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National Air and Space Museum

A digital art illustration of the gold and black spacecraft firing its white thrusters to maneuver near a dark, rocky moon, with the reddish surface of Mars visible in the background.

Can a Japanese Spacecraft Unlock the Mystery of Mars' Twin Moons?

Searching for clues on Phobos and Deimos.

A black-and-white historical photograph from circa 1931 shows Albert Einstein with Edwin Hubble and other astronomers standing on a walkway in front of the large dome of the Mount Wilson Observatory.

Who Is the Man Who Discovered the Universe?

A century ago, Edwin Hubble began the race to the edge of the cosmos

Photographed against a dark blue background is a studio image of a set of cream-colored ceramic dishware bearing a pattern of star-shapes in blue, yellow, and green. There are several pieces, including a platter, a gravy boat with a ladle, a creamer and s

This Space Age Tableware Is Now a Prized Collectible

A passion for space exploration influenced how one family set the dinner table

An uncrewed spacecraft with three main components is seen orbiting above an asteroid.

An Innovative Spacecraft Makes Contact With an Asteroid

A new book tells the story of the mastermind who directed NASA’s daring OSIRIS-REx mission

A massive atmospheric vortex on Jupiter is a dizzying swirl of brown, yellow, and green clouds that form a deep tunnel.

Scientists Strive to Explain the Strange Weather on Other Planets

What the swirling storms on alien worlds can tell us about the climate on Earth.

The smooth surface of a round planet is partially illuminated by the sun; the planet's other half is in shadow. The planet is surrounded by thousands of rings.

The Weird, Wild and Wonderful Universe, According to the Internet's Favorite Astronomer

Air & Space Quarterly talks to The Bad Astronomer Phil Plait

A multitude of stars packed together in a dense region of space, shining brightly in the surrounding darkness. A bright blue cloud in the lower half of the image with pitch black patches appearing within the cloud

James Webb Space Telescope Sees Features Astronomers Have Yet to Explain

Astronomers explore an area of space packed with stars—and mysteries

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Celebrate the April 8 Solar Eclipse With the National Air and Space Museum

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America. For those not within the path of totality, a partial eclipse will be visible from everywhere in the contiguous United States. Learn about the science and safety of eclipses with the National Air and Space Museum.

In this pastel drawing, 14 bluish white rays radiate out and upward from a dark half-moon shape flanked by trees. White stars are visible in the night sky.

These Depictions of Celestial Wonders Helped Make Astronomy Mainstream

Before we had access to stunning photos of our galaxy from ground- and space-based telescopes, visionaries like Étienne Trouvelot's captured celestial magic through their art

Vera Rubin and Kent Ford (white hat) setting up their image tube spectrograph at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. (Photo: THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION FOR SCIENCE)

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory and Women of Chilean Astronomy

The Vara C. Rubin Observatory is perched on Chile's Cerro Pachon in the foothills of the Andes Mountains and stands as a doorway to exploring the women of Chilean astronomy.

Two prominent lobate thrust fault scarps on Mercury, Discovery Rupes and Beagles Rupes, imaged by Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) on the MESSENGER spacecraft. Discovery Rupes (left), named for the ship HMS Discovery, shown here in a MDIS high-incidence angle image mosaic, was first imaged by Mariner 10 in the mid-1970’s. Beagle Rupes (right), a bow-shaped fault scarp, was initial imaged during MESSENGER’s first flyby.

Mercury, The Not So Shrunken Planet

Based on my research, which include image composites of two flyby views of Mercury from the MESSENGER spacecraft, I conclude that Mercury has not cooled and shrunken as much as previously thought.

The waxing gibbous Moon as we viewed it on December 3, 2011.

The Moon: Before We Knew

Reading Mark Wick’s novel To Mars Via the Moon words motivated reflection on how our thinking of the Moon changed as real-life science and technology has evolved, in contrast to science ficton.

The Hope spacecraft of the United Arab Emirates' Emirates Mars Mission during testing.

Launching Hope to Mars

Museum director Ellen Stofan reflects on the significance of the United Arab Emirates upcoming mission to Mars.

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