
Moon formed when young Earth and little sister collided
It's long been believed that Earth's moon was formed by a significant planetary collision with a Mars-like protoplanet called Theia. Now, a new study suggests the primordial protoplanet that crashed into a young Earth was quite similar in size and composition. ... more
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Europa's Elusive Water Plume Paints Grim Picture For Life
A meteorite may have been responsible for a water plume briefly spotted above Europa two years ago, implying it takes a very rare event to breach the ice on the Jovian moon.
Astrobiologists wo ... more
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Trump vows to relaunch Egypt-Ethiopia talks on dam row
China's birth rate falls to lowest on record
Chile police arrest suspect over deadly wildfires
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Will the moon's first inhabitants live in giant lava tubes?
The moon's first long-term inhabitants will require especially protective shelter. Cosmic radiation, extreme temperatures and the occasional meteorite impacts make the lunar surface a rather hostile place. ... more
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New explanation for Mercury's dark surface
Peering into space, the surface of Mercury appears dark and unreflective, an observation that has long puzzled planetary scientists due to the planet's very low surface abundance of iron (less than ... more
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Soft Landing on the Moon an Extraordinary Challenge
Chinese Chang'e 3 spacecraft on Dec. 14, 2013 became the first probe to soft land on the Moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976. Other missions could follow its footsteps soon as the commerci ... more
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Saturn Spacecraft Returns to the Realm of Icy Moons
A dual view of Saturn's icy moon Rhea marks the return of NASA's Cassini spacecraft to the realm of the planet's icy satellites. This follows nearly two years during which the spacecraft's orbits ca ... more
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Stop blaming the moon
"It must be a full moon" is a common refrain when things appear more hectic than usual. The moon is even blamed when things get crazy at hospital emergency rooms or birth wards. "Some nurses ascribe ... more
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