Astronomy

Two natural color images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft show the changing appearance of Saturn's north polar region between 2012 and 2016.

The Swirling Storm Above Saturn’s North Pole Changed Colors

The years-long shift may be a sign of changing seasons

A new map reveals the most detailed picture of hydrogen atoms in the Milky Way ever made.

This Breathtaking Map Traces Hydrogen Throughout the Milky Way

Scientists have made the most detailed map of our home galaxy’s hydrogen currently possible

Uranus May Have Been Hiding Two Moons

Researchers spotted ripples in the planet's rings, which may be tracks left from two tiny moons

A before-and-after composite shows the lunar surface with a surprising starburst-like jet pattern.

Craters Are Forming on the Moon Faster Than Anyone Predicted

New research digs into the changes on the pockmarked lunar surface

Hubble's eXtreme Deep Field Image

There Are Ten Times as Many Galaxies as Previously Thought

By these latest estimates, two trillion galaxies are scattered throughout the vast universe

The new dwarf planet—too small to join the ranks of our solar system's eight planets—orbits the sun roughly twice as far away as Pluto.

Say Hello to Our Solar System’s Newest Dwarf Planet

Spotting the dwarf planet could help in the search for Planet Nine

October Skies Herald Meteor Showers Throughout the Month

The Draconid and Orionid meteor showers will streak across night skies this month

Our part of the Milky Way is more impressive than anyone thought.

Our Galactic Neighborhood Is Bigger Than Scientists Once Thought

Goodbye spur, hello spiral arm

China Switches on the World's Largest Radio Telescope

Measuring 1,640 feet across, the massive device will scour the skies for signs of life and new galaxies

A 19th century illustration of the zodiacal constellation Ophiuchus.

NASA Didn’t Change Your Astrological Sign, Blame It on Earth's Wobbly Rotation

Astrology is not a science

The forces that formed Pluto's heart may not be romantic, but the feature was love at first sight for scientists.

Scientists Finally Figured Out Why Pluto Has That Icy Heart

The dwarf planet’s geography, atmosphere and chemistry helped form its most famous feature

A harvest moon peeking through the trees on September 8, 2014.

This Weekend's Stargazing Triple Threat: Harvest Moon, Eclipse and Possible Supermoon

This will be the last harvest moon eclipse until 2024

The Ratan-600 radio telescope, which reported the signal to the SETI Institute

That "Strong" SETI Signal Probably Isn't Aliens

Sorry folks, E.T. is still not phoning home

The dark galaxy Dragonfly 44

Discovery of a New Class of Galaxies Challenges Our Understanding of How Galaxy Formation Works

Dragonfly 44 near the Coma cluster has the same mass as the Milky Way but only 1 percent of the visible matter

An artist's impression of Proxima b

Astronomers Have Discovered an Earth-Sized Exoplanet in Our Cosmic Backyard

But what would potential life look like on this planetary neighbor?

Astronomy students at the Banneker and Aztlán Institutes in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Why the Universe Needs More Black and Latino Astronomers

Astronomy has one of the worst diversity rates of any scientific field. This Harvard program is trying to change that

Abell 370: Galaxy Cluster Gravitational Lens

Long After Einstein, Cosmic Lensing Reaches Its Full Potential

How Hubble is taking advantage of Einstein’s theories to study the most distant galaxies

Grab your sunglasses—all of those far-off stars, black holes and celestial bodies contribute to your killer tan.

Part of Your Suntan Comes From Photons That Are Billions of Years Old

Thank bodies from beyond the galaxy for a bit of that golden glow

Maria Zuber, first woman to run a NASA spacecraft mission, says she has a "genetic predilection" to explore space.

This Scientist Seeks Out the Secret History of Other Worlds

Maria Zuber has spent her career enabling discoveries beyond Earth. She says the best is yet to come

A long-exposure of Perseids taken in August 2004.

The Perseid Meteor Shower Looks Even More Beautiful When You Know Where It Comes From

Each streak across the sky is a fragment of the original material of our solar system

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