Between September and December 2022, a small telescope in the Arizona desert observed a brightening of the plasma torus caused by Io’s charged volcanic particles. — I love Io. It’s my favorite moon not orbiting the Earth and is endlessly fascinating. Io is incredibly volcanic and is often referred to as the ‘most volcanic body in the solar system’, which may not be true and is still debated, but it sure sounds cool. Or hot. Something…

An experiment conducted in Alaska used long-wavelength radio transmissions to hopefully map the mass distribution of a potentially hazardous asteroid. — From the high peaks of the Andes to the deep cold of the Arctic and Antarctic, space science happens in some amazing locales. The dry air, often clear skies, lack of surrounding buildings, and little light pollution help with any number of observations. …

An exoplanet found orbiting a red dwarf star turns out to have the density of a marshmallow, surprising researchers who didn’t expect a planet with an atmosphere that close to an active star. — Astronomers at Kitt Peak have discovered a Jupiter-ish planet orbiting a red dwarf. Now, you know we only bring you exoplanet stories when there is something unusual, and as always, this release is no exception. This planet, TOI-3757 b, has the density of a marshmallow, making this the lowest-density planet…

A trio of asteroid stories: OSIRIS-REx’s sample of Bennu on schedule to return; researchers develop method to map asteroid density distribution; and 3200 Phaethon’s rotation speeds up. — Science can be a long game, especially when dealing with space science. Distances are astronomical; scales are measured in millions and billions. …

Computer models find that eruptions seen on Europa are likely coming from shallow lakes embedded in the ice rather than the subsurface ocean as expected. — Jupiter’s moon Europa likely has a global subsurface ocean that could be habitable. For that reason, NASA is sending the Europa Clipper spacecraft to collect data on the icy moon and possibly even sample some of the plumes that erupt from the surface. …

NASA JPL is developing a new suite of instruments to ingest and analyze liquid samples, and a team of scientists thinks that they can use nitrous oxide as a biosignature. — The search for life beyond Earth is one of the more fascinating scientific endeavors currently underway. Without a way to place robots or humans on distant worlds both within and outside our solar system, scientists have been working to come up with methods that will work from a distance.

New geological evidence finds that Vredefort crater in South Africa was originally 250–280 kilometers in diameter and formed by an object 20–25 kilometers wide. — When we talk about planetary defense, especially in the context of the DART mission, mass extinction events — such as the Chicxulub impact — tend to come up in conversation. That particular event involved an impactor about ten kilometers in diameter which left a crater 180 kilometers across. Not only…

On Monday, September 26, in front of a global audience, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test successfully hit the tiny, 160-meter asteroid Dimorphos. — Congratulations to the DART mission teams! On Monday, September 26, at 23:14 UTC, in front of a global audience, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test successfully hit the tiny, 160-meter asteroid Dimorphos. Images streamed in from the onboard camera, DRACO, as the spacecraft approached the rocky surface, ending with a barely…

An analysis of grains sampled from the asteroid Ryugu finds that the parent body likely formed about two million years after the formation of the solar system. — Didymos and Dimorphos may have all the current media attention, but let’s not forget that Hayabusa2 collected two samples from the asteroid Ryugu, which arrived back on Earth at the end of 2020. Wait… 2020 is over? When did that happen? Anyway, the samples were divided up among several space…