Explainer Space
Gravity on other planets: surface gravity of planets and major moons
Surface gravity ranges from 0.62 m/s² on Pluto to 25.9 m/s² on Jupiter. See NASA values for every planet and major moon, and what you would weigh.
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Category: Space
News Astronomy Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Telescope observations
Hubble Finds a Giant 10-Sided Wave Around Saturn’s South Pole
Hubble tracked an immense, evolving decagon-shaped atmospheric wave around Saturn’s south pole, creating a striking counterpart to its northern hexagon.
News Astronomy Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Observational study with forward modelling
The Universe Is Making Fewer Stars—but It Hasn’t Run Out of Fuel
Astronomy · Peer reviewed. Star formation fell much faster than the universe’s atomic-hydrogen supply, shifting attention from fuel loss to fuel conversion.
News Physics Evidence status: Preprint · Single anomalous event
LUX-ZEPLIN Recorded One Unexplained Flash—Not Dark Matter Yet
Physics · Preprint. One high-energy nuclear-recoil candidate survived LZ’s analysis, making it intriguing—but far from a dark-matter discovery.
News Astronomy Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Model-based geophysical inference
Mars Is 200–400°C Hotter Beneath Its Southern Highlands
Sixteen years of spacecraft tracking indicate a much warmer, softer mantle beneath southern Mars, though the temperatures are model-based.
News Physics Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Laboratory aerospace experiment
Magnetic “Brakes” Push Reentry Plasma Away From Spacecraft
A laboratory magnetic field pushed a simulated spacecraft’s glowing reentry shock layer about 16% farther from the model.
News Astronomy Evidence status: Official announcement · Confirmed mission event
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Launches to Map the Dark Universe
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launched successfully and is traveling to L2, where it will map billions of galaxies and search for exoplanets.
Explainer Space
Blood Moon 2025: Where and When to Witness the Spectacular September Eclipse
In early September, the night sky stages one of its most dramatic acts of the year: a total lunar eclipse—fondly dubbed the “Blood Moon.” The celestial stage will span Asia,…
Explainer Astronomy
WOH G64 vs Stephenson 2-18: Which Star Is Really Bigger?
Stephenson 2-18 is often declared the larger star online, but the evidence does not support a confident winner. WOH G64 has been observed in much greater detail, while the viral…