Outer Space

Three Scientists Behind the Detection of Gravitational Waves Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics

The trio is the leading force behind the massive pair of detectors that can measures ripples in the fabric of space-time smaller than the width of a proton

Rosetta's last image, a 11-foot square area of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Scientists Discover One Last Image From the Rosetta Mission

The probe sent partial data for the photo before it crash landed on a comet September 30, 2016

An artist's impression of ripples in the fabric of space-time formed from the collision of two black holes.

Scientists Detect Fourth Gravitational Wave, Homing in on an Ancient Black Hole Collision

By triangulating measurements, scientists could soon detect these once elusive energy bursts on a weekly basis with greater precision than ever before

An illustration envisioning how the satellite OSIRIS-REx will collect rocks from the asteroid Bennu

How a Satellite Just Used Earth Like a Slingshot

On its way to study an asteroid for clues about the origins of life, OSIRIS-REx got a little boost from Earth's gravity

Behind Saturn's icy rings is the moon Tethys, illuminated by the planet's reflected sunlight.

How Scientists Engineered Cassini’s Final Demise

After a rich scientific life, Cassini went out in a blaze, becoming one with the planet it had revolved around for so long

Astronaut Rick Mastracchio poses with the bacteria grown with antibiotics on the International Space Station

Why Bacteria in Space Are Surprisingly Tough to Kill

Learning how space changes microbes might help fight antibiotic resistance here on Earth

This illustration shows NASA's Cassini Spacecraft above Saturn's northern hemisphere.

Celebrate Cassini's Historic Voyage in Eight Incredible Images

After 13 years of exploration, one of NASA's most successful probes will crash into Saturn's atmosphere

Skybolt 2 launch

Rocket Powered by Recycled Tires and Hope Launches in the U.K.

With a successful test of the Skybolt 2 rocket, Starchaser Industries takes a step towards sending tourists into space

An image from the New Horizons satellite showing three officially named features on Pluto: Norgay Montes, Hillary Montes and Sputnik Planitia

Pluto's Surface Features Get Their First Official Names

The International Astronomical Union approved 14 dark and heroic names for the erstwhile planet

X9 solar flare emitted by the sun

NASA Captures Strongest Solar Flare in a Decade

This morning, the sun emitted two X-class flares, disrupting GPS and radio signals

2.8 Million Stars Sparkle in This Incredible Image of the Milky Way

The Gaia star surveyor captured a densely packed area near the center of the galaxy

A development test model of the Voyager spacecraft looms large in the Air and Space Museum's Exploring the Planets gallery.

Forty Years Later, the Voyager Spacecraft Remain Beacons of Human Imagination

Remembering the mission that opened Earth’s eyes to the vastness and wonder of space

An illustration of what the surface of exoplanet TRAPPIST-1f could look like if it had liquid water

Could These Nearby Earth-Sized Exoplanets Harbor Liquid Water?

Analysis of the TRAPPIST-1 stellar system shows that several of its planets have the right conditions for liquid water

To the naked eye, the Albireo star system looks like a single, brilliant star. In reality, this binary system consists of two stars, similar to the ones witnessed by Korean astronomers nearly 600 years ago.

The Secret Lives of Cannibal Stars Revealed, Thanks to 15th Century Korean Astronomers

For the first time ever, astrophysicists observe the entire life cycle of a binary star system

Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia

Astronomers Detect 15 Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts From a Distant Galaxy

The new cosmic blasts may help researchers finally figure out what's producing the energy in space

Backyard Worlds is using the power of citizen scientists to search for the elusive Planet 9.

The Universe Needs You: To Help in the Hunt for Planet 9

How one citizen science endeavor is using the Internet to democratize the search for distant worlds

The image of Antares captures by VLTI

This Is the Best Image of a Star Beyond Our Solar System (Yet)

A detailed convection map of the red supergiant Antares is spectacular, but it also shows we don't know everything that's going on

Scott Kelly upon his return to Earth.

Scott Kelly's Journey Home After His Year in Space

America’s longest-orbiting astronaut describes his rocky return to Earth in this adaptation from his book 'Endurance'

The Sun is seen setting through the Martian atmosphere by the Curiosity rover. Nighttime can bring turbulent snowstorms in the planet's atmosphere

Violent Snowstorms May Rack the Martian Night

Simulations show how the water snow falling on Mars may fall much differently than we're used to here on Earth

A Near Earth Object

Meet Florence, the Giant Asteroid That Will Buzz by Earth This September

The 2.7-mile-long, near-Earth object will give astronomers a chance to study the asteroid up close

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