Astronomy

The five planets will be visible to the naked eye, but a telescope can add another layer of delight

Don't Miss This Month's Rare Planetary Alignment

Five planets will appear together in the sky—all visible to the naked eye

Colored images show the bright supernova as seen by two different telescopes (the Dark Energy Camera on the left and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network 1-meter telescope on the right).

The Brightest Supernova Ever Observed Tests the Limits of Physics

This explosion blazes about 570 billion times brighter than our Sun, according to researchers

Star Light, Star Bright, Here's Why the Heavens Look Brighter Tonight

It’s not just because the air is clearer

The data readout of the "Wow! signal"

Was the "Wow!" Signal From Aliens or a Comet Flyby?

The 1977 blast from space is often cited as our best evidence of alien contact, but a news study suggests it may have just been comets

A meteorite discovered in the Australian ouback on New Year's Eve.

4.5 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite Found in the Australian Desert

This 3.7 pound rock could help scientists learn about Earth's origins

Globular cluster 47 Tucanae

Old, Dense Star Clusters Might Be the Place to Look for Complex Alien Life

The age and density of globular star clusters could give alien life both the time and resources necessary to brew complex society

Zodiac woodcut

How Are Horoscopes Still a Thing?

No, there’s no science behind an astrologer’s prediction for 2016, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be accurate

A logarithmic scale captures the whole universe

This Image of the Universe Captures Its Immensity

Comets, planets, galaxies and the cosmic web crowd together in this portrait of everything known

A copy of a photograph of a solar eclipse taken by the English astronomer Arthur Eddington in 1919.

Long-Lost Photos of Eclipses and Stars Found in an Observatory Basement

The stash of old negatives includes a 97-year-old copy of the photo that helped confirm the Theory of Relativity

The "Dog Star" Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky.

Night Sky Wonders to Ring in the New Year

The star Sirius is high in the sky, and comet Catalina is at its brightest

What Exactly Was the Christmas Star?

The Star of Bethlehem may not have actually been a star

Astronomers have discovered strange chemicals in interstellar objects like the Horsehead Nebula.

Scientists Are Searching for Space Chemicals That Could Never Exist on Earth

Bizarre chemicals in deep space could help explain the origins of life

The Ursid meteor shower appears to radiate from the Little Dipper (top right).

Two Sparkling Meteor Showers Will Bookend the New Year

Sky-watchers should be on the lookout in coming weeks for the Ursid and Quadrantid showers

Poltergeist and Quijote Are Among the New Approved Names for Alien Planets

People in 45 countries submitted ideas for naming exoplanets and their host stars after legends and literature

Geminid meteors streak across the sky behind a barn in western Iowa.

Catch a Glimpse of the Comet Catalina and the Geminid Meteor Shower

The meteor shower peaks next week as comet Catalina gets closer throughout the month

The LISA Pathfinder probe on display in September, 2015.

A Space-Based Physics Lab Could Help Scientists Study How Gravity Warps Spacetime

The LISA Pathfinder Probe could help reveal the ripples caused by black holes and supernovae

The top of Mauna Kea with Keck Observatory in the foreground

Court Revokes the Construction Permit for Contentious Hawaiian Telescope

Protestors physically blocked access to the Mauna Kea construction site for more than a year and now the project faces another roadblock

The Pleiades Star Cluster

Look to the Skies This Month for the Pleiades Star Cluster

The Seven Sisters will shine bright from dusk till dawn for the rest of November

A new exoplanet was discovered by telescopes at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory

A New Earth-Sized Planet Is Getting Astronomers Riled Up

It could be a rare opportunity for scientists to study an exoplanet’s atmosphere

Orion's Return, Falling Fireballs and Other Treats in November's Night Skies

A constellation rises as the Leonid and Taurid Meteor Showers return

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