Planetary Science

Northern and southern lights produced by a recent bout of severe space weather may rival the most intense auroras of the past 500 years

Years of careful planning helped safeguard against last weekend’s severe space weather, but we still don’t know how we’d cope with a monster event

An exploding star is a catastrophe on a cosmic scale, but here on Earth we’re safe from such astral disasters—for now

Alien worlds that glow like lightbulbs or harbor molten-rock rain are revealing planets’ profound cosmic diversity—and pointing the way toward finding those that truly resemble our own familiar Earth

After the spectacular success of the first-ever “Marscopter,” mission planners have soaring ambitions for follow-up flying machines

Astronomy’s future may be slipping away—one climate disaster at a time

The solar system’s outer limits aren’t as clear-cut as you might think

As climate change warms the poles, precious Antarctic meteorites will melt their way down out of scientists’ reach

The Geologic Atlas of the Lunar Globe doubles the resolution of Apollo-era maps and will support the space ambitions of China and other countries

Someday an unlucky outburst from our sun could strike Earth and fry most of our electronics—and we’ve already had some too-close-for-comfort near misses

Perspective and subtle motion allows us to peek over the moon’s edge and into its far side

Facing budgetary pressure for its Mars Sample Return program, NASA has turned to private industry for ideas—perhaps with one specific company in mind