Ancient gravitational interactions with Venus and Jupiter could help explain some quirks about our moon's orbit. Scientists think Earth's only natural satellite was born when a rogue Mars-sized object struck a young and still molten Earth. The collision created a disk of debris around Earth that eventually coalesced to form our moon about 4.5 billion years ago. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

Jupiter's volcanic moon Io is veiled by a thin atmosphere, but how much its volcanoes and chunks of frozen gas contribute to its atmosphere has puzzled scientists for decades. The New Horizons spacecraft recently documented the moon's glowing aurora, however, giving researchers a chance to solve the atmospheric mystery. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft, launched from Earth just over a year ago, is heading for a close encounter with the giant planet Jupiter. "Jupiter's just a waypoint to take us to our ultimate destination, which is, of course, the planet Pluto."

The pass will provide the first close-up look at Jupiter and its moons since the Galileo mission, which reached the planetary system in 1995. picked by 2manyusernames 1 year ago

The planet Jupiter is thought to act as a “cosmic vacuum cleaner,” sucking up comets and asteroids that could potentially hit the Earth and endanger all life on our planet. But new research has more closely examined Jupiter's ability to protect the inner solar system, and there are some suprising findings. picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago

The traditional belief that Jupiter acts as a celestial shield, deflecting asteroids and comets away from the inner Solar System, has been challenged by the first in a series of studies evaluating the impact risk to the Earth posed by different groups of object. picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago

Jupiter's atmosphere froths with violent winds and mega-storms as large as the entire Earth, but a recent spacecraft flyby captured the planet in an "unusually calm period," astronomers said. Calm on Jupiter, however, still makes terrestrial hurricanes look like breezes. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

Jupiter is in the news again, this time because its "Baby Red Spot" - a storm less than a year old - appears to have been swallowed up by the massive storm known as the Great Red Spot. This is good occasion to share some of the best photographs of Jupiter and its larger system of rings and moons, as seen by various probes and telescopes over the past 30 years. picked by MissWinkle 4 weeks ago

Four billion years ago, Uranus and Neptune switched places during a gentle ride out to their current orbits. That's the conclusion of Steve Desch, an astrophysicist at Arizona State University, who thinks that all of the gas giant planets took shape twice as close to the sun as they are at present. His work could cut out much of the mystery of how our "impossible" solar system formed. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

Jupiter is changing its stripes, perhaps because its seasons are changing. The orbiting Hubble Space Telescope is capturing some of the most dramatic atmospheric changes ever documented. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Jupiter's moon Io is the most volcanically active place known, and researchers are studying how gases from the moon escape and populate the space surrounding Jupiter. Io is providing insight into how the influence of Jupiter's gravity can heat the moon even though it's located far from the Sun. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

The most spectacular celestial sights over the next couple of weeks are reserved for the early morning sky. Two bright planets will converge, then be joined by the moon. picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

Australian astronomers may have found a solution to how far-away Jupiter and Saturn drive the sun's solar cycle. Astronomer Dr Ian Wilson and colleagues suggest Jupiter and Saturn affect the sun's movement and its rotation, and hence its sunspot activity. picked by AutumnLotus 2 months ago

The Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft has begun snapping images and making scientific measurements of Jupiter, as it nears its closest approach to the planet on 28 February. picked by 2manyusernames 2 years ago

NASA is testing an underwater robot in one of Earth's deepest sinkholes in a first step toward searching for life on Jupiter's icy moon, Europa. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

An underwater robot which "thinks" for itself is being developed to search for life under the ice on one of Jupiter's moons. picked by suebe 1 year ago

Small moons are acting as shepherds using their gravity to herd dust and boulders in Jupiter's faint rings, NASA scientists reported on Tuesday. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

It is the rare gas giant planet that inhabits the outskirts of its solar system. Most are like our own Jupiter and prefer to stick close to their stars, a new study suggests. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Astronomers said Wednesday that they had found a miniature version of our own solar system 5,000 light-years across the galaxy — the first planetary system that really looks like our own, with outer giant planets and room for smaller inner planets.

They also found signs of Elvis and Amelia Earhart. picked by mahler87 6 months ago

Jupiter’s moon Europa is just as far away as ever, but new research is bringing scientists closer to being able to explore its tantalizing ice-covered ocean and determine its potential for harboring life. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

As Jupiter reached opposition earlier this week, it put on a spectacular show of cannibalism for anyone viewing with modest telescopes. picked by deEPCHIll 1 month ago