new planet

A colossal cloud stretching about 1,800 kilometres over Mars has drawn attention after reports that it forms and disappears every day. Brazilian outlet Globo explains the phenomenon, which occurs over a giant volcano and is linked to atmospheric circulation on the Red Planet. Readers are curious about why the cloud repeats its cycle so regularly and what it reveals about Martian weather.

Scientists report that an elongated cloud over Mars forms through a physical process never before observed in a planetary atmosphere, a mechanism researchers had thought impossible. The finding is drawing attention from space enthusiasts and planetary scientists, who are discussing what it reveals about Martian weather and atmospheric dynamics on the red planet.

Spanish media report that astronomers have found evidence of a planet that appears to have formed after its host star died, built from material the star expelled during its death. Outlets including MARCA, ABC and El Debate describe it as a 'second-generation' or 'phoenix planet', a world that rose from the ashes of its dead star. If confirmed, it would be an unusual case of planetary formation around a stellar remnant.

A new explainer from Firstpost's Planet Pulse examines why major cities including Bangkok, New York and Delhi are increasingly at risk of flooding and sinking. The report looks at the mix of rising seas, extreme rainfall and rapid urban growth squeezing megacities worldwide, and what their vulnerability signals about climate change pressures on urban infrastructure.

Scientists are expressing concern about a potential El Niño event in 2026, warning the climate pattern could bring extreme weather worldwide, including heatwaves, droughts, floods and disrupted monsoons. The BBC's Global Story examines what researchers know so far, why the timing matters, and how a warming planet may intensify El Niño's effects on food supplies, economies and vulnerable communities across the globe.

Astronomers report a possible planet in the habitable zone of a star roughly 2,000 degrees hotter than our Sun, a rare find given such stars' intense radiation. If confirmed, it would show planets can survive around very hot stars, prompting discussion about how habitable zones work around extreme hosts.

The James Webb Space Telescope has observed extreme debris disks around young stars, where collisions between rocky bodies produce large amounts of dust. Astronomers say these systems offer a window into how our own solar system looked during its early formation, when planets were still assembling from debris.

Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to Earth at 4.37 light-years away, is back in focus. Proxima b, an Earth-mass planet in the habitable zone, orbits Proxima Centauri, and the James Webb Space Telescope may have detected a giant planet around Alpha Centauri A. Scientists say rocky planets could still be hiding around the system's Sun-like stars.

Prosecutors say the suspect in an assault at a Cambridge Planet Fitness knew the victim and attacked a gym employee who tried to intervene during the incident. The details emerged in court proceedings around the case. The disclosure that the attack was not random, and that a staff member was also assaulted while attempting to help, has drawn attention to the incident.

Astronomers have for the first time detected a radio signal originating from a planet outside our solar system, reportedly from Beta Pictoris b, a gas giant orbiting a young star roughly 60 light-years away. The detection could open a new way to study exoplanets' magnetic fields and interiors, and scientists are calling it a milestone for radio astronomy.

NPR's Planet Money examines why American investors are increasingly putting money into European defense startups. The piece explores how growing security concerns in Europe, rising defense budgets, and demand for new military technology have made the region's defense sector attractive to US venture capital and other investors seeking growth opportunities.

Mercury orbits closest to the Sun, receives nearly four times the solar energy per unit area that Venus does, and is the least reflective planet in the Solar System. Yet Venus holds a steady surface temperature near 462°C both day and night, because its atmosphere is about 92 times thicker than Earth's, trapping heat through an extreme greenhouse effect.

Scientists have explained a recurring phenomenon on Mars: every spring and summer morning, a cloud roughly 1,600 km (1,000 miles) long forms above Arsia Mons, one of the planet's giant volcanoes, before evaporating within hours. New simulations show that winds rising over the 19 km (12 mile) peak cool so rapidly that water vapor freezes directly into ice, producing the dramatic elongated cloud.

NASA reports that its SPHEREx space telescope has observed a wide variety of brown dwarfs — objects larger than planets but too small to sustain hydrogen fusion like stars. The mission is cataloguing these dim objects in infrared light, offering new insight into how many brown dwarfs exist and how they form, a finding of note for astronomers.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured images of intricately eroded, light-toned layered deposits in Mars's Arabia Terra region. The oddly shaped formations, photographed by the HiRISE camera, preserve a record of the planet's ancient climate, with layers of similar thickness and brightness hinting at the conditions under which they formed.

Scientists are studying the physics behind an unusual cloud on Mars, described as the planet's oddest. The elongated cloud, which forms over a Martian volcano, has drawn attention for its strange shape and behavior, with researchers exploring the exotic atmospheric mechanisms that could explain how it forms and persists on the Red Planet.

A new study co-authored by SETI Institute affiliate Mohit Melwani Daswani addresses a long-standing puzzle about Mars: the planet shows signs of a wet past, yet its carbonate rock record is sparse. The research suggests groundwater may have carried much of that carbonate material underground, meaning future missions could find evidence of Mars' wetter history beneath the surface rather than in exposed rocks.

Scientists report that an enormous, recurring cloud stretching across Mars may be shaped by physical processes never before observed in any planetary atmosphere. The elongated cloud, which forms over a Martian volcano, has puzzled researchers, and the proposed mechanism could challenge existing models of how clouds behave on other planets.

NASA's science blog has published a new piece asking whether a journey to the depths of ancient Mars is possible, inviting readers to consider what lies beneath the planet's surface and what it could reveal about Mars's early history. The post is being shared among space enthusiasts, who are discussing the planet's interior and the questions it still holds.

Scientists say the strange, elongated cloud that regularly appears over Mars forms through physical processes never before observed in any planetary atmosphere. The cloud, which stretches across the Red Planet near a giant volcano, has puzzled researchers for years, and the finding suggests Martian atmospheric dynamics differ fundamentally from those of Earth and other planets.

Scientists are studying an unusually long cloud formation on Mars, stretching roughly 1,100 miles, which behaves in ways that current atmospheric physics models struggle to explain. The elongated cloud, often spotted over a giant Martian volcano, has prompted new research into atmospheric dynamics on the Red Planet, and observers say the findings could improve understanding of how clouds form in thin, dusty planetary atmospheres.

A decommissioned American Cold War-era spy satellite, nicknamed after actress Farrah Fawcett, has broken apart in orbit, apparently shedding debris in low Earth orbit. The breakup raises fresh concerns about space debris and the growing risks it poses to operational satellites and crewed spacecraft. Commentators online are discussing the event's implications for orbital traffic management and the legacy of aging military hardware still circling the planet decades after launch.

Astronomers have identified a planet that survived the death of its host star, orbiting a white dwarf — the burnt-out remnant left after a star exhausted its fuel. Dubbed a 'Phoenix planet' for rising from the stellar ashes, the finding suggests planets can endure a star's violent end, prompting discussion about what this means for the long-term fate of our own solar system.

The SETI Institute is explaining how astronomers can tell whether a star has consumed its own planets. Lithium naturally disappears inside stars over time, making it unreliable as evidence, but beryllium lasts far longer. Its presence can therefore indicate that rocky worlds were swallowed, offering a new chemical clue in stellar detective work.