Astronomy
Why Do We Hiccup? And Other Scientific Mysteries—Seen Through the Eyes of Artists
In a new book, 75 artists illustrate questions scientists haven't fully answered yet
November 28, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Elon Musk’s Plan for Mars Is Really Vague But Definitely Expensive
Like any self-respecting space entrepreneur, Elon Musk has a plan for a Mars colony
November 27, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Jupiter Just Can’t Decide How Many Moons It Wants To Have
By catching or tossing comets or eating old moons, Jupiter's orbiter-count is constantly in flux
November 23, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
This Tuesday Morning, Debris of a Dying Comet Should Produce Extremely Bright Meteors
The annual Leonid meteor shower peaks this weekend
November 16, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Staring at the Sun: It’s NOT a “Mass of Incandescent Gas”
Solar astrophysicist Mark Weber presents new research about that "miasma of incandescent plasma" at the Air and Space Museum
November 16, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Scientists Get The Best Look Yet at a Rogue Planet With No Star
A gas giant, drifting alone with no star to call home, was discovered 100 light-years away
November 14, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Having Trouble Finding the ISS in the Night Sky? Have NASA Text You
NASA will email or text you to let you know when the ISS will be in your area
November 08, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
How Astronauts Take Such Beautiful Photographs in Space
How do astronauts capture such amazing photos? What gear do they use? What problems do they run in to?
November 08, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Finding Life on Other Planets May Be Even Harder Than We Thought
Some scientists think that to find advanced life, you need to look for an asteroid belt
November 05, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
The Sun’s Swirling Green Gases of Wonder
Unprecedented images from space capture the Sun’s true beauty
November 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Giant Paintball Gun Could Save the World From Death-by-Asteroid
A big asteroid will eventually hit the Earth. What can we do to push it out of the way?
October 26, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
This Stunning Photo of the Milky Way Could Carpet An Entire Apartment
A beautiful, zoomable, nine-gixapixel photo of the central Milky Way
October 24, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Will NASA’s Newest Crowdsourcing Gambit End with a Curiosity or a COLBERT?
NASA needs your help naming its new research facility
October 23, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
The Best Graphics That Make You Realize You Don’t Know How Big Anything Actually Is
Here are the best scale visualizations out there, starting with the classic Powers of Ten video that melted the faces of everyone alive in 1977
October 22, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Either Curiosity Is Shedding Or Mars Is Covered in Weird Shiny Particles
After an unknown object turned out to be nothing but plastic, scientists were surprised to find more shiny things buried in the dirt
October 17, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Feel Like You’re Flying at Warp Speed: Watch This Video of Stacked-Up Space Photos
A unique time-lapse technique turns familiar views into psychedelic art
October 17, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
X-Ray Telescope Puts Glorious Nebulae in New Light
Composite images show stunning nebula in a new way
October 11, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
One Tiny Piece of Space Debris Can Destroy a Satellite
Roughly 21,000 pieces of space junk orbit near the Earth
October 05, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Events October 5-7: Mrs. Judo, Staring at the Sun and Chamber Society Music
This weekend, a 99-year old judo legend, a scientist who studies the sun and a season-opener with the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society.
October 04, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
This Is What Happens When a Black Hole Eats a Black Hole
A super-computer simulation calculates what happens when two black holes merge
October 03, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
