EurekAlert! News by Subject: Space & Planetary

Space & Planetary

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Oct-2026 13:16 ET (22-Oct-2026 17:16 GMT/UTC)

4-May-2026

Astronomers explore the surface composition of a nearby super-Earth

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Peer-Reviewed Publication

JWST Observations: The James Webb Space Telescope analysed the rocky exoplanet LHS 3844 b, revealing a dark, hot surface without an atmosphere.

Surface Composition: The analysis indicates the planet's surface is likely composed of basalt or mantle rock, ruling out a composition similar to Earth's silicate-rich crust.

Geological Activity: The findings suggest that LHS 3844 b may have undergone prolonged geological inactivity, as no signs of volcanic gases were detected.

Journal: Nature Astronomy

4-May-2026

Non-rotating early galaxy is a surprise to astronomers

University of California - Davis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have made a surprising discovery about a galaxy long, long ago and far, far away: It isn’t rotating.

Journal: Nature Astronomy
Funder: NASA Headquarters, Danish National Research Foundation, Space Telescope Science Institute

4-May-2026

New Star Wars-like planet candidates with two suns discovered

University of New South Wales
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team of astronomers led by UNSW Sydney have piloted a new method to find planets – and in the process, found 27 potential new worlds in double star systems.

Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

1-May-2026

Under crushing hypergravity, flies adapt — and recover

University of California - Riverside
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Hypergravity experiments on fruit flies point to a surprising resilience in how the body responds to high gravitational environments like those experienced by fighter pilots or by astronauts upon reentry to Earth’s atmosphere.

Journal: Journal of Experimental Biology

30-Apr-2026

UBCO breakthrough could transform future wireless networks

University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Unlike traditional systems that rely on complex and power-hungry circuitry, SIS technology enables fast, low-energy signal processing by controlling how signals propagate through space

Journal: IEEE Wireless Communications

30-Apr-2026

Coloring the map to reduce visual drift in GNSS-denied navigation

Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team has developed a camera-only visual odometry (VO) system that uses prebuilt colored point cloud maps to deliver more accurate and robust localization with reduced drift in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-challenged environments.

Journal: Satellite Navigation

30-Apr-2026

Giant planet’s slimmer profile

Weizmann Institute of Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a new study published today in Nature Astronomy, Weizmann scientists, who led an international team from Italy, the US, France and Switzerland, provide the most precise determination yet of Jupiter’s size and shape.

Journal: Nature Astronomy

30-Apr-2026

The DAMPE satellite sheds light on the origin of cosmic rays

Université de Genève
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A century after their discovery, cosmic rays—particles of extreme energy originating from the far reaches of the universe—remain a mystery to scientists. The DAMPE (Dark Matter Particle Explorer) space telescope is tackling this phenomenon, particularly investigating the role that dark matter may play in their formation. This international mission, which includes the University of Geneva (UNIGE), has made a major breakthrough by highlighting a universal feature of these particles. The results are published in the journal Nature.

Journal: Nature

30-Apr-2026

‘Floating University’ sets sail again

Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)
Business Announcement

30 April 2026 / Kiel / Mindelo. Tomorrow, fourteen Master’s students in the West African Master’s programme ‘Climate Change and Marine Sciences’ will begin their two-week training and research voyage aboard the research vessel POLARSTERN. Travelling from Mindelo in Cabo Verde to Bremerhaven, Germany, they will carry out physical, biogeochemical and biological measurements together with ten experienced scientists. This is the fourth time that the Floating University is taking place under the leadership of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. This initiative significantly contributes to the goals of the UN Decade of Ocean Science and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the WASCAL programme (West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use).