Archive: Titan’s Young Atmosphere, More
January 19, 2024
These articles from January 2002 still hold interest for us all.
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Pluto Volcano Must Be Young
October 25, 2023
A cryo-supervolcano on Pluto cannot be as old as the planet. What made it erupt relatively recently?
Landslides on Pluto Happened Quickly
May 7, 2020
If Pluto is really 4.6 billion years old, something happened almost instantaneously out there some time ago. In planetary science, where experts are accustomed to thinking everything is billions of years old, sudden unique events present problems. Almost everything should have settled down by now into a routine. One can certainly argue for exceptions, where […]
Radiocarbon Assumptions Questioned
March 21, 2020
Every dating method involves assumptions, because historical sciences are not repeatable like laboratory experiments.
Saturn’s Rings Not Just Young, but “Very Young”
January 18, 2019
Cassini scientists now have reduced the rings' age by an order of magnitude, as if they formed practically "yesterday."
Pluto Rivals Earth in Geological Complexity
September 14, 2018
Call it what you will, Pluto is a planet of surprises. Its active geology is second only to Earth's, say two planetary scientists.
Young Pluto Stuns Scientists with Astonishing Maps
July 16, 2018
New color maps score high on the Wow Factor. How can this lonely dwarf planet still be active? Its moon Charon looks young, too.
What’s Pluto Been Dune? Making Young Sand Dunes
June 4, 2018
Sand dunes were surprising enough on Titan, but et tu, Pluto? and young, recent dunes? Scientists couldn't believe their eyes.
Planetary Youth Continues After Cassini
December 19, 2017
The data gathering phase is over, but the data mining phase will continue for years. This entry also shares some news about other solar system objects showing youthfulness.
Cassini Gets Higher Look at Saturn's Youth
December 10, 2016
Now entering its final dramatic high orbits, the Cassini spacecraft is finding unexpected things for an assumed old planet.
Dawn of a Young Ceres
September 10, 2016
The largest asteroid has a problem: she's too young to get a date.
Titan Ethane Still Missing, and Other Planetary Puzzles
May 7, 2016
We update the problem of Titan's missing ethane and other challenges to billions of years.
First Pluto Papers Published
March 19, 2016
Planetary scientists have published their first official findings about the 9th planet (or dwarf planet), Pluto.
Surprising Youth in the Solar System
January 26, 2016
Four solar system objects in the news look young, not billions of years old.
New Pluto Images Even More Perplexing
September 25, 2015
Pluto has terrain like no other world, leaving scientists perplexed; Enceladus' activity is also inexplicable for "geologic time".