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Science / Space

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You Can’t Throw a Rock in the Milky Way Without Hitting an Earth-Like Planet

A new estimate says there are 17 billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way

A meteorite, newly discovered in Morocco, contains ten times as much water as many Martian meteorite discovered previously.

A 2.1 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite Reveals Water on Mars

Chemical analysis shows that the meteorite, discovered in Morocco, contains ten times as much water as any Martian rock previously studied

PHOTOS: Getting Ready for the World’s Largest Radio Telescope

In Chile’s Atacama Desert, astronomers are preparing for a new array that will stretch across 10 miles

The levels of radiation astronauts experience over the course of an extended mission in deep space could lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Does Deep Space Travel Cause Alzheimer’s?

A new study indicates that the levels of radiation astronauts would experience over the course of a deep space mission could lead to dementia

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Space Exploration and the End of an Era: Notable Deaths in 2012

Neil Armstrong, Sally Ride, Roger Boisjoly and the shuttle program form this year’s late greats of space exploration

Is our world really not enough? Simple pleasures like swimming in the Adriatic Sea or hiking in the hills of Greece (in the upper right of the photo) will require staying on Earth.

Do We Really Need to Take Vacations to Space?

The possibility of entering a sealed aircraft, buckling up and exiting the atmosphere in the name of leisure is nearing reality

A graphic data readout of the a collision of two protons, briefly producing a Higgs Boson, from the Large Hadron Collider.

Mythical Particles, Goldilocks Planets and More: Top 5 Surprising Scientific Milestones of 2012

From the Higgs Boson to the Curiosity rover, 2012 was a major year for science

With the help of spy planes and B-57 bombers, Jim Anderson discovered the link between climate change and ozone loss.

The Ozone Problem is Back – And Worse Than Ever

James Anderson, the winner of a Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award, has discovered the alarming link between climate change and ozone loss

Elon Musk is a man of all trades when it comes to technology.

Elon Musk, the Rocket Man With a Sweet Ride

The winner of the Smithsonian Ingenuity Award for technology hopes to launch a revolution with his spaceship and electric car

A composite false-color image of fire in space. The bright yellow traces the path of a drop of fuel, shrinking as it burns, producing green soot.

In Space, Flames Behave in Ways Nobody Thought Possible

Combustion experiments conducted in zero gravity yield surprising results

An artist’s rendering of the matter ejected from the quasar SDSS J1106+1939 surrounding a black hole.

Astronomers Discover the Most Explosive Black Hole Yet

The newly discovered quasar spews an amount of energy equivalent to more than two million suns

An artist’s rendering of CFBDSIR2149, as viewed through an infrared filter.

A Wandering “Homeless” Planet is Spotted in Deep Space

Astronomers have spotted an object roughly 100 light-years away that appears to be a planet not associated with any star

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Newly Discovered Earth-like Planet Could be Habitable

44 light years away, scientists have detected a planet that might be the right temperature to hold liquid water, a precondition for life

The Sun's magnetic field carries energy from its core to its atmosphere.

The Sun’s Swirling Green Gases of Wonder

Unprecedented images from space capture the Sun’s true beauty

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The Orionid Meteor Shower Will Light Up the Skies This Weekend

Debris shed by the legendary Halley’s comet could make for an impressive meteor show

An artist’s conception of the massive collision that would have produced the moon roughly 4.5 billion years ago.

How the Moon Was Made

A new type of evidence found in lunar rocks indicates that an enormous collision between a young Earth and a Mars-sized object formed the moon

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Newly Discovered Comet, Headed Toward Earth, Could Shine as Bright as the Moon

Comet C/2012 S1(ISON) could become the brightest comet anyone alive has ever seen

A nearly-microscopic animal known as the tardigrade, above, is capable of surviving in a dry, lifeless state for over a decade.

How Does the Tiny Waterbear Survive in Outer Space?

A special adaptation allows the tiny animal known as the tardigrade to curl up into a dry, lifeless ball and survive for decades

Flying into the future

NASA Sparks Its Imagination

Rovers that ride winds on Venus, robots that roll like tumbleweeds and other wild ideas for exploring space

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What the Discovery of Hundreds of New Planets Means for Astronomy—and Philosophy

New telescopes are allowing us to look at space more accurately than ever – and what they uncover could change our world

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