Science ❯ Astrophysics

Solar System Formation

Protoplanets Celestial Bodies Inner Solar System Protoplanetary Disks Planetary Bodies Comet Disintegration Asteroid Characteristics Planetary Evolution Asteroids Interstellar Objects

Study Reconstructs South Pole–Aitken Impact, Points to Mantle Debris Near Artemis Landing Zone

Simulations indicate a 260-kilometer layered impactor at about 13 km/s shaped the basin, leaving mantle material downrange.

Stories older than 24h

Hubble Accidentally Captures Comet C/2025 K1 Fragmenting in Real Time

Far-Side Moon Samples Link South Pole–Aitken Impact to Lunar Asymmetry

Rubin Observatory Finds Fastest-Spinning Large Asteroid in First Commissioning Data

Prospector’s ‘Gold Nugget’ Identified as 4.6-Billion-Year-Old Meteorite in Victoria

Study Traces Moon-Maker Theia to the Inner Solar System

Science Study Points to Inner‑Solar‑System Origin for Moon‑Forming Impactor Theia

Moon-Forming Impactor Likely Originated Just Inside Earth’s Orbit, New Isotope Study Finds

Study Pins Jupiter’s Birth to 1.8 Million Years After the Solar System Began

Ancient Sahara Meteorites Exhibit Mercury-Like Chemistry with Origins Unresolved

Webb Reveals Silicate Clouds and Moon-Forming Disk in YSES-1 System

Hydroxyl Molecules Detected on Asteroid Psyche

Impact Vaporization Identified as Key to Moon's Atmosphere