Outer Space

US satellite SpaceX Starlink 5 is seen in the night passing above Denmark, on April 21, 2020.

How Will Amazon’s Planned Satellite Megaconstellation Impact the Night Sky?

The company plans to launch 3,236 satellites, but astronomers are worried about possible ramifications

This orthographic projection shows Ceres, centered on Occator crater and the brightest spot on Ceres.

NASA Mission Shows Dwarf Planet Ceres Is Geologically Active

Seven studies of data from the Dawn spacecraft’s final orbit makes the case for liquid under the dwarf planet's surface

Goodnight Exomoon takes the classic children’s book Goodnight Moon and explores planetary science in a way that is relatable for the very young.

Inspire Your Toddler’s STEM Career With This ‘Goodnight Moon’ Parody

Astronomer Kimberly Arcand releases her new children’s book ‘Goodnight Exomoon’

This month's picks include Caste, Veritas and The Organ Thieves.

The Forged Gospel of Jesus’s Wife, Hidden Castes and Other New Books to Read

These five August releases may have been lost in the news cycle

They're here until Thursday!

Perseid Meteor Shower Reaches Peak Starting Tonight

The early mornings of August 11, 12 and 13 are the best times to view the annual summer 'shooting star' display

An illustration of high-altitude "shallow lightning" storms on Jupiter

The Forecast on Jupiter Is Cloudy With a Chance of 'Mushballs'

New research describes the gas giant's wild weather

To understand the ozone's composition, scientists analyzed sunlight that filtered through the Earth's atmosphere and reflected off the moon.

Scientists Use Moon as Mirror in Hunt for Extraterrestrial Life

The Hubble Telescope captured reflections of ultraviolet light to test for ozone layers

The view from Dome A during daylight hours is shown here. At night, this spot might offer the best stargazing in the world, scientists say.

This Might Be the Best Stargazing Spot on Earth, According to Scientists

A frigid hill near Antarctica’s South Pole has all the qualifications to be a superior telescope site, researchers say

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover onboard launches from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Thursday, July 30, 2020, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Here Are Three Things the Perseverence Rover Will Do When It Gets to Mars

NASA's newest space robot will build on the goals of previous missions to find out whether life ever existed on the Red Planet

Three of the four units of the ESO's Very Large Telescope, in Chile's Atacama desert

See Two Giant Exoplanets Orbit a Distant Star in This Rare Image

Researchers used the Very Large Telescope in Chile to capture the image

A 3D model of Venus' surface featuring two coronae, which are ring-shaped geological structures associated with volcanic activity. Venus' volcanoes were once thought to be dormant but new research found that at least 37 coronae, including one named Aramaiti which is on the left in this image, are active volcanoes.

Researchers Discover What May Be 37 Active Volcanoes on Venus

Scientists had long assumed Venus' volcanoes were dormant, but a new study suggests the inhospitable planet has 37 active volcanoes

NASA and the European Space Agency released the closest pictures of the sun ever taken last week.

See Our Sun’s Surface in Unprecedented Detail

NASA and the European Space Agency released the closest images ever taken of our sun

According to Getty: Photographed in July 2018, this view looking south at Herbert Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta, shows the Milky Way over Mount Temple and the peaks of the Continental Divide. To the left in the clouds, Mars is hiding. Then Jupiter flanks the Milky Way on the right, while Saturn sits within the Milky Way.

How to See Five Planets in the Night Sky This Weekend

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible during the early morning hours on July 19

Quantum physicist Amruta Gadge became the first to create a Bose-Einstein Condensate—the exotic, elusive fifth state of matter—remotely.

Five Scientific Achievements That Happened During Coronavirus Lockdown

Quarantine did not stop these innovators from discovering new species, creating the elusive fifth state of matter remotely, and more

Comet NEOWISE pictured in the morning sky on July 7

How to Watch Comet Neowise's Spectacular Show

Until mid-August, the comet will be bright enough to spot with the naked eye

Watch Colorful Sunsets on Distant Planets in This NASA Simulation

New models from a NASA scientist show what the sun’s setting might look like on Venus, Uranus and Mars

A new computer model gives insight into how Europa's ocean formed, and how life could use its chemical energy to survive.

Heat in Jupiter’s Moon Europa Might Have Made Its Oceans Habitable

An upcoming NASA mission will get a closer look at the ocean moon

An artist’s rendering of the mysterious object, which has a mass about 2.6 times that of the sun and was consumed by a black hole some 23 times the mass of the sun. Astronomers say it's less massive than any known black hole and more massive than any known collapsed star, called a neutron star.

Distant Black Hole Collides With a Mysterious Object

Scientists detect what is either the heaviest known neutron star or the least massive black hole ever recorded

A rendering of Spaceship Neptune, a commercial spacecraft from the new company Space Perspective, is depicted here. The company says it plans to test its craft in early 2021.

For $125,000, You Could Ride a Balloon Into the Stratosphere

A new company, Space Perspective, announced its plan for a commercial space craft this week

A near-infrared, color image taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the sun glinting off of north polar seas on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Similar glints were spotted from Earth in 2000 at Titan's equator but Cassini found no evidence of liquid there.

Bright Patches on Saturn’s Largest Moon Are Dried-Up Lake Beds

New study tackles a 20-year-old mystery about Titan, the second-largest moon in the solar system

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