Helium

Experiments show that helium can form compounds with other elements under the pressure deep within giant planets.

Science had traditionally held helium did not form compounds.

Alpha Centauri

Research suggests there's an 85 percent chance of finding a world in the habitable zone of at one of the two main stars of the Alpha Centauri system.

A world has already been found in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri.

Anakyzing Asteroids

A new concept for studying the composition of asteroids involves shooting tiny impactors inti them and analyzing the plasma raised.

First flights could occur in five to ten years.

Cryovolcanoes

Cryovolcanoes relax and disappear over time, a new study suggests.

They are principally made of water ice, and such ice is not structurally strong enough to support the mass of a mountain over time, so the ice slowly relaxes and the mountain goes away.

Another Near Miss

A 30-foot long asteroid missed Earth by about 100,000 miles yesterday.

The miss was the third close call in only nine days.

Orbiting Proxima b

A new study finds it might be possible to put nanoprobes into orbit around Proxima b.

That's the good news.    The bad news is that an orbital mission would take several times longer the a flyby because of the need to manage flight speed.

Perspective

Apple has reported quarterly earnings of over $78 billion.

That's more than four times NASA's proposed annual budget.