn's diminutive moons, is linked to Saturn by powerful electrical currents -- beams of electrons that flow back and forth between the planet and moon. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110420143622.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110418084007.htm Detecting exoplanets that orbit at large distances from their star remains a challenge for planet hunters. Now, scientists have shown that emissions from the radio aurora of planets like Jupiter should be detectable by radio telescopes such as LOFAR, which will be completed later this year. Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:40:40 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110418084007.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110331204358.htm Like forensic scientists examining fingerprints at a cosmic crime scene, scientists working with data from NASA's Cassini, Galileo and New Horizons missions have traced telltale ripples in the rings of Saturn and Jupiter back to collisions with cometary fragments dating back more than 10 years ago. Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:43:43 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110331204358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303111417.htm New observations have been made of the giant planet around beta Pictoris. Discovered in 2009, this planet, called beta Pictoris b, has now been detected again with the NaCo instrument on the VLT. Astronomers find that the planet is moving around the star. They have also measured the mass and the effective temperature of beta Pic b. Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303111417.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110204205538.htm With input from scientists around the world, American and European scientists working on the potential next new mission to the Jupiter system have articulated their joint vision for the Europa Jupiter System Mission. The mission is a proposed partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency. The scientists on the joint NASA-ESA definition team agreed that the overarching science theme for the Europa Jupiter System Mission will be "the emergence of habitable worlds around gas giants." Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110204205538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110126171852.htm A hurtling asteroid about the size of the Titanic caused the scar that appeared in Jupiter's atmosphere on July 19, 2009, according to new research. Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110126171852.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101229111111.htm Ten years ago, on Dec. 30, 2000, NASA's Cassini spacecraft made its closest approach to Jupiter on its way to orbiting Saturn. The main purpose was to use the gravity of the largest planet in our solar system to slingshot Cassini towards Saturn, its ultimate destination. But the encounter with Jupiter, Saturn's gas-giant big brother, also gave the Cassini project a perfect lab for testing its instruments and evaluating its operations plans for its tour of the ringed planet, which began in 2004. Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101229111111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101215083226.htm Researchers have been monitoring a cyclone on Saturn for more than five years. This makes it the longest-lasting cyclone detected to date on any of the giant planets of the Solar System. Images from the Cassini probe were used to carry out this study. Wed, 15 Dec 2010 08:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101215083226.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101214085333.htm Astronomers have discovered a new alien world. This "hot Jupiter," now named Qatar-1b, adds to the growing list of alien planets orbiting distant stars. Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:53:53 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101214085333.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101128215754.htm New NASA images support findings that one of Jupiter's stripes that "disappeared" last spring is now showing signs of a comeback. These new observations will help scientists better understand the interaction between Jupiter's winds and cloud chemistry. Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101128215754.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101118141545.htm An exoplanet orbiting a star that entered our Milky Way from another galaxy has been detected by a European team of astronomers using the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. The Jupiter-like planet is particularly unusual, as it is orbiting a star nearing the end of its life and could be about to be engulfed by it, giving tantalizing clues about the fate of our own planetary system in the distant future. Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101118141545.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101108191615.htm Astronomers have discovered an unusual star system which looks like, and may even once have behaved like, a game of snooker. Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:16:16 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101108191615.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101027145508.htm Magnetometers developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., for the Juno mission to Jupiter were delivered recently to Lockheed Martin in Denver. Designed and built by an in-house team of Goddard scientists, engineers and technicians, these instruments will map the planet's magnetic field with great accuracy and observe its variations over time. Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:55:55 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101027145508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101021104743.htm Astronomers have developed a new way to weigh the planets in our solar system -- using radio signals from the small spinning stars called pulsars. Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:47:47 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101021104743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101004211646.htm The frigid ice of Jupiter's moon Europa may be hiding more than a presumed ocean: It is likely the scene of some unexpectedly fast chemistry between water and sulfur dioxide at extremely cold temperatures. Although these molecules react easily as liquids -- they are well-known ingredients of acid rain -- researchers now report that they react as ices with surprising speed and high yield at temperatures hundreds of degrees below freezing. Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101004211646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100920190745.htm Been outside at midnight lately? There's something you really need to see. Jupiter is approaching Earth for the closest encounter between the two planets in more than a decade -- and it is dazzling. Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:07:07 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100920190745.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100910203809.htm Two amateur astronomers who independently observed and videotaped an asteroid striking the giant planet Jupiter on June 3 have opened the possibility, in effect, of a giant research lab in space for planetary scientists. Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:38:38 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100910203809.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100909212309.htm Amateur astronomers working with professional astronomers have spotted two fireballs lighting up Jupiter's atmosphere this summer, marking the first time Earth-based telescopes have captured relatively small objects burning up in the atmosphere of the giant planet. The two fireballs -- which produced bright freckles on Jupiter that were visible through backyard telescopes -- occurred on June 3, 2010, and August 20, 2010, respectively. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:23:23 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100909212309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100812151628.htm There are places in space where the gravitational tug between a planet and the Sun balance out, allowing other smaller bodies to remain stable, called Lagrangian points. Trojan asteroids have been found in some of these stable spots near Jupiter and Neptune. Now astronomers have discovered the first Trojan asteroid in a difficult-to-detect stability region at Neptune -- the Lagrangian L5 point. Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100812151628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100713122456.htm NASA's Juno spacecraft will be forging ahead into a treacherous environment at Jupiter with more radiation than any other place NASA has ever sent a spacecraft, except the sun. In a specially filtered cleanroom in Denver, where Juno is being assembled, engineers recently added a unique protective shield around its sensitive electronics. Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:24:24 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100713122456.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100623132100.htm Astronomers have measured a superstorm for the first time in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, the well-studied "hot Jupiter" HD209458b. The very high-precision observations of carbon monoxide gas show that it is streaming at enormous speed from the extremely hot day side to the cooler night side of the planet. The observations also allow another exciting "first" -- measuring the orbital speed of the exoplanet itself, providing a direct determination of its mass. Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100623132100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100621133749.htm Scientists have discovered six diverse new planets, from 'shrunken-Saturns' to 'bloated hot Jupiters', as well a rare brown dwarf with 60 times the mass of Jupiter. Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:37:37 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100621133749.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100616102856.htm New and detailed observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have provided insights into two recent events on Jupiter: the mysterious flash of light seen on June 3 and the recent disappearance of the planet's dark Southern Equatorial Belt. Wed, 16 Jun 2010 10:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100616102856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100521191622.htm The hottest known planet in the Milky Way galaxy may also be its shortest-lived world. The doomed planet is being eaten by its parent star, according to observations made by a new instrument on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS). The planet may only have another 10 million years left before it is completely devoured. Fri, 21 May 2010 19:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100521191622.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100520092950.htm Astronomers have researched the impact of a large-sized celestial body on the planet Jupiter last July. According to the studies, the main spot, a very black cloud comprising the waste materials produced by the impact, reached a size of about 5,000 km in the atmosphere of Jupiter, even though it was surrounded by a halo caused by the falling of the material expelled from the atmosphere of up to 8,000 km, slightly smaller than the size of the Earth. Thu, 20 May 2010 09:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100520092950.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100507160545.htm Engineers have shifted NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft into a mode that transmits only spacecraft health and status data while they diagnose an unexpected change in the pattern of returning data. Preliminary engineering data received on May 1 show the spacecraft is basically healthy, and that the source of the issue is the flight data system, which is responsible for formatting the data to send back to Earth. The change in the data return pattern has prevented mission managers from decoding science data. Fri, 07 May 2010 16:05:05 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100507160545.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100409144354.htm As our telescopes grow more powerful, astronomers are uncovering objects that defy conventional wisdom. The latest example is the discovery of a planet-like object circling a brown dwarf. It's the right size for a planet, estimated to be 5-10 times the mass of Jupiter. But the object formed in less than 1 million years -- the approximate age of the brown dwarf -- and much faster than the predicted time it takes to build planets according to some theories. Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:43:43 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100409144354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322101527.htm When the Galileo probe descended through Jupiter's atmosphere in 1995, it found neon to be one-tenth as abundant as predicted. This unexpected finding has led researchers to propose an explanation: at about 10,000 kilometers below the cloud tops, helium condenses into droplets and falls inward, dragging neon with it and depleting Jupiter's outer layers of neon as well as helium. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322101527.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311143830.htm By precisely tracking NASA's Cassini spacecraft on its low swoops over Saturn's moon Titan, scientists have determined the distribution of materials in the moon's interior. The subtle gravitational tugs they measured suggest the interior has been too cold and sluggish to split completely into separate layers of ice and rock. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311143830.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100304112239.htm Mars Express encountered Phobos March 3, smoothly skimming past at just 67 km, the closest any artificial object has ever approached Mars' enigmatic moon. The data collected could help unlock the origin of not just Phobos but other "second generation" moons. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100304112239.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100224165221.htm Astrophysicists have determined that a massive planet outside our Solar System is being distorted and destroyed by its host star -- a finding that helps explain the unexpectedly large size of the planet, WASP-12b. It's a discovery that not only explains what's happening to WASP-12b; it also means scientists have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to observe how a planet enters this final stage of its life. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:52:52 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100224165221.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100124162151.htm Differences in the number and speed of cometary impacts onto Jupiter's large moons Ganymede and Callisto some 3.8 billion years ago can explain their vastly different surfaces and interior states, according to new research. Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100124162151.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106093642.htm When scientists confirmed in October that they had detected the first rocky planet outside our solar system, it advanced the longtime quest to find an Earth-like planet hospitable to life. The rocky planet CoRoT-7 b is, however, a forbidding place. If its orbit is not almost perfectly circular, then the planet might be undergoing continuous, fierce volcanic eruptions. Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:36:36 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106093642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091217183444.htm In the new blockbuster Avatar, humans visit the habitable -- and inhabited -- alien moon called Pandora. Life-bearing moons like Pandora or the Star Wars forest moon of Endor are a staple of science fiction. With NASA's Kepler mission showing the potential to detect Earth-sized objects, habitable moons may soon become science fact. Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091217183444.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091215141510.htm Planetary scientist Francis Nimmo will outline the impact of ice dynamics on the habitability of the moons of Saturn and Jupiter on Tuesday, Dec. 15, at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091215141510.htm