Jupiter | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/jupiter/RSS feed for JupiterenThu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000A Blip on a Telescope in a Colorado Parking Lot Bolstered a Space Mission That Has Found Thousands of Planets … and Countinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/blip-telescope-colorado-parking-lot-bolstered-space-mission-found-thousands-planets-counting-180988801/The Kepler telescope changed how we saw the sky. It’s just one of the devices we’ve sent out beyond the reach of humans to search our solar systemThu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/blip-telescope-colorado-parking-lot-bolstered-space-mission-found-thousands-planets-counting-180988801/To Keep the Voyager 1 Spacecraft on Its Interstellar Journey, NASA Turned Off One of Its Few Remaining Instrumentshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-keep-the-voyager-1-spacecraft-on-its-interstellar-journey-nasa-turned-off-one-of-its-few-remaining-instruments-180988608/The probe launched almost 50 years ago and is the farthest human-made object from Earth. Shutting down one of its scientific devices will help it conserve energy and continue traveling toward the edge of the solar systemFri, 24 Apr 2026 18:59:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-keep-the-voyager-1-spacecraft-on-its-interstellar-journey-nasa-turned-off-one-of-its-few-remaining-instruments-180988608/Lightning Strikes on Jupiter Are 100 Times as Powerful as Those on Earth, a New Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lightning-strikes-on-jupiter-are-100-times-as-powerful-as-those-on-earth-a-new-study-suggests-180988455/Scientists finally have a clearer picture of the gas giant's intense stormsMon, 06 Apr 2026 19:04:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lightning-strikes-on-jupiter-are-100-times-as-powerful-as-those-on-earth-a-new-study-suggests-180988455/Scientists Say That Jupiter—the Solar System's Largest Planet—Might Be Slightly Smaller Than Previously Thoughthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-that-jupiter-the-solar-systems-largest-planet-might-be-slightly-smaller-than-previously-thought-180988143/Updated measurements from NASA’s Juno spacecraft could help researchers better understand the planet's mysterious interior, as well as other gas giantsThu, 05 Feb 2026 19:50:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-that-jupiter-the-solar-systems-largest-planet-might-be-slightly-smaller-than-previously-thought-180988143/Jupiter's Moon Europa Is a Top Candidate for Hosting Alien Life. But It May Lack the Geologic Activity Needed to Birth Microbeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/jupiters-moon-europa-is-a-top-candidate-for-hosting-alien-life-but-it-may-lack-the-geologic-activity-needed-to-birth-microbes-180988013/On Earth, deep-sea vents may have given rise to the planet’s first life. But nothing of the sort seems to be happening at the bottom of Europa's ocean, a study suggestsFri, 16 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/jupiters-moon-europa-is-a-top-candidate-for-hosting-alien-life-but-it-may-lack-the-geologic-activity-needed-to-birth-microbes-180988013/Don’t Miss These Ten Celestial Events in 2026, From Aligned Planets to a Total Solar Eclipsehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-miss-these-ten-celestial-events-in-2026-from-aligned-planets-to-a-total-solar-eclipse-180987931/The upcoming year will offer a blood-red moon, spectacular meteor showers and the first glimpse of the sun’s corona since April 2024Tue, 30 Dec 2025 13:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-miss-these-ten-celestial-events-in-2026-from-aligned-planets-to-a-total-solar-eclipse-180987931/Check Out Ten Spectacular Space Images From the Astronomy Photographer of the Year Contesthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-ten-spectacular-space-images-from-the-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-contest-180986960/The annual competition for professional and amateur astrophotographers released its shortlisted images, which capture the beauty of the cosmos seen from EarthMon, 14 Jul 2025 18:14:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-ten-spectacular-space-images-from-the-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-contest-180986960/Check Out Jupiter's Stunning Auroras, Which Are Hundreds of Times Brighter Than Earth's, in the James Webb Telescope's Latest Imageshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-jupiters-stunning-auroras-which-are-hundreds-of-times-brighter-than-earths-in-the-james-webb-space-telescopes-latest-images-180986624/The infrared views, captured in 2023, shed light on the giant planet's atmosphere and magnetosphere—but they also reveal something unexpectedWed, 14 May 2025 19:40:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-jupiters-stunning-auroras-which-are-hundreds-of-times-brighter-than-earths-in-the-james-webb-space-telescopes-latest-images-180986624/NASA's Lucy Spacecraft Just Flew by a Strange, Peanut-Shaped Asteroid. See the New Images From the Approachhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nasas-lucy-spacecraft-just-flew-by-a-strange-peanut-shaped-asteroid-see-new-images-from-the-approach-180986480/The close-up views of asteroid Donaldjohanson are a preview of what’s to come for Lucy on its 12-year quest to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroidsWed, 23 Apr 2025 11:59:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nasas-lucy-spacecraft-just-flew-by-a-strange-peanut-shaped-asteroid-see-new-images-from-the-approach-180986480/Seven Planets Will Gather in the Night Sky This Weekend. Here's What to Expect During the Rare Alignmenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/seven-planets-will-gather-in-the-night-sky-this-weekend-heres-what-to-expect-during-the-rare-alignment-180986134/While such a lineup is uncommon, the event might not look exactly how you’re imagining itThu, 27 Feb 2025 20:54:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/seven-planets-will-gather-in-the-night-sky-this-weekend-heres-what-to-expect-during-the-rare-alignment-180986134/