Solar System

Auroras – the solar system's universal light show (except Neptune... sorry, Neptune)

Data from 2021 Mercury flyby shows same mechanisms cause phenomena throughout our star system

Science18 Jul 2023 | 9

Phosphates on Enceladus could mean sub-surface oceans teeming with aliens

Scientists find last missing precondition for life on Saturnian moon

The Reg in Space14 Jun 2023 | 14

Saturn's rings are shrinking and boffins will use the Webb 'scope to find out why

They go down, down, down, with the burning pull of gravity ... or do they?

Science03 May 2023 | 16

ESA's Jupiter-bound Juice spacecraft has a sticky problem with its radar

Time to shake, rattle, and roll the probe to remove pesky antenna pin

Science29 Apr 2023 | 28

NASA tweaks Voyager 2's power supply to avoid another sensor shutdown

By redirecting energy from probe's voltage regulator, NASA buys itself another three years

Science27 Apr 2023 | 54

NASA solar satellite burns up over the Sahara desert

Goodbye RHESSI, thanks for all the data

Science22 Apr 2023 | 9

ESA's Juice blasts off to squeeze secrets from Jupiter's moons

Few orbital boosts and we'll get the snaps in eight years

Science14 Apr 2023 | 6

Astronomers (re)discover never-before-seen phenomenon on Saturn

Rain of icy and rocky debris from rings was initially dismissed as bad data

Science31 Mar 2023 | 11

First-known interstellar Solar System visitor 'Oumuamua a comet in disguise – research

Strange appearance and behavior perplexed astronomers, led some folks to believe it was alien spaceship

Science23 Mar 2023 | 42

NASA spots first evidence of an active volcano on Venus – in a big pile of CD-ROMs

Disc-trawling expedition of 30-year-old data turns up trumps

Science16 Mar 2023 | 11

Boffins find 'missing link' between interstellar ice and what comes out of the tap

Now drink your space juice

Science10 Mar 2023 | 26

Ring system discovered around dwarf planet Quaoar leaves astronomers puzzled

Structure appears to be so far out, the Roche limit may need revising

Science09 Feb 2023 | 55

Literally, look who's back: A comet that last swung by Earth 50,000 years ago

All right, C/2022 E3, we know what you're thinking – and we can explain everything, kinda

Science04 Jan 2023 | 13

China publishes first images captured by Kuafu-1 solar probe

Initial attempt at longitudinal magnetic map of our local star

Science14 Dec 2022 |

Aerobot designed for hell-world Venus first braves something worse: Nevada

And by worse, we mean: The endless casinos

Science14 Oct 2022 | 16

China launches solar observation satellite

Will work from Earth orbit, as opposed to the Sun-grazing paths of US and EU solar probes

Science12 Oct 2022 | 1

Scientists overjoyed after DART smashes into asteroid Dimorphos, contact lost

Video Task failed successfully

Science27 Sep 2022 | 48

This hero probe will smash into an asteroid to see if we can deflect future killer rocks

Feature We chat to the scientists involved in first-of-its-kind mission

Science24 Sep 2022 | 47

The years were worth the wait. JWST gives us an amazing view of Neptune's rings

Pic But uh-oh, friction faults already starting on distant probe

Science22 Sep 2022 | 30

Internet Society recommends development of Solar-System-scale routing framework

Needs to be autonomous, interoperable, and capable of scaling to 100,000 nodes

Networks20 Sep 2022 | 26

Ryugu asteroid: It came from the outer solar system, say scientists

Japanese Hayabusa-2 probe samples reveal coarse-grained phyllosilicates that may have served as 'cradles' for organics and water

Science16 Aug 2022 | 16

Toyota battles Tesla, Ford with own residential energy storage battery

Another assault in the battery market as automakers race to translate EV tech to the home

Personal Tech13 Jun 2022 | 9

Humanity has officially touched the Sun (or, at least, one of its probes has)

Parker solar probe partly determines where Sol ends and begins

Science15 Dec 2021 | 69

ESA's Solar Orbiter sails safely past Earth despite orbiting debris concerns

See if you can guess when the spacecraft thrusters took over

Science01 Dec 2021 | 12

We finally get to spot a burnt-out comet and what is it covered in? Talcum powder

We might just be witnessing a final state of these incredible space rocks

Science07 Apr 2021 | 28

Scientists stumped by strange X-rays from Uranus

UCL astronomer tells us: 'We were surprised by our discovery'

Science02 Apr 2021 | 36

Boffins get first measurements of Jupiter's stratospheric storms that show 'unique beast' dwarfing Earth's issues

Even though its Great Red Spot appears to be shrinking, the storm behind it will probably live on

Science20 Mar 2021 | 12

NASA is sending two small hand-luggage suitcase-sized spacecraft into the void to study binary asteroids

Janus mission seeks solution to orbiting space rocks in the Solar System

Science12 Sep 2020 | 27

Shine on you crazy diamond: We don't know who needs to hear it but NASA's explained the weird shape of the Bennu asteroid

Something that doesn't involve viruses, politics and wildfires

Science10 Sep 2020 | 16

The results are in: Science says the Solar System's magnetic heliosphere looks like a deflated croissant

Pic Or maybe a spleen? Stomach? Snot bubble? You decide

Science06 Aug 2020 | 42

If you think you've got problems, pal, spare a thought for these boffins baffled by 'oddball' meteorites

Chondritic and achondritic? Back to the drawing board, then

Science27 Jul 2020 | 28

'First ever' snap emerges of something vaguely resembling our solar system 300 ly away. We'll take 10 tickets

Pic and video Gassy giants make Jupiter look like an absolute tiddler

Science23 Jul 2020 | 32

The volcanoes on Venus aren't dead, say astroboffins, they're merely resting, pining for the planet's lava fjords

We may not know the answer until the 2030s, though

Science21 Jul 2020 | 13

If the Solar System's 'Planet Nine' is actually a small black hole, here's how we could detect it... wait, what?

There may be a small black hole on the edge of our Solar System? 2020, please stop

Science10 Jul 2020 | 109

Well, that's something boffins haven't seen before: A strange alien streaks around Jupiter

Pic We know this sounds like a tall tail but...

Science22 May 2020 | 36

Meteorite's tiny secrets reveal Solar System's sodium-rich, alkaline liquid past – a clue to formation of life

Oh OK, so now we know who to blame for all this mess on Earth

Science13 May 2020 | 19

There's a world out there with a hexagon vortex over its pole packed with hydrocarbon ice crystals. That planet is Saturn

Yet again, science reality is better than science fiction

Science11 May 2020 | 31

Where were you in drought season? Interstellar comet 2I/Borisov dumped 230 million litres of water as it whizzed through Solar System

Vid Come shine, come rain

Science28 Apr 2020 | 14

Nineteen mysterious invaders from another Solar System spotted hanging around the outside edge of ours

Plus astroboffins confirm 'masked' asteroid heading Earthwards

Science24 Apr 2020 | 19

Boffins examine interstellar comet Borisov to find out what its home was like. Pretty unpleasant, it seems

No wonder it came all the way over to our Solar System

Science21 Apr 2020 | 18

Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, surely has no frozen water, right? Guess again: Solar winds form ice

Video Temperatures can soar over 400C on the rocky world, and yet...

Science17 Mar 2020 | 38

In case you want to flee this wretched Earth, 139 minor planets were spotted at the outer reaches of our Solar System. Just an FYI...

Too bad they are likely uninhabitable

Science13 Mar 2020 | 41

Galileo got it wrong – official: Jupiter actually wet, not super-dry: 'No one would have guessed that water might be so variable across the planet'

The 1990s spacecraft, that is

Science20 Feb 2020 | 44

Raw sunlight is going to cause our asteroid belt to spin itself to death by YORPing – but not for another six billion years

The cosmic ballet goes on...

Science11 Feb 2020 | 24

Geoboffins find the oldest matter on Earth: Ancient stardust created before the Solar System formed

That's way, way, way older than the dust off your oldest PC

Science14 Jan 2020 | 23

Boffins find proof that yes, Carl Sagan and Joni Mitchell were right, we really are all made up of star stuff

Sprinkles from extrasolar red giants found here on Earth

Science11 Dec 2019 | 39

We're not trying to be rude here but... there's an ice giant stripping down, emitting gas as it orbits a hot white dwarf

Sighting suggests future of our own Solar System

Science04 Dec 2019 | 17

Boffins hand in their homework on Voyager 2's first readings from beyond Solar System

Probe predicted to outlive Earth on five-billion-year galactic trip

Science05 Nov 2019 | 110

Move over Ceres! There's a new, smaller dwarf planet in town called Hygiea

PIC Spherical shape kicks asteroid into new role

Science28 Oct 2019 | 13

Poor old Jupiter has had a rough childhood after getting a massive hit from a mega-Earth

Jumpin' Jupiter smash, it's a gas, gas, gas

Science15 Aug 2019 | 28

Boffins find asteroid with the shortest solar year of any space rock in our Solar System

Kilometre-sized chunk of rock that was missed for decades

Science09 Jul 2019 | 19

Look, we've tried, but we just can't write this headline without saying boffins have probed Uranus's cold ring

Cluster of rock and ice a sweltering 77K, we're told

Science21 Jun 2019 | 24

Thanks to the NASA InSight probe (and British tools), you can now listen to the sound of a Martian earthquake

Video Astroboffins rejoice over tiny rumblings underground

Science24 Apr 2019 | 8

There are pictures all over the internet of a big dark spot on Uranu... Oh no, wait, it's Neptune

Astroboffins find and probe a new planetary wonder

Science26 Mar 2019 | 53

Boffins discover new dust clouds in the Solar System, Mercury has a surprisingly filthy ring

Venus also turns up a number of undiscovered orbital partners

Science13 Mar 2019 | 32

Today's good news is that whoever has to clean up Solar System will have an easy job: Lack of small debris in Kuiper belt

None of that tiny space rubble to sweep away, judging by snaps of Pluto's acne spots

Science01 Mar 2019 | 10