Read article: Microlensing reveals free-floating planets alone in deep space Planetary science Research update Microlensing reveals free-floating planets alone in deep space Astronomers find evidence for four Earth-sized planets wandering freely through space, unbound to any host star
Read article: Huge Oort Cloud object has been spotted entering the outer solar system Planetary science Research update Huge Oort Cloud object has been spotted entering the outer solar system Comet-like object was revealed in data from the Dark Energy Survey
Read article: Electrons ‘surf’ on Alfvén waves in plasma-chamber experiments Plasma physics Research update Electrons ‘surf’ on Alfvén waves in plasma-chamber experiments Research explains how aurora-creating particles are accelerated
Read article: Smartphones could create distributed space weather observatory Planetary science Research update Smartphones could create distributed space weather observatory Data taken by magnetometers could illuminate solar storms
Read article: Irregularly shaped Moon dust creates complex scattering effects Nanomaterials Research update Irregularly shaped Moon dust creates complex scattering effects Tomography technique measures the shape of lunar soil particles in rich detail
Read article: X-ray emissions from Uranus are detected for the first time Planetary science Research update X-ray emissions from Uranus are detected for the first time Source of three faint signals remains a mystery
Read article: Super Earth is astronomer’s dream for atmospheric studies Planetary science Research update Super Earth is astronomer’s dream for atmospheric studies Puffed up atmosphere of Gliese 486b is ideal for spectroscopic measurements
Read article: Mysterious moons Phobos and Deimos formed from the same body, say researchers Planetary science Research update Mysterious moons Phobos and Deimos formed from the same body, say researchers Breakup of larger body, not asteroid capture, created curious orbits
Read article: The race to discover superheavy elements, a dinosaur killer and other visitors from outer space Nuclear physics Podcasts The race to discover superheavy elements, a dinosaur killer and other visitors from outer space In this week’s podcast we chat about making new isotopes and what to do if you find a meteorite
Read article: Iridium in undersea crater confirms asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs Planetary science Research update Iridium in undersea crater confirms asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs Rock cores from Chicxulub crater contain elements associated with Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event