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Solar System
Trends
- 1Hawaiʻi's Keck Observatory data reveals youngest known exoplanet●Data from Hawaiʻi’s W. M. Keck Observatory reveals youngest planet outside solar system
Data gathered by Hawaiʻi's W. M. Keck Observatory has led to the discovery of the youngest planet yet found outside our solar system. The finding, reported via observations made from the Maunakea facility, gives astronomers a rare glimpse of a planet in the earliest stages of formation and could reshape understanding of how planetary systems develop.
- 2ESA's JUICE spacecraft sweeps low over the Indian Ocean●Heads up (especially if you’re currently on a ship in the Indian Ocean). ESA’s JUICE mission to Jupiter & its icy moons
ESA's JUICE mission to Jupiter and its icy moons is performing its second Earth gravity assist, passing less than 10,000 km overhead at 13:45 CEST, directly above the Indian Ocean. The flyby uses Earth's gravity to adjust the spacecraft's trajectory toward Jupiter. A final Earth slingshot is planned for 2029 before JUICE continues to the outer solar system.
- 3Study finds utility-scale solar lowers grid costs●Our study didn’t ignore grid costs. We measured them — and utility-scale solar lowers them.
Researchers have pushed back against claims that their work overlooked grid expenses, saying the analysis directly measured them and found that large-scale solar power reduces overall system costs. The findings, published via Commonwealth Beacon, argue utility-scale solar delivers savings for electricity customers rather than added burdens, in a contribution to ongoing debates over renewable energy economics.
- 4Solar System's First Planets May Have Formed From Fire, Not Ice●The Solar System’s First Planets Were Made of Fire, Not Ice
A new report from Universe Today claims the Solar System's earliest planets formed in fiery, hot conditions near the young Sun rather than in the cold outer regions long assumed. The idea challenges the standard picture of planet formation, in which rocky worlds built up close to the Sun while icy bodies accumulated farther out. Astronomers and space enthusiasts are weighing what this would mean for theories of how Earth and its neighbours came together.