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Astronomy

The surface of Mars’ Pontours rock contains a network of hexagonal mud cracks that hints at historical seasons of flooding and drying.

Mud Cracks on Mars Hint at Conditions That Could Have Formed Life Long Ago

Hexagonal ridges on the Red Planet’s surface suggest an ancient cycle of wet and dry periods, ideal for creating molecules necessary for cells

An image of the Ring Nebula captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The interior of the ring is filled with hot gas and the ring itself is a complex structure made up of thousands of dense clumps of hydrogen gas.

James Webb Telescope Captures the Glowing Ring Nebula in Magnificent Detail

The colorful ring, located some 2,600 light-years away from Earth, is made from the remnants of a dying star

A meteor streaks across the sky during the 2016 Perseid meteor shower in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.

How to Watch the Highly Anticipated Perseid Meteor Shower

This weekend, sky conditions will be almost perfect to catch a glimpse of shooting stars during one of the year’s best celestial shows

A test image taken by Euclid's infrared light instrument showing distant stars and galaxies.

See the First Stunning Test Images From the Euclid Space Telescope

Meant to study the “dark universe,” Europe’s space observatory will eventually peer ten billion years into the past and map more than one-third of the sky

An artist's depiction of one of NASA's Voyager spacecraft entering interstellar space.

NASA Hears ‘Heartbeat’ From Voyager 2 After Losing Touch With the Distant Probe

The space agency has been trying to contact the 46-year-old craft after accidentally causing its antenna to point two degrees away from Earth

Southern Delta Aquariids meteors and the Milky Way above Mount St. Helens

How to Watch the Striking Southern Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower

The spectacle is among several showers brightening skies this week, including the highly anticipated Perseids

Holland America Line is hosting two solar eclipse cruises, including on aboard the MS Koningsdam.

You Can Watch the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse From Aboard These Cruise Ships

Several cruise lines are offering special sailings for the rare celestial spectacle on April 8, 2024

RCW58, a Wolf-Rayet bubble nebula, is made of ejected material from the star WR 40, which shines at the center of the image.

See Ten Dazzling Space Images From the Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards

From comets to nebulas to the Milky Way, the shots shortlisted in the annual competition capture the beauty of the cosmos from Earth

An artist's rendition of the highly reflective exoplanet LTT 9779 b orbiting its host star.

This Mirror-Like Exoplanet Is the Most Reflective Ever Discovered

The ultra-hot world is wreathed in metallic clouds that prevent the planet from evaporating and keep its atmosphere intact

The northern lights as seen through a layer of wildfire smoke in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, in September 2022.

Aurora Borealis Could Dazzle the Northern U.S. This Week

The current forecast from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, says the glowing display could be visible as far as Madison, Wisconsin

The James Webb Space Telescope's first image of Saturn.

See the James Webb Telescope’s First Image of Saturn and Its Rings

The new shot also features three of the planet’s many moons, including Enceladus, a strong candidate for hosting life

Data from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera were used to make this extremely detailed image of the Southern Ring Nebula.

Seven Amazing Accomplishments the James Webb Telescope Achieved in Its First Year

The observatory has yielded jaw-dropping shots—and surprising facts—about our universe

An animated rendering of one of Leonardo's designs for a flying machine

Explore Animated Models, Digitized Sketches and More in Leonardo da Vinci’s Largest-Ever Online Retrospective

The new Google Arts & Culture hub features high-resolution scans, 3D renderings and artificial intelligence experiments

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory first detected evidence of neutrinos originating from outside the Milky Way a decade ago.

Scientists Find Ghostly Neutrino Particles From the Milky Way

It’s no surprise that neutrinos come from within our galaxy, but the tiny, chargeless particles are very hard to detect

The titular "Dial of Destiny" in the new Indiana Jones film is based on the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient device used to chart the cosmos.

Based on a True Story

The Real History Behind the Archimedes Dial in ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’

A device called the Antikythera mechanism is the true-life basis for the object at the center of the franchise’s latest installment

The Green Bank Telescope at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia was one of three observatories to receive the transmission created by artist Daniela de Paulis.

Art Meets Science

Could You Decode a Message From Aliens?

An artist is challenging researchers and amateurs alike to practice parsing an extraterrestrial communication

Bryce Canyon is one of several national parks hosting stargazing and astronomy festivals this year.

These National Parks Are Hosting Stargazing Festivals in 2023

As more areas grow brighter with light pollution, national parks across the country have become dark-sky havens

An artistic rendering of the newly discovered LP 791-18 d exoplanet

Newly Discovered Exoplanet May Be Covered in Volcanoes

Astronomers found an Earth-sized world that could have liquid water on its surface and may be able to support life

Illustration of a black hole pulling in surrounding gas.

Astronomers Identify the Largest-Ever Cosmic Explosion

The burst is ten times brighter than any known exploding star and has lasted for more than three years

Saturn's rings and five of its moons, as captured by the Cassini spacecraft in 2011. The five moons, from left to right, are Janus, Pandora, Enceladus, Mimas and Rhea.

Saturn May Have Just Won the ‘Moon Race’ With 62 More Discovered

It will likely reign supreme as our solar system’s planet with the most moons from now on, astronomers say

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