Outer Space

Exaggerating the colors on Pluto and Charon helps mission scientists see distinct terrains on each icy world.

Where Will the New Horizons Probe Go After Pluto?

The historic flyby may be over, but the spacecraft should still go on to study even smaller bodies on its path through the Kuiper belt

A color image of Pluto and its moon Charon captured on July 11, 2015 by New Horizons

New Horizons Probe Reveals That Pluto is Bigger Than Expected

But so far it still won’t be considered a "planet"

Swiss researchers want to build a spacecraft to eat their tiny satellites after they stop working.

This Pac-Man Spacecraft Will Devour a Satellite

Swiss researchers are designing a tiny satellite to eat their defunct cube satellite and clean up space junk

The hydrophobic bacteria that coat the ceilings of some dark lava caves produce a gorgeous golden sparkle.

How Bacteria Make This Underground, Awe-Inspiring Cave Shine Gold

These underground tubes at Lava Beds National Monument include sparkling gold ceilings that even NASA wants to study

NASA is starting to brainstorm where humans should land on Mars.

Where Should Humans Land on Mars? NASA Wants to Hear Your Suggestions

In October, the agency will hear proposals on where to put a Mars base

This artist's rendering shows New Horizons encountering Pluto and its largest moon, Charon.

Seven Surprises From the First Flybys of Each Planet in the Solar System

As the New Horizons probe approaches Pluto, find out what wonders were uncovered by the first spacecraft to zip past other worlds

Scientist know that Venus' surface, depicted here based on radar data, was shaped by volcanoes, and a new study suggests they may still be active.

Venus (Probably) Has Active Volcanoes

And they’re (probably) erupting!

A composite image of the Philae lander on comet 67P.

Comet Lander Philae Wakes Up From Nap

"Are you there, Rosetta? It's me Philae"

Saturn’s largest ring as spotted by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope in 2009

Saturn’s Rings Extend Farther Than Thought — Nearly 4 Million Miles From the Planet

The outermost ring is dark and dusty

A mosaic image shows magnetic activity on the solar disk, which is surrounded by the relatively faint corona.

A "Mangrove Forest" of Magnetism May Help Heat the Sun's Corona

New simulations might explain why the sun's atmosphere is bizarrely millions of degrees hotter than its surface

An artist's rendering of the Pluto system seen from the surface of one of its moons.

Weird Orbital Behaviors Offer Clues to the Origins of Pluto's Moons

Solving the mystery of these satellites could help astronomers understand "Tatooine" exoplanets that orbit binary stars

Graphic design student Oskar Pernefeldt envisions a blue and white flag to symbolize Earth's presence on far off planets like Mars.

Does Planet Earth Need Its Own Flag?

Some think we need a universal flag to stake our claim in space

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See a Bubbly Nebula, an Artistic Earth and Other Spacey Treats

A celebratory star nest and a painterly view of home feature among our picks for this week's best space pictures

The Galileo spacecraft's view of the crazy cracks and brown gunk on Europa.

These Instruments Will Help NASA Figure Out If Life Can Thrive on Europa

The space agency has announced the suite of experiments that will fly on a mission to the icy moon of Jupiter

An artist's rendering of WISE J224607.57-052635.0, which was recently spotted by an infrared space telescope.

Found: A Galaxy That Shines With the Light of Over 300 Trillion Suns

A very hungry black hole at the center of WISE J224607.57-052635.0 emits an incredible amount of light

The last of the data from the New Horizons flyby won’t arrive until late 2016.

One Man's Lifelong Pursuit of Pluto is About to Get Real

When the New Horizons spacecraft races by the quasi-planetary body, Alan Stern will have finally met his match

The Atlas V rocket launches the X-37B on a 2012 mission. The craft will launch again Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

A Mysterious Space Plane Will Launch This Week

Though much of the X-37B's mission is top secret, details are emerging about experiments that will go into orbit with the unmanned craft

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Dark Globs, a Salty Moon and More of This Week's Stellar Wonders

Mysterious star clusters and Europa in a can feature in our picks for this week's best space images

University of Vermont engineering student Joseph Maser gazes down at the prototype of the inflatable airlock for space stations and vehicles that he and three other students built.

Made by College Seniors, These Seven Products Give Us a Glimpse Into the Future

Engineering students at universities across the country took these projects from sketch to reality in one year

An artist's vision of a brilliant quasar at the core of a young galaxy.

Rare Quartet of Quasars Found in the Early Universe

The quirky set of extremely bright black holes challenges theories for how the cosmos reached its current structure

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