Outer Space

Ramazzottius varieornatus, the tardigrade examined in the study

Water Bear Genes Could Help Protect Space Explorers From Radiation

A protein produced by tardigrades, a group of microscopic but hardy creatures, protects and repairs DNA damaged by X-rays

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

Produced by the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite, this three-dimensional view of the Milky Way Galaxy is the first of its kind.

Behold a Billion Stars in This Stunning New Map of the Milky Way

Generated from Gaia satellite data, this stellar new map is the most complete chart of our galaxy to date

As more countries and companies send spacecraft to other worlds, scientists are worried about potential contamination risks. Here, NASA's Curiosity rover takes a self-portrait on Mars.

Can We Save Mars From Ourselves?

When we travel to Earth-like worlds, contamination may be inevitable

OSRIS-REx

Watch OSIRIS-REx Head to the Cosmos to Grab a Scoop of Asteroid Dust

Today, NASA will launch the spacecraft which will travel to the nearby asteroid Bennu

Delayed InSight Mission to Mars Slated to Launch in 2018

With redesigned equipment, scientists hope to unearth how the Red Planet came to be

Mario Livio

Astrophysicist Mario Livio on the Intersection of Art and Science

The scientist considers both a response to the vastness of the universe

Philae's final resting spot on the comet. If you look closely the robotic lander's raised leg can be seen in the middle of the image's right edge.

After Two Years of Searching, Comet Lander Philae Finally Found

Photographs of the small probe come just weeks before the mission ends with Rosetta’s comet touchdown

Boldly going where no curatorial object has gone before.

The Mission to Restore the Original Starship Enterprise

The beloved 1960s studio model stars in <em>Building Star Trek</em>, a documentary premiering on Smithsonian Channel this Sunday

An artist's impression of the Milky Way six million years ago, depicts an orange bubble at the galactic center and extending to a radius of about 20,000 light-years. Scientist think that outside of that bubble, a pervasive "fog" of million-degree gas might account for the galaxy's missing matter.

Solving the Mystery of the Milky Way’s Missing Mass

Smithsonian scientists have discovered a huge cloud of super hot gas expanding from the middle of our galaxy

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

After Two Years, Lost NASA Spacecraft Phones Home

Using the Deep Space Network, mission control has reestablished contact with the solar observatory STEREO-B

The first photo of Earth from the moon was taken on August 23, 1966.

Fifty Years Ago, This Photo Captured the First View of Earth From the Moon

And Earth’s view of itself changed forever

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

Visualization of the giant impact that formed the moon

New Moon-Formation Theory Also Raises Questions About Early Earth

A new model of the impact that created the moon might upend theories about earth, too

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