moon
We may have found a crater on Jupiter’s moon Io for the first time
This may be the first impact crater spotted on Io NASA/JPL-Caltech/Kevin M. Gill, CC BY 2.0 An amateur astronomer may have found the first crater ever spotted on Jupiter’s moon Io. Io is so volcanically active that eruptions tend to wipe away any impact craters, so we have never seen one until now. Jesper Sandberg,…
Cyanide in the ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus could be good for life
An illustration of NASA’s Cassini spacecraft diving through the plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus NASA/JPL-Caltech The plumes of water vapour erupting from the surface of Enceladus seem to contain hydrogen cyanide, which – perhaps counter-intuitively – is a sign that the the ocean that lies beneath the surface of this icy moon of Saturn could be…
Roo-ver: Australia’s first moon rover has name chosen in public vote
An early impression of how Roo-ver might look Australian Space Agency It hasn’t been built yet and it won’t be hopping like its namesake, the kangaroo, but Australia’s first moon rover has officially been dubbed Roo-ver. More than 8000 suggestions were submitted in a nationwide competition and 20,000 people voted from a shortlist of four…
The moon may enter a new geological period thanks to human activity
US astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon in 1969 NASA Humanity’s influence on the moon is so great that we should define a new geological epoch, just as we are doing on Earth with the creation of the Anthropocene, researchers argue. We should also create lunar “national parks” to preserve areas for…