Geologists discover the first evidence of 4.5-billion-year-old “proto Earth”
Materials from ancient rocks could reveal conditions in the early solar system that shaped the early Earth and other planets.
3 Questions: How a new mission to Uranus could be just around the corner
PhD student Chloe Gentgen discusses why the ice giant is such a high-priority solar system target, and how the Starship launch vehicle may hasten our explorations there.
Study finds exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e is unlikely to have a Venus- or Mars-like atmosphere
Astronomers led by EAPS postdoc Ana Glidden ruled out several atmospheric scenarios for the planet, narrowing ideas of what habitability there might look like.
Planets without water could still produce certain liquids, a new study finds
Lab experiments show “ionic liquids” can form through common planetary processes and might be capable of supporting life even on waterless planets.
When Earth iced over, early life may have sheltered in meltwater ponds
Modern-day analogs in Antarctica reveal ponds teeming with life similar to early multicellular organisms.
Why are some rocks on the moon highly magnetic? MIT scientists may have an answer
A large impact could have briefly amplified the moon’s weak magnetic field, creating a momentary spike that was recorded in some lunar rocks.
New research, data advance understanding of early planetary formation
Led by Assistant Professor Richard Teague, a team of international astronomers has released a collection of papers and public data furthering our understanding of planet formation.
Astronomers discover a planet that’s rapidly disintegrating, producing a comet-like tail
The small and rocky lava world sheds an amount of material equivalent to the mass of Mount Everest every 30.5 hours.
MIT welcomes 2025 Heising-Simons Foundation 51 Pegasi b Fellow Jess Speedie
The fellowship supports research contributing to the field of planetary science and astronomy.
Study: Climate change will reduce the number of satellites that can safely orbit in space
Increasing greenhouse gas emissions will reduce the atmosphere’s ability to burn up old space junk, MIT scientists report.
MIT engineers prepare to send three payloads to the moon
Data from the devices will help future astronauts navigate the moon’s south polar region and search for frozen water.
Seeking climate connections among the oceans’ smallest organisms
MIT oceanographer and biogeochemist Andrew Babbin has voyaged around the globe to investigate marine microbes and their influence on ocean health.
MIT astronomers find the smallest asteroids ever detected in the main belt
The team’s detection method, which identified 138 space rocks ranging from bus- to stadium-sized, could aid in tracking potential asteroid impactors.
Liquid on Mars was not necessarily all water
New study proposes that some of the minerals seen on Mars today may have formed in liquid CO2 instead of water.
Asteroid grains shed light on the outer solar system’s origins
A weak magnetic field likely pulled matter inward to form the outer planetary bodies, from Jupiter to Neptune.