Outer Space

The first image to show the shadow of black hole M87 as well as its jet

First-of-Its-Kind Image Captures a Black Hole's Shooting Jet

The finding could help reveal how black holes launch such high-energy ejections

Aurora borealis captured in northern Minnesota on April 23.

Widespread Auroras That Lit Skies This Week Are Getting More Common

The stunning colors that dazzled viewers on Sunday will appear again as the sun's activity builds to a peak in 2025

Mars and Deimos in a high-resolution composite image captured by the United Arab Emirates' Hope probe

See the First Detailed Close-Ups of Mars' Moon Deimos

A United Arab Emirates spacecraft took a high-resolution look at the mysterious moon and uncovered new evidence about its origin

The hybrid eclipse will appear to viewers as a total solar eclipse, annular solar eclipse or partial solar eclipse depending on their vantage point.

How to Watch the Rare Hybrid Solar Eclipse From Your Home

This spectacle in the South Pacific will be visible in online livestreams on Wednesday. It is the last hybrid solar eclipse until 2031

The rocket carrying the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer launches from French Guiana on April 14. 

Juice Mission Launches to Explore Jupiter and Its Icy Moons

The spacecraft will investigate oceans that might lie beneath the moons' surfaces and study whether they could support life

The supernova Cassiopeia A, as imaged by the James Webb Space Telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI)

See the James Webb Telescope's Stunning New Snapshot of an Exploded Star

The supernova, known as Cassiopeia A, is located roughly 11,000 light-years from Earth and could offer insights into cosmic dust and star death

The total solar eclipse of 2017 as seen from Monmouth, Oregon

Everything You Need to Know About the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

A veteran eclipse chaser explains how to get ready for one of the planet’s biggest celestial events

A revolutionary new tool, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and NASA, will monitor the chemistry and changing dynamics of major pollutants (above: an Arizona power generating station).

This Eye in the Sky Promises Major Insights Into the Air We Breathe

The satellite mission TEMPO will detect pollutants at a neighborhood scale across the nation

From left to right: astronauts Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Hammock Koch during a news conference following Monday's announcement.

NASA Announces Crew for Artemis 2 Moon Flyby Mission

These four astronauts are poised to travel farther than any humans have been from Earth since 1972

Several private companies are designing space stations that may eventually orbit Earth.

The ISS Will Fall From the Sky After the End of the Decade. What Will Replace It?

As NASA plans to retire the orbiting laboratory, these four privately owned and operated space stations are under development

Skywatchers can see five planets this week.

How to Watch Five Planets Align in the Night Sky This Week

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will appear as if in a parade in the Western sky on Tuesday

An illustration of exoplanet VHS 1256 b, which is surrounded by clouds of hot silicate particles.

James Webb Telescope Spots Raging Dust Storms on an Exoplanet

The far-off world also has signs of water, methane, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide

This computer-generated image shows objects in Earth's orbit. The majority—around 95 percent—are bits of space junk.

Burning Space Junk Creates Mysterious Lights in California Sky

Bright streaks observed Friday were jettisoned equipment from the International Space Station re-entering Earth’s atmosphere

This composite image of the WR 124 star combines observations from Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).

See the James Webb Telescope's Rare New Image of a Dying Star

The star is on the cusp of exploding in a supernova and may offer insights into the universe's so-called "dust budget crisis"

During World War II, Executive Order 9066 authorized the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans (above: In Los Angeles in April 1942, dozens of families wait for a train to Manzanar War Relocation Center in Owens Valley, California).

Japanese American Artists Recall the Trauma of Wartime Incarceration

Smithsonian podcasts explore the legacy of Executive Order 9066 and the camera that almost didn’t make it to the Juno spacecraft launch

After returning to Earth, EpiPen solution sent into space showed no signs of containing epinephrine, the life-saving drug that reverses the effects of a severe allergic reaction.

Kids Discover That EpiPens May Not Work in Space

After returning from space, the life-saving drug epinephrine had partially changed into poisonous benzoic acid

Astronomers and musicians have developed “sonifications” to bring the symphony of the cosmos to a wider audience.

What Does the Universe Sound Like?

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and other researchers have melded astronomy and music to offer a new oeuvre

Time moves more quickly on the moon than on Earth because of gravity.

Space Officials Want a Time Zone for the Moon

Lunar timekeeping could help with navigation and communication, but experts say it will be difficult

Images of the six objects thought to be massive galaxies from the early universe

Webb Telescope Finds Evidence of Massive Galaxies That Defy Theories of the Early Universe

The six “universe breakers” appear much larger than what scientists thought was possible at that time

NASA’s Space Launch System sent the uncrewed Orion spacecraft into orbit around the moon in November 2022.

How Loud Was NASA's Artemis 1 Launch?

The Space Launch System rocket produced crackling sounds 40 million times louder than a bowl of Rice Krispies cereal in milk, researchers say

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