the Solar System

Astronomers report detecting radio waves that may originate from an exoplanet, potentially the first such detection ever made. If confirmed, the signal would suggest the distant planet has a magnetic field, a property never directly observed on a world outside our solar system. The finding is drawing attention from space and astronomy enthusiasts following coverage by major science outlets, with researchers emphasising that further observations are needed to verify the origin of the emission.

New research suggests magnetic fields may have played a key role in the formation of the solar system, potentially influencing how material in the early solar nebula collapsed and clumped into the sun and planets. The finding adds to ongoing debate among scientists about the physical processes that set planetary formation in motion more than 4.5 billion years ago.

The European Space Agency's JUICE mission, bound for Jupiter and its icy moons, passed at less than 10,000 km overhead around 13:45 CEST during its second Earth gravity assist, prompting a heads-up to ships in the Indian Ocean beneath its flight path. The spacecraft will return for one final Earth slingshot in 2029 before heading to the outer solar system.

A widely shared explainer is challenging common misconceptions about the solar system, correcting eight beliefs many people hold about space. It highlights how popular ideas—such as the nature of planet orbits or the makeup of the sun—are often oversimplified or simply wrong. The piece has drawn heavy engagement as viewers compare it against what they learned in school and share the corrections with others.

Cornell University is showcasing a library of images exploring the solar system, according to the Cornell Chronicle. The collection draws on decades of planetary research and spacecraft missions, offering views of planets, moons and other bodies. It highlights the university's long-running role in planetary science and gives the public and researchers access to visual material from across the solar system.

A new report says the first bodies that formed in our solar system were built by heat and fire rather than ice, challenging common assumptions about how the earliest planetesimals came together. The finding suggests rocky, heat-forged material played a bigger role in the solar system's beginnings than icy material, a claim drawing attention from space science readers.

A new podcast episode presented by pikarl turns to Mercury, the smallest planet in the solar system. The episode describes the planet as a genuine oddity: an unusually high mass for its size, a strong magnetic field and a chemical composition that does not fit existing models. According to the discussion, every space probe sent to Mercury has so far deepened rather than solved its mysteries.

German tech publisher heise has introduced an investment comparison calculator that asks whether a rooftop solar PV system is a better investment than an exchange-traded fund. The tool compares returns over the full lifetime of a solar installation, factoring in taxes and inflation. It adds to ongoing debate in Germany about the financial merits of home solar amid high energy prices.

Astronomers have published a revised estimate of how long the Solar System will endure, cutting the figure dramatically from previous expectations. The claim, highlighted by AAS Nova, frames the new life expectancy as vastly shorter than the old one, on the order of a billionfold. Details of the underlying research and what the new timeline actually means for Earth and the planets remain limited in the available coverage.

Battery storage was attached to 37% of new residential solar systems installed in the United States in 2025, according to industry figures reported by pv magazine USA. The share shows storage is becoming a standard companion to rooftop solar rather than a niche add-on, as homeowners seek backup power and protection from rising electricity rates.

Space solar power company Virtus Solis has signed a power purchase agreement with datacenter developer Brae Systems to deliver electricity generated in orbit. The deal marks one of the first commercial arrangements for space-based solar power, a technology long considered speculative, as datacenter operators seek round-the-clock clean energy for AI-driven power demand.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Sandia National Laboratories will co-host a national workshop on solar energy resilience. The event is expected to bring together researchers and industry figures to address how solar power systems can withstand extreme weather and grid disruptions. Details on dates and participants have not yet been announced.

Renewables company X-NOOR has completed a solar installation at a steel wire rope factory in Dubai. The project adds to the growing uptake of solar power by industrial facilities in the United Arab Emirates. Details on the system's capacity and expected output have not been disclosed, and reaction to the announcement has so far been limited.

Investigators have determined that an overflowing pipe caused the chemical leak at the Silfab Solar facility in March. Authorities say the incident stemmed from equipment overflow rather than a more systemic failure. The finding may shape scrutiny of the solar manufacturer's operations and safety practices as the company faces attention over its plant.

A discussion is under way about which biological organisms would make the best candidates for humanity's first missions beyond the solar system, arguing that humans themselves are unlikely to be the first biological astronauts sent that far. The piece points to research on hardy life forms suited to long-duration interstellar conditions, prompting debate about what future deep-space exploration might actually look like.

The Iowa Farmers Union has joined a lawsuit against the US Department of Agriculture challenging cuts to solar funding for farmers. The case contests reductions to federal programs that help farmers install solar energy systems, a key rural renewable energy support.

Farmers are pushing back against the USDA's decision to cut federal assistance for rural solar projects. The reductions affect programs that help farms and rural communities install renewable energy systems, and growers say the loss of support could stall clean energy adoption and raise costs. The dispute highlights growing tension between agricultural interests and federal energy policy.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission brought samples of asteroid Bennu back to Earth, and analyses show the space rock contains material from both the inner and outer reaches of the Solar System. Researchers describe Bennu as a kind of 'Frankenstein' asteroid, assembled from fragments with very different origins, offering new clues about how the Solar System formed.

Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS is being monitored as it moves toward the inner solar system. Its barycentric speed has ticked up to 32.82 km/s, with perihelion about 57 days away. Current brightness sits around magnitude 14.2, meaning it remains a small-telescope target from dark-sky sites, currently in the constellation Aquarius and visible from both hemispheres. Amateur astronomers are following its gradual brightening as the approach continues.

Astronomers may have picked up radio emissions from Beta Pictoris b, a young gas giant orbiting a star about 63 light-years from Earth. If confirmed, it would be the first time radio waves have been detected from an exoplanet, offering a new way to study planets beyond the solar system. Scientists are urging caution until independent observations verify the signal.

Rooftop solar adoption in New England has grown so large that a major gas-fired power plant is being considered obsolete, according to pv magazine USA. The region has now recorded its 500th 'duck curve' day, when midday solar generation suppresses grid demand, reshaping how the power system is run and undermining the economics of large conventional plants.

A Texas court ruling has tightened oversight of how residential solar systems are sold in the state, imposing stricter scrutiny on sales practices in the rooftop solar industry. The decision comes amid ongoing complaints about misleading marketing and aggressive door-to-door tactics by solar installers, and it could influence how other states regulate residential solar sales.