Astronomy

In a type Ia supernova, and the new Iax mini-supernova, a white dwarf star (the one with the disk) eats a nearby star. When it grows big enough, it explodes.

Astronomers Discover Baby Supernovae

This new type of mini-supernova doesn't destroy the star

Artist’s rendition of a ethane lake on Titan.

Haiku Highlight the Existential Mysteries of Planetary Science

Conference-goers put into verse the ethane lakes on a Saturn moon, the orbital paths of Martian moons and a megachondrule's mistaken identity

None

This Mountain Is What Curiosity’s Whole Mission Is About

Since August, Curiosity has been inching toward Mars' Mount Sharp

Space suits might not be this sexy, but sex is space is bound to happen.

Are We Ready to Have Babies in Space?

As technology progresses, and people talk seriously about trips to Mars or other planets, the questions of love and sex in space become more pressing

None

Pluto May Have Ten More Teeny Tiny Moons

Poor little Pluto could have a dozen moons and some rings, and yet it still isn't a planet

None

Eclipses Look Even More Gorgeous From Outer Space

With roiling red Sun and the black disk of Earth, eclipses don't get much prettier than this

Jesper Kongshaug's Northern Lights display at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The Northern Lights—From Scientific Phenomenon to Artists’ Muse

The spectacular aurora borealis is inspiring artists to create light installations, musical compositions, food and fashion

Dennis Hope stands next to a map of the Moon, showing (in red) all the plots of land he’s sold.

Dennis Hope Thinks He Owns the Moon

Dennis Hope claims to own the Moon, and he wants to sell you an acre for just $19.99 plus taxes and fees

Life on Earth May Have Been Seeded by Comets

Researchers at UC Berkeley recently added evidence to the idea that life on earth came from a comet

None

The (Natural) World, According to Our Photo Contest Finalists

From a caterpillar to the Milky Way, the ten finalists in the contest's Natural World category capture the peculiar, the remarkable and the sublime

A black and white (left) and color (right) map of Mercury’s surface.

Behold, The First Full Map of Mercury

"Every square meter of Mercury's surface" in one gorgeous map

How to Make a Sandwich in Space

Astronaut Hadfield is described as "the International Space Station's ambassador to the internet." Now, he's showing you how to make a sandwich, in space

A habitable planet orbits a white dwarf. Here the ghostly blue ring is a planetary nebula—hydrogen gas the star ejected as it evolved from a red giant to a white dwarf.

E.T. Phone Home: New Research Could Detect Signs of Life in this Decade

Thanks to a proposal by astronomers Avi Loeb and Dan Maoz, we could find evidence of extraterrestrial life very soon

None

The Red Planet Is Only Red on the Outside

A rusty sheen turns Mars red, but beneath the rock is a plain gray

None

William Shatner Hijacks Contest to Name Pluto’s Moon

For the Vulcan home world, or the Roman god of fire, Pluto's new moon may soon be named Vulcan

An experimental 3D representation of the nebula IC 1396

Amazing Astrophotography Lets You See Nebulae in 3D

Gorgeous animated gifs give depth to stunning nebulae

None

Massive Meteor Breaks Up Over Russia, Sends Dozens to Hospital

The mid-air explosion of a 10-ton meteor injured more than 500 people

None

Vote on Names for Pluto’s Teeny Moons

Styx, Orpheus, Erebus or something else? What should Pluto's moons be named?

None

New Research Disproves Prehistoric Killer-Comet Theory (Again)

Maybe the problem here is that other prevailing theories of the Clovis’ decline are just super boring by comparison

The triumphant space traveler returned from his/her big adventure?

Traumatized-Looking

Western nations fear the technologies deployed in Iran's space program could be used to develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads

Page 38 of 47