Astronomy

An artist's rendering of a star colliding with the surface of a supermassive sphere. In recent years some scientists have surmised that black holes may be hard objects rather than a region of intense gravity and compressed matter.

Could You Crash Into a Black Hole?

Probably not, but it’s fun to think about

Astronomers Find the Smallest Star Yet

The faint orb is just a smidgen bigger than Saturn and around 2,000 to 3,000 times dimmer than our own sun

NASA's Earth-orbiting satellite Hinode observes the 2011 annular solar eclipse from space.

How Eclipse Anxiety Helped Lay the Foundation For Modern Astronomy

The same unease you feel when the moon blots out the sun fueled ancient astronomers to seek patterns in the skies

Is Jupiter the "Star" in Lord Byron's Famous Poem?

According to astronomer Donald Olson, the brilliant star described in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage is actually a planet

Behold, ALMA's image of Betelgeuse

Detailed Images of a Distant Star Hold Clues to Its Ultimate Fate

Sitting some 640 light years from our planet, the star Betelgeuse is on the verge of supernova

Marvel at the sky from the sky with a special chartered flight.

Chase August’s Solar Eclipse Aboard This Special Flight

Alaska Airlines will give away one coveted seat on the chartered flight

Now you see it...

Celebrate the Eclipse With a Color-Shifting Stamp

Your next letter just got more celestial

Will You See August's Great Eclipse? This New Tool Helps You Find Out

Just plug in a zip code and the solar simulator will show when the big event will pass overhead

Researchers now think that most stars—like this pair in the Perseus constellation—form in pairs.

Our Sun Probably Grew Up With a Sibling

But now its buddy is long gone

A simulation of the large-scale structure of the universe

We May Live in a Massive Cosmic Void

If the universe were a block of Swiss cheese, the Milky Way would sit within one of the cheesy holes

This brave little craft will face blinding temperatures near the sun.

NASA Hopes to "Touch the Sun" With a Newly Named Probe

The craft will travel within 4 million miles of the sun's surface

Surprise!

Watch a Partial Solar Eclipse From Space

It's a preview of even more spectacular things to come

Jupiter's South Pole is a cluster of dramatic storms.

New Views of Jupiter Offer Up Marvel and Mystery

From stunning polar images to weird aurorae, the gas giant is even weirder than we thought

Artist's impression of a comet swarm around Tabby's Star

The “Alien Megastructure” Star Is Acting Up Again

A large dip in the star's brightness suggests something massive is orbiting the fiery body

The recently sold bit of Sylacauga meteor, worth 18 times more than gold

Piece of the Meteorite That Struck a Woman Sells for More Than Its Weight in Gold

About the size of a dime, the fraction of the space rock fetched $7,500 at auction

There is no one final theory about the original purpose of the Nazca Lines.

How a German Mathematician Took Responsibility for an Ancient Peruvian Artifact

Maria Reiche lived in a shack in the desert with the Nazca Lines for 40 years

The Parkes radio telescope in Australia, which discovered the first FRB and the most recent burst

Latest Fast Radio Burst From Space Adds to Their Mystery

Researchers trained 11 telescopes on a recent burst's aftermath, but could find no traces of what caused the high energy signal

NASA's Cassini spacecraft captures three of Saturn's moons—Tethys, Enceladus and Mimas—in this group photo.

How and When Did Saturn Get Those Magnificent Rings?

The planet's rings are coy when it comes to revealing their age, but astronomers are getting closer

Everything's better at night.

Time-Lapse Video Captures the Breathtaking Glow of Hawaii's Night Sky

<i>Skyglow</i> allows you to revel in an increasingly rare sight: a starry night

Meet Steve—a strange band of light first spotted by amateur skywatchers.

Amateur Skywatchers Spot New Atmospheric Phenomenon

Its name is Steve, and it’s more common than you might think

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