The moon's orbit isn't a perfect circle. Instead, it's more stretched out, kind of like an oval, which means its distance from Earth varies by about 30,000 miles (48,000 km). The surface of the moon ...

Over 4.6 billion years ago, Earth took shape from a spinning cloud of dust and gas surrounding the young sun. Tiny particles within this cloud collided and clumped together, driven by gravity and ...

Some of Earth's oldest rocks buried deep in Western Australia may hold new clues about the dramatic event that gave rise to ...

Planetary scientist Adeene Denton runs computer simulations to investigate Pluto, the moons of Saturn and other icy bodies in the solar system.

The study of our Moon has experienced a renaissance in recent years, particularly through ongoing and planned sample return missions, which allow us to study lunar rock samples at unprecedented detail ...

The moon was formed 4.5 billion years ago in a "giant impact" that left Earth with a two-hour day, according to new research. Scientists have long debated the circumstances which led to the formation ...

Eons ago, in the frigid depths of our solar system, a dramatic collision occurred between two icy worlds. Instead of a catastrophic smash-up, the two bodies “kissed,” merging temporarily like a ...

This composite image of Pluto, right, and Charon, its largest moon, showcases photos captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / SwRI Unlike how scientists believe ...

Bursts of light captured crashing into the moon last week were caused by dual asteroid strikes against the lunar surface that ...

The largest and oldest crater on the moon did not form as we initially suspected, a new study suggests. The findings hint that a specific region of the lunar surface could be more scientifically ...