The successful impact of NASA’s DART on Dimorphos, the moon of asteroid Didymos, has been analysed using advanced numerical simulations. The results reveal the asteroid’s low surface cohesion and rubble-pile structure, similar to what has been observed on asteroids Ryugu and Bennu.

JWST detections of Si, C and Fe absorption lines in a bright z = 9.31 galaxy with a two-component clump structure suggest that mergers contributed to the rapid build-up of mass and chemical enrichment soon after the Big Bang.

Water molecules in Europa’s icy surface are split into hydrogen and oxygen by charged particle bombardment. NASA’s Juno spacecraft flew near Europa and constrained the production of oxygen in Europa’s surface ice, thus providing only a narrow range to support habitability in its subsurface ocean.

Foreign material delivered as a giant impact can dominate large portions of icy dwarf planets, according to impact simulations. This scenario may explain the peculiar shape and location of the Sputnik Planitia region on Pluto, without the need for a present-day subsurface ocean.

Analysis of high-resolution observations of solar ‘plage’ regions (areas of high magnetic field) shows a correlation between coronal emission and the thermodynamic properties of the chromosphere below. Simulations suggest the same heating source.

Stellar winds of main-sequence stars are extremely important for the evolution of both stars and planets, yet they are challenging to detect. Here a detection of charge-exchange X-ray emission from stellar winds from three main-sequence stars is presented, along with derived mass-loss rates.

Turbulence plays a key role in space and astrophysical plasmas. The study reports evidence of the weak-to-strong transition when Alfvénic turbulence cascades from large to small scales revealed from the Cluster observation of space plasma.

JWST observations of GRB 221009A reveal the associated supernova, confirming that the GRB resulted from the collapse of a rapidly rotating massive star. The lack of r-process emission suggests that these extreme events are not key sources of the heaviest elements.

Venus lacks a magnetic field, leading to interactions between the solar wind and its atmosphere. During its Venus fly-by, BepiColombo observed planetary C⁺ and O⁺ escape into space due to this interaction, which is important for understanding atmospheric evolution.

In response to concerns raised by the Navajo Nation on treating the Moon as a grave, NASA has a unique opportunity to advance the conversation with Indigenous communities regarding how we interact with space environments, and who gets to decide.