The meteorites could open up a new avenue to understand Mercury, pictured, which is notoriously hard to study due to its proximity to the sun.

Scientists Have Never Confirmed a Meteorite From Mercury. Could These Space Rocks From the Desert Be the First?

Two meteorites found in the Sahara show tantalizing similarities to the innermost planet, and while researchers say they are likely not direct samples, “one cannot rule out” the idea

Discovered in Niger in 2023, NWA 16788 weighs 54 pounds.

The Largest Martian Meteorite in the World Is Heading to Auction and Could Sell for $4 Million

Discovered in Niger in 2023, the rare chunk weighs 54 pounds and represents more than 6 percent of all Mars material on Earth

A bright streak moves across the sky in broad daylight in Monroe, Georgia.

Ultra-Bright Meteor Seen in Broad Daylight, Stunning Residents Across the Southeast

More than 200 sightings were sent to the American Meteor Society, and a Georgia resident reported a rock falling through a roof around the same time

A view of the sky during the Eta Aquariid meteor shower over the Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area in Florida

How to Watch the Peak of the Spectacular Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower

The shower will peak during pre-dawn hours in early May, as fast-moving meteors trail across Earth’s atmosphere, thanks to debris left behind by Halley’s Comet

The Lyrid meteor shower coincided with a nearly full moon at its peak in 2024, seen here at Joshua Tree National Park. This year, conditions will be more favorable.

How to Watch the Lyrid Meteor Shower at Its Dazzling Peak

The annual spectacle, which is happening now, will last until around April 25—but the best viewing will fall between the 21 and 22

Researchers discovered the oldest meteorite impact crater known to science in Australia. 

Oldest Known Impact Crater Discovered in Australia

The discovery bolsters the theory that meteorite impacts played an important role in Earth’s early geological history

Homeowners found star-shaped debris outside their home on Prince Edward Island, Canada, after a meteorite strike in July.

Cool Finds

Meteorite Crash in Canada Is Caught by Home Security Camera in Likely World-First Video Footage

The space rock—recorded with visuals and sound—landed where the homeowner had been standing just minutes earlier

Find your nearest dark-sky site and mark your calendars for these stunning astronomical spectacles in 2025.

11 Dazzling Celestial Events to See in 2025, From a Total Lunar Eclipse to Rare Planetary Alignments

Keep your eyes on the sky this upcoming year for a chance to spot breathtaking meteor showers, a special view of Saturn and a blood-red moon

The Quadrantids only last for about six hours, but they're known for producing fireballs, or bright, fiery streaks that persist longer than average meteors.

How to Watch the Quadrantid Meteor Shower, an Intense Spectacle With a Short but Strong Peak

The skyward show will produce many shooting stars from the evening of January 2 into the early morning hours of January 3—here’s how to make the most of the fleeting celestial event

An artist's illustration shows the James Webb Space Telescope peering out into the solar system toward the asteroid belt.

Astronomers Detect the Smallest Main Belt Asteroids Ever Found by Repurposing a Technique for Exoplanet Discovery

An unusual approach to spotting tiny asteroids uses James Webb Space Telescope data in a boost for planetary defense research

This image of the Geminid meteor shower, as seen from China, earned first place in the 2021 astrophotography contest by the International Astronomical Union Office of Astronomy Education.

How to Watch the Geminid Meteor Shower This Weekend

The peak of this popular annual meteor shower risks being washed out by an almost full moon this year—but stargazers can still spot shooting stars if they follow the right tips

The Super Hunter's Moon of October 2024 rises over a headland near Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

See the Full Beaver Moon on Friday, the Last Dazzling Supermoon of 2024

November’s spectacle closes out a series of four big and bright full moons that have captivated sky watchers since late summer

The Leonids sometimes produce fireballs, or unusually bright streaks of light that linger in the night sky. 

How to See the Stunning Leonid Meteor Shower This Weekend

Though the nearly full moon will likely outshine some of these speedy meteors, you may still be able to catch a glimpse of bright fireballs and low Earth-grazers

Screenshot from a video of the fireball reported to the American Meteor Society.

Watch a Starlink Satellite Plummet Through the Atmosphere in Videos Captured Last Weekend

The fireball—one of many decommissioned satellites from SpaceX’s internet service—was spotted by dozens of people across at least four states, and many mistook it for a meteor

A depiction of the 1833 Leonids, based on a first-person account of the 1833 storm by a minister, Joseph Harvey Waggoner, on his way from Florida to New Orleans.

On This Day in History

Americans Fell in Love With Science When the Breathtaking Leonid Meteor Shower Lit Up the Skies Across the Nation

In 1833, hundreds of thousands of shooting stars inspired songs, prophecies and a crowdsourced research paper on the origins of meteors

A rock layer showing the S2 impact tsunami bed with chunks of ripped-up seafloor

A Giant Meteorite Ripped Up the Seafloor and Boiled Earth’s Oceans 3.26 Billion Years Ago. Then, Life Blossomed in Its Wake

Geologists suggest the catastrophic impact of “S2” delivered key nutrients to the oceans, prompting microorganisms to thrive

The Perseid meteor shower over Inner Mongolia, China, on August 14, 2023. When a meteor falls to the ground, it's called a meteorite.

Astronomers Uncover the Origin of Most of Earth’s Meteorites, Shedding Light on Our Solar System’s Past

Prior to the new research, scientists had traced the source of just 6 percent of the known meteorites that fell on our planet

The Orionids will be visible from both hemispheres, but they may be somewhat obscured by light from the moon.

How to Watch the Bright and Speedy Orionid Meteor Shower

While the Orionids, peaking early Sunday and Monday, might be hard to see because of the waning gibbous moon, these zippy meteors can produce long “trains” that last up to several minutes

A Draconid meteor streaks across the sky as the northern lights glow, as seen from north of Stockholm on October 8, 2011.

How to Catch a Glimpse of the Draconid Meteor Shower

While the annual shower usually makes for a sleepy showing, it has been known to produce fantastic outbursts in the past

An illustration of Earth with a ring.

Did Earth Once Have a Ring Like Saturn? Geologists Find Evidence for a Halo of Orbiting Space Rocks 466 Million Years Ago

A ring could explain a mysterious arrangement of impact craters near the equator and might even have caused an ice age, according to a new study

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