Outer Space

This year, Smithsonian magazine's festival is themed "Science Meets Science Fiction."

The Future is (Still) Here: Day Two of Smithsonian's Second Annual Conference

Instead of holding its own global fest this year, Nerd Nite descended on our nation's capital.

A combination of infrared and X-ray observations indicates that a surplus of massive stars has formed from a large disk of gas around Sagittarius A*.

Inside Black Holes

Three recent black hole events and how they shape our universe

Left, a golden record (© Nasa/National Geographic Society/Corbis) Right, the other side of the golden record shows directions to play it. Identical records carrying the story of Earth were sent into deep space on Voyager 1 and 2.

The Golden Record 2.0 Will Crowdsource A Selfie of Human Culture

Inspired by a similar effort in the 1970s, the project wants your help in creating a portrait of humanity to send out of the solar system

Atlas V Launches the New Horizons Mission to Pluto.

Take a Peek Into the Future's Present With Our Live Coverage of Smithsonian's Two-Day Festival

The magazine's 2nd annual conference brings together experts, authors and visionaries in the fields of science, science fiction and technology.

In 2015, an Ad for a Sports Drink Will Land on the Moon

One giant leap for advertising

Yardangs on Mars

What in the World (Or Off of It) Is a Yardang?

They're on Mars, they're beautiful and they have nothing to do with pirates

The new Mars rover, scheduled for 2020, is to be built on roughly the same platform as the Curiosity rover.

NASA's Going to Mars in 2020 And Wants to Bring Back Martian Rocks

The next NASA Mars rover, scheduled for 2020, may be the first step in a sample return mission

Sunrise as seen from the ISS earlier today.

Watch the World Float by the International Space Station's New HD Webcam

Four HD cameras are streaming amazing, serene views of Earth...back to Earth

Watch the Universe Evolve Over 13 Billion Years

A new computer simulation, called Illustris, can take you on an epic journey through space and time

Long-Haul Space Flights Might Damage Astronauts' Brains

This warning is based on a study involving rats, but researchers think it could apply to humans as well

Galileo Demonstrating Telescope

Was Shakespeare Aware of the Scientific Discoveries of His Time?

For his new book, Dan Falk followed a group of scholars who argue, unlike most, that the playwright was up to speed with the latest astronomy

Mars’ Super-Thin Atmosphere May Mean that Flowing Water Was the Exception, Not the Rule

A new analysis suggests that Mars' atmosphere was often too thin to support liquid water

The bright spot on the lower left of Saturn's A ring is not Peggy, but rather the visible sign of Peggy's gravitation distortion of the ring structure.

Saturn’s Rings May Be Shredding One of Its Moons to Bits

Or giving birth to a new one

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This Skydiver Was Almost Hit by a Meteorite in Mid-Air

No one's ever filmed a meteorite in dark flight

Enceladus as seen by Cassini.

Saturn’s Icy Moon Enceladus May Have a Giant Liquid Water Lake

New proof that Enceladus is a watery world

Felix Baumgartner's full-pressure suit and helmet were designed to provide protection from extreme temperatures and served as the sky diver's only protection until he reached the lower atmosphere.

Felix Baumgartner's Spacesuit From His Death-Defying Stratospheric Jump Joins the Smithsonian Collections

The pressurized suit, parachute and the balloon gondola that allowed Baumgartner to break records goes on view at the Air and Space Museum

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Astronomers Just Discovered an Asteroid With Rings

They aren't supposed to be there, but...there they are.

One small chunk of one small slice of one portion of the absolutely massive photo of the Milky Way captured by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

This 6 GB Photo of the Milky Way Is As Stunning As It Is Massive

Over the past 10 years the Spitzer Space Telescope captured this gorgeous infrared panorama of the Milky Way

An artist's rendering of Kepler-34b, an exoplanet believed to orbit two stars.

How Do Astronomers Actually Find Exoplanets?

A handful of ingenious methods have been used to detect the planets too far away for us to see

A venture capital firm plans to launch hundreds of miniature satellites—capable of beaming websites to the world's most remote areas for free—into space by 2015.

Could Mini Satellites Provide Free Internet to All?

A venture capital firm plans to make the World Wide Web available to anyone with a WiFi-enabled device

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