Earthlings off-planet

Hubble has spotted the largest comet nucleus ever seen. According to NASA, the icy core measures about 130 kilometers (80 miles) across. It belongs to the comet C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein), which, although very large, poses no threat to Earth. Even at its closest distance to the Sun, the space snowball will still be 1.6 billion kilometers (1 billion miles) away. Pictured: On the left is the photo of the comet taken by Hubble. On the right is a model of the coma, extrapolated from the photo. Image credit: NASA/ESA/Man-To Hui/David Jewitt /Alyssa Pagan.

Neptune seems to be experiencing some totally unexplained temperature shifts. A new study asserts that over a period of 17 years, the mysterious planet has cooled dramatically, with the exception of its south pole, which has warmed up. Ground-based telescopes indicate that Neptune’s average global temperature plummeted by 8 degrees Celsius (about 46 degrees Fahrenheit) between 2003 and 2018. However, temperatures at the gas giant’s south pole shot up by 11 degrees Celsius (roughly 52 degrees Fahrenheit) between 2018 and 2020 alone.

Scientists may have uncovered stunning new evidence of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. Researchers at the Tanis dig site in North Dakota say they’ve discovered pieces of the asteroid thought to have created the Chicxulub crater underneath Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula 66 million years ago. The American paleontological site also appears to contain a well-preserved dinosaur leg among other interesting fossils.

Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise knows just how dangerous human spaceflight can be. But that doesn’t dampen his passion for exploration. The legendary astronaut joins this week’s Planetary Radio to talk about the historic mission that almost didn’t make it home, his memories of human spaceflight missions that followed and his new book “Never Panic Early.” Pictured: Apollo 13’s damaged service module, as photographed from the lunar module after jettisoning hours before re-entry. Image credit: NASA.

Get the full scoop on the latest NASA budget request. The Planetary Society’s chief advocate and senior space policy adviser Casey Dreier gives a full analysis of NASA’s Presidential Budget Request for fiscal year 2023 in a new article and in the latest episode of Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition. Find out what’s worth celebrating, and what we’ll be advocating for.

Enceladus could possibly be home to life, but when will we find out for sure? Our latest article from Jatan Mehta unpacks the reasons why Saturn’s moon Enceladus might host alien life, and the missions that might someday travel to the icy world to search for it.