Outer Space

Schiaparelli Mars Lander Likely Crashed on Descent

The European Space Agency lost contact with the Schiaparelli probe after it jettisoned its heat shield and deployed its parachute

Did a Comet Set Off Global Warming 56 Million Years Ago?

Tiny glass beads found in New Jersey and Bermuda suggest this dramatic warming period began with an impact

Uranus May Have Been Hiding Two Moons

Researchers spotted ripples in the planet's rings, which may be tracks left from two tiny moons

An illustration of the Schiaparelli lander detaching from the Trace Gas Orbiter as it makes its way to the surface of Mars

Five Things to Know About the Schiaparelli Probe Heading for a Touchdown on Mars

A lot is riding on the European Space Agency’s first Mars lander

A before-and-after composite shows the lunar surface with a surprising starburst-like jet pattern.

Craters Are Forming on the Moon Faster Than Anyone Predicted

New research digs into the changes on the pockmarked lunar surface

Hubble's eXtreme Deep Field Image

There Are Ten Times as Many Galaxies as Previously Thought

By these latest estimates, two trillion galaxies are scattered throughout the vast universe

Commercial Modules Are Coming to the International Space Station. But You Can't Visit Anytime Soon

Small, slow steps for private spaceflight

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off on NASA's final space shuttle mission from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on July 8, 2011.

Many of NASA's Recent Successes Actually Date Back to the Bush Administration

Some leaps, launches and grand plans for the future

The new dwarf planet—too small to join the ranks of our solar system's eight planets—orbits the sun roughly twice as far away as Pluto.

Say Hello to Our Solar System’s Newest Dwarf Planet

Spotting the dwarf planet could help in the search for Planet Nine

Two 2001 images from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter show a dramatic change in the planet's appearance when haze raised by dust-storm activity in the south became globally distributed. The images were taken about a month apart.

Major Martian Dust Storms Might Soon Envelope the Red Planet

A plus for meteorologists but perhaps bad news for rovers

October Skies Herald Meteor Showers Throughout the Month

The Draconid and Orionid meteor showers will streak across night skies this month

Mission Complete: Rosetta's 12 Year Journey Is Over

In the early hours of the morning, Rosetta crashed into comet 67P in style

Our part of the Milky Way is more impressive than anyone thought.

Our Galactic Neighborhood Is Bigger Than Scientists Once Thought

Goodbye spur, hello spiral arm

Mercury still has a molten core, like Earth does. As Mercury's core slowly cools, the density of that core increases and it gets slightly smaller.

Mercury Is Tectonically Active, Making It Uniquely Like Earth

A whole new picture of Mercury's geologic history emerges, showing its crust is being thrust up and its surface is changing over time

Sorry, Stargazers: There’s No Way to See This Weekend’s Black Moon

It’s just a trumped-up nickname for a new moon

This composite image shows suspected plumes of water vapor erupting at the 7 o’clock position off of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Evidence Stacks Up for Icy Geysers Erupting on Europa

Possible water plumes could give researchers a way to study Jupiter’s moon without drilling

The Evpatoria radio telescope RT-70 and the Long Range Space Communications Center, which were used for one of the most ambitious efforts at extraterrestrial communication.

How a Couple of Guys Built the Most Ambitious Alien Outreach Project Ever

You might think it takes vast governmental resources to launch an extraterrestrial communication effort. Nope

A 19th century illustration of the zodiacal constellation Ophiuchus.

NASA Didn’t Change Your Astrological Sign, Blame It on Earth's Wobbly Rotation

Astrology is not a science

Carmel Johnston (left), crew commander, enjoys her first meal outside the dome.

Astronauts Tell All About Their One Year on “Mars”

In an unprecedented simulation, NASA learned that its astronauts are a bunch of overachievers

Ramazzottius varieornatus, the tardigrade examined in the study

Water Bear Genes Could Help Protect Space Explorers From Radiation

A protein produced by tardigrades, a group of microscopic but hardy creatures, protects and repairs DNA damaged by X-rays

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