Astronomy
How Sally Ride Was Even Tougher Than Ripley in Alien
If you think battling evil in the bowels of a defunct space freighter is hard, try being the closeted, often-patronized poster child for womankind’s capacity to compete in a notoriously male-dominated field
July 24, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
What Does Space Smell Like?
Astronauts have consistently reported the same strange odour after lengthy space walks, bringing it back in on their suits, helmets, gloves and tools, according to Science in a Can.
July 18, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
NASA (and XBox Gamers) Prepare for Terrifyingly Hard Mars Landing
Though NASA's video shows the intricate and disaster-prone landing sequence, there is also a free Xbox 360 video game that lets you see if you can make it safely down to the surface.
July 17, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Super-Strong Solar Flare Bringing Northern Lights South
Solar researchers expect a moderate geomagnetic storm to follow and strike Earth this weekend, causing satellite glitches, power disruptions and colorful auroras possibly as far south as Washington D.C.
July 13, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Astronomers Find Pluto’s Fifth Moon
Scientists found a small object in orbit around Pluto that they had never seen before: a new moon called P5. The finding adds to last year's discovery of the small moon P4, bringing Pluto's total to five.
July 12, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Beautiful New Earth-From-Space Footage from NASA
Take a couple minutes between the barbecue and fireworks to put things into the larger context by appreciating “that we are all riding through the universe together on this spaceship we call Earth, that we are all interconnected, that we are all in this together, that we are all family.” The Atlantic points us to this beautiful [...]
July 05, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Navy Wants to Thwart Space Debris By Releasing More Space Debris
Floating hunks of metal, left over from half a century of space exploration and satellite deployment, litter the near-Earth regions of space. As Smithsonian has reported: It’s [an] enormous cloud of nuts, bolts, shards of metal, satellite fragments and empty rocket thrusters that is floating invisibly above our planet. After decades of space exploration, there are [...]
June 22, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
As Voyager Exits Solar System, Sole Proof of Humanity a 70s Record
“The voyagers are now the most distant man-made objects in space. And their journey will go on, literally, forever. They will probably be the only evidence that we ever existed.” So heads off Penny Lane’s 2010 short film The Voyagers. In the summer of 1977, NASA sent Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 on [...]
June 18, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
China’s First Woman Astronaut: Progress or Propaganda?
At 2:30 am GMT on Monday, June 18, the Chinese spaceship Shenzhou-9 docked with the Tiangong-1 orbital space lab, the first time ever with a crew. Aboard the spacecraft was 33-year-old Liu Yang, the first female Chinese astronaut—or taikonaut—in space. The mission was only China’s fourth manned flight. The country’s space program got off to a [...]
June 18, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Top Ten Mysteries of the Universe
What are those burning questions about the cosmos that still baffle astronomers today?
May 08, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Fast Forward: The Dark Energy Camera
Get a sneak peak at the new project that will search for mysterious cosmic energies that drive our universe
May 2012 |
By Mark Strauss
When Runaway Planets Go 30 Million Miles Per Hour
A new discovery indicates some planets may be flung out of our galaxy at velocities a few percent of the speed of light
March 30, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Ask Smithsonian: Can Birds Be Identified Just From Their Feathers? Questions from Our Readers
Our new feature, Ask Smithsonian, is all about finding the answers. Do you have a question for our curators?
March 15, 2012 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
Scientists Discover a Waterworld Just 40 Light Years Away
An entirely new type of planet is made up mostly of water
February 25, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
How Much the Hope Diamond is Worth and Other Questions From Our Readers
From American art, history and culture, air and space technology, contemporary art, Asian art and any of the sciences from astronomy to zoology, we'll find an answer
February 07, 2012 |
By Aviva Shen
An Astronomer’s Solution to Global Warming
The technology developed for telescopes, it turns out, can harness solar power
February 03, 2012 |
By Alaina G. Levine
How To See Tonight’s Meteor Shower
Take advantage of this rare chance to see the Quadrantid meteor shower
January 03, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
A Guided Tour of the Universe
A new exhibition at the Natural History Museum gives visitors a dazzling view of our evolving universe
December 29, 2011 |
By Joseph Stromberg
What the Earth-Sized Planet Discovery Means
The lead scientist in the new planet discovery explains the significance of the find
December 21, 2011 |
By Joseph Stromberg
