Badain Jaran on the Alxa Plateau is China's third-largest desert: a labyrinth of megadunes up to 460 m, more than a hundred saline and freshwater lakes, and the rare phenomenon of “singing” sands. Sentinel-1 radar images in September 2025 reveal dune density, lake edge dynamics, and seasonal snow on crests. The landscape is simultaneously geologically stable and climatically sensitive, with underground inflows feeding oases and high biodiversity between sand and water.
Senyar, only the second recorded cyclone formed in the Malacca Strait, on November 25, 2025, brought extreme rainfall and devastating floods to Aceh and North Sumatra. Satellites record about 400 mm of rain, and an earthquake on November 27 worsened landslides. Consequences include hundreds dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, and widespread damage across Southeast Asia.
NASA has selected two instruments for Artemis IV that astronauts will deploy at the lunar South Pole: DUSTER for measuring dust and plasma, and SPSS, a seismic station with an active "thumper". Data will reduce risks, guide equipment design, and prepare sustainable operations and the corridor to Mars and the Gateway station.
ESA's Juice mission in November 2025 observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, with initial NavCam confirmations of the coma and tails and a series of measurements from JANUS, MAJIS, UVS, SWI, and PEP instruments. The closest approach was on November 4 (~65 million km), and full scientific packages are expected in February 2026. Observations follow Martian detections from October.
NASA's Perseverance rover has recorded the first audio evidence of electrical discharges inside Martian dust devils, confirming long-standing theories about the triboelectric effect. This discovery fundamentally changes models of atmospheric chemistry and habitability of the Red Planet and provides key data for the safety of future astronauts.
In the Idaeus Fossae region, a "butterfly crater" formed by an oblique impact has been recorded, with two ejecta lobes pointing to ice beneath the surface. The HRSC on the Mars Express probe also reveals mesas and "wrinkle ridges", traces of volcanism and erosion, while comparisons with Hesperia Planum confirm the cause of the shape.