Outer Space

During the Cold War, the Military Had Plans to Wage War in Space

The U.S. Army's Future Weapons Office proposed theoretical ways to defend non-existant lunar bases

This composite image features Pluto and its largest moon Charon in enhanced color.

Sorry Pluto, You Still Aren’t a Planet

A new test for planetary status leaves the diminutive world and its dwarf planet kin out of the family portrait

This creamy expanse is Sputnik Planum, the western lobe of the heart-shaped feature on Pluto.

Pluto May Have Ice Volcanoes at the Bottom of Its Heart

Two southern peaks have depressions that hint they once spewed icy slurry onto the tiny world's surface

Watch 30 Minutes of Mesmerizing, Ultra-HD Sun

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory stares at the sun so you don't have to

An artist's concept of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission at Mars.

The Sun Stole Part of Mars' Atmosphere, and NASA Was Watching

Observations from the MAVEN spacecraft should help scientists figure out if and when Mars had the right conditions for life

These galaxies are smiling at you thanks to general relativity.

Seven Simple Ways We Know Einstein Was Right (For Now)

For the past 100 years, these experiments have offered continued evidence that general relativity is our best description of gravity

An artist's rendering of the MOA-2011-BLG-262 system, which hosts a potential exomoon orbiting a Jupiter-like planet.

In a Rare Pairing, a Venus-Like Planet Has Been Found Around a "Failed Star"

The system offers clues to the way planets and moons form and may aid in the quest to find habitable worlds across the galaxy

Hundreds of thousands of man-made fragments of debris orbit around the Earth, as depicted here in an illustration of the cosmic mess.

A Forgotten Piece of Space Junk is Headed for Earth

The object could be a lost piece of a rocket dating back to the Apollo missions

Light reflecting off Saturn illuminates the plumes shooting out of Enceladus in this 2013 Cassini image.

NASA Spacecraft Heads for Deepest Ever Dive Into Saturn Moon's Plumes

Cassini will plunge into the watery geysers to search for evidence of hydrothermal vents and other clues about the moon's hidden ocean

Planets forming around a young star (artist’s vision)

92 Percent of Possible Earth Twins Have Yet to Be Born

Our young universe promises trillions of more planets to come

An Asteroid Will Buzz by Earth on Halloween

Don't worry—it won't interrupt your Halloween plans

An artist’s rendering shows a white dwarf star shredding a rocky asteroid.

Dead Star Shredding a Rocky Body Offers a Preview of Earth's Fate

The stellar corpse spotted by a NASA telescope backs up a theory that white dwarf stars eat planetary remnants

New Video of Floating Blobs of Fizzy Water in Space

Microgravity is the best place to figure out why raindrops are round

A color composite image highlighting pluto's brilliant diversity of color and texture. The western lobe of the heart—an area rich with nitrogen, carbon monoxide and methane ice—is brightly displayed in the right of the image.

First Official Data From the Pluto Flyby Reshapes the Dwarf Planet’s History

“The ‘little spacecraft that could’ is making a lot of big discoveries,” says Alan Stern

High Definition Video of Jupiter Reveals New Weather in the Great Red Spot

Video portrait shows massive storm changing as it shrinks

The Draconid Meteor Shower Peaks This Week

Clear skies and little moonlight make for great meteor watching

The shiny, dark crust of a meteorite emerges from the snow during an ANSMET collection trip to Antarctica.

Space Rock Hunters Are About to Invade Antarctica

Scientists with the ANSMET program will endure six weeks near the South Pole during an annual field trip to find meteorites

People around the world gathered to photograph and ogle the bright red glow of last night’s supermoon lunar eclipse.

The Photos of the Rare Supermoon/Lunar Eclipse Convergence Do Not Disappoint

Take in the majesty of the unusual astrophysical event with these photos captured around the world

NASA Unveils Giant Ice Cube With Wheels for Exploring Alien Oceans

An underwater rover might one day explore otherworldly seas

50-Year-Old Moon Data Reveals Unseen Earthquakes

Scientists have identified four different types of moonquakes in data left over from Apollo 17

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