Outer Space

Like the newly-identified 2014 UN271, the NEOWISE comet pictured here is a long-period comet originating in the Oort Cloud.

Giant Comet From the Oort Cloud Will Pass by the Sun in 2031

Astronomers used about 40 observations of the object, which is called 2014 UN271, to estimate its size and orbit

A radar image of Venus' largest block of crust, located in the planet's lowlands and identified by the authors of a new paper.

Venus May Still Be Geologically Active

Radar images of the planet’s surface suggest large sections of its crust appear to have moved in the geologically recent past

It’s considered one of the coldest and smallest exoplanets discovered so far.

This Neptune-Like Exoplanet May Have Water Clouds

Despite the possible presence of water vapor, TOI-1231 b is likely not habitable because of its size

This will be the first NASA mission to Venus since 1990.

With Two New Missions, NASA Announces Return to Venus by 2030

The projects, DAVINCI+ and VERITAS, will explore the planet's past and Earth's similarities with its sister planet

Streaked across Ganymede's surface are bright light-colored regions of ridges and grooves that overlap darker-colored terrains along the icy shell. The textured scar-like areas suggest that the moon's surface underwent extreme geologic changes over time.

NASA's Juno Space Probe Zooms by Largest Moon in the Solar System

The flyby will be the closest any spacecraft has flown near Ganymede in over two decades

These baby bobtail squid going to the International Space Station for an experiment that examines whether space alters the symbiotic relationship between the squid and a bioluminescent bacterium that allows them to glow.

NASA Is Launching Tardigrades and Baby Squid Into Space

The experiments could help astronauts stay healthy and survive longer outside Earth’s atmosphere

A tiny piece of orbiting debris punched a five-millimeter-wide hole in the robotic arm's insulation.

Space Junk Hit a Robotic Arm on the International Space Station

The arm, called Canadarm2, remains functional and will continue with its next mission

Researchers found that the bears could withstand an impact of up to 900 meters per second and shock pressures of up to 1.14 gigapascals (GPa). Any higher than those speeds, the seemingly invincible water bears turned to mush.

Water Bears Can Survive Impact Speeds of 1,845 Miles Per Hour

Tardigrades thrive in a variety of extreme conditions, so researchers wanted to know if they could withstand simulated space landing impacts

A photograph captures the total lunar eclipse of January 21, 2019

Get Ready for the Super Flower Blood Moon Eclipse Next Week

Much of the western U.S. will see an extra-large, eerily red full moon on May 26

Mars as photographed by China’s Tianwen-1 probe after it entered the planet's orbit in February.

China's Zhurong Rover Lands on Mars

The achievement cements China as a major player in modern space exploration and could soon deliver discoveries about Mars' geology

Remnants of a supernova called Cassiopeia A, located in our galaxy about 11,000 light-years from Earth. Scientists have long thought that supernovae were responsible for the creation of the heaviest elements, but new research suggests other types of stellar events may also be in play.

Scientists Find Plutonium Made in Outer Space on Ocean Floor

Research suggests the rare, heavy element may have been created by the collision of two neutron stars

Objects such as satellites and rocket debris constantly fall out of orbit and burn up upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere before they can hit the surface. Still, larger pieces like the Long March 5B rocket can survive re-entry and pose a threat to inhabited areas.

Debris From China's Recent Rocket Launch Plunged Into the Indian Ocean

The rocket's uncontrolled orbit was tracked for days and, upon re-entry, received criticism from NASA

Designed to operate for more than a decade, the Chinese Space Station will have 14 refrigerator-sized experiment racks and 50 external docking points designed for experiments outside the station to test how materials react in space.

China Launches First Module of New Space Station Into Orbit

The module is the country's largest spacecraft ever built and marks the first step in building their new space station by 2022

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s shadow seen on the surface of Mars and captured by its own down-facing camera during its second test flight on April 22.

NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter's Next Mission? Mapping the Red Planet From Above

After successful test flights, NASA is expanding Ingenuity’s mission to further explore its abilities as an aerial scout

The lunar module Eagle, carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, ascends back up to the command module Columbia with Michael Collins. It is often said that Michael Collins is the only human, living or dead, who is not in this photograph.

Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins on the Past and Future of Space Exploration

On the occasion of the lunar landing's 50th anniversary, we spoke to the former director of the National Air and Space Museum

NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this image of swirling clouds in Jupiter's northern latitudes on November 3, 2019

Raindrops Are Surprisingly Similar on Other Planets

Whether they are made of water, methane or liquid iron, raindrops' size and shape are limited by the same equations

Soon after Ingenuity's lift-off and landing, the drone sent a black and white photo of its shadow during the flight back to engineers on Earth through the rover.

NASA's Mars Helicopter Completes First Historic Test Flight on Another Planet

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirmed Ingenuity's successful lift off into the Martian sky after receiving data from the Perseverance rover

The fireball cruising across the sky was most likely a fragment of an asteroid called a 'bolide'.

Fireball Illuminates Skies Across East Coast of Florida

The asteroid fragment weighed 900 pounds and hit Earth's atmosphere at 38,000 miles per hour

The Perseverance captured this image of itself and the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter days before its maiden flight.

What to Expect When Ingenuity Takes Flight This Week on Mars

Nicknamed 'Ginny,' the Mars helicopter is set to take off from the surface of the Red Planet no earlier than April 14

In the new reprocessed image, ionized oxygen is seen in blue and ionized hydrogen and nitrogen glow red.

NASA Reveals Spectacular New Hubble Telescope Image of the Veil Nebula

Advanced processing techniques brought out finer details of the nebula’s filaments and delicate threads of translucent ionized gas

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