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Moon

Artemis 2 will take four astronauts around the moon.

NASA’s Artemis 2 Mission Launches, Sending Humans Toward the Moon for the First Time in More Than 50 Years

Four astronauts have begun a ten-day mission in which they’ll loop around the moon, laying the groundwork to put humans on the lunar surface as early as 2028

Male reproductive cells, sperm, might struggle to reach and fertilize female reproductive cells, eggs, in microgravity, according to a new study.

Humans Might Struggle to Make Babies in Space. Sperm Gets Disoriented in Microgravity, a New Study Suggests

Simulated near-weightless conditions reduced human sperm’s navigational abilities

During a training exercise in Houston in January 2025, the Artemis 2 crew practiced configuring the Orion spacecraft for orbit and its return to Earth.

The Revolution in Moon Exploration

It’s Almost ‘All Systems Go’ for Artemis 2 to Take the Next Giant Leap Toward Stepping on the Moon Again

Scheduled to launch this week, NASA’s Artemis 2 is part of the bold 21st-century vision for returning astronauts to the lunar surface

Astronauts Neil Armstrong (left) and David Scott (right) greet well-wishers at Naha Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, shortly after the Gemini 8 spacecraft spun out of control.

These Never-Before-Seen Photos Show Astronaut Neil Armstrong Relaxed and Smiling After He Almost Died in the Gemini 8 Emergency

Few members of the media were at the unexpected arrival site. Military police officer Ron McQueeney was one of the few photographers who documented the occasion

Mars' surface as captured by NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in 2023. The agency's new Mars helicopters will be modeled on this device.

NASA Aims to Launch the World’s First Planet-Hopping Spacecraft Powered by Nuclear Fission

The agency wants the mission to head to Mars by the end of 2028

The mice spent about a month aboard the International Space Station.

These Space-Faring Mice Are Helping Scientists Figure Out How to Keep Astronauts’ Muscles Working Properly

A new study suggests a gravity threshold for maintaining muscle function

New data suggest that the asteroid will pass the moon at a distance of 13,200 miles.

Asteroid 2024 YR4 Won’t Slam Into the Moon, According to NASA

Both Earth and the moon will be dodging the infamous space rock in 2032

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and other officials announced major changes to the Artemis program.

Why NASA’s Artemis 3 Mission Isn’t Sending Astronauts to the Moon Anymore

The mission’s goals have changed, and Artemis 4 will be the first lunar landing attempt. Four missions are tentatively scheduled within the next three years

Galileo's handwritten notes in a 1551 copy of Ptolemy's Almagest

Cool Finds

A Scholar Recognized the Inscriptions in the Margins of This Manuscript. The Scribbles Turned Out to Be Galileo’s Handwritten Notes

Found in a 16th-century copy of an ancient astronomy treatise, the annotations suggest that the trailblazing scientist studied Earth-centric models before lending his support to heliocentrism

A total lunar eclipse last year photographed from Kannur, India

The Eerie ‘Blood’ Moon Will Grace the Night Sky This Week, Thanks to a Total Lunar Eclipse

The orb will take on the spooky hue for about an hour on March 3 because of sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere

Saturn's rings are surprisingly young

A Smashing New Proposal About Saturn’s History Might Explain Its Iconic Rings and Some of Its Odd Moons

A crash involving the planet’s largest moon, Titan, and a hypothetical moon may have triggered a curious sequence of events

Luna 9's landing was a pivotal moment in history.

Scientists Say They May Have Found a Long-Lost Lunar Lander—the First to Successfully Touch Down on the Moon 60 Years Ago

Data from a NASA lunar orbiter has helped researchers deduce two potential locations for a defunct Soviet spacecraft called Luna 9

An artist's impression of an asteroid

An Asteroid Might Slam Into the Moon in 2032—and Create a Fiery Flash That’s Visible to Earthlings, New Research Suggests

Currently, NASA estimates that asteroid 2024 YR4 has a 4.3 percent chance of hitting our lunar companion

A supermoon rises over Washington, D.C., on December 3, 2017.

The Year’s First Bright Supermoon and the Colorful Quadrantid Meteor Shower Coincide This Weekend

The dual celestial events will ring in the new year, although the luminous “wolf” supermoon may hamper skywatchers’ view of the shooting stars

Look up throughout the year to catch a wide array of astronomical sights.

Don’t Miss These Ten Celestial Events in 2026, From Aligned Planets to a Total Solar Eclipse

The upcoming year will offer a blood-red moon, spectacular meteor showers and the first glimpse of the sun’s corona since April 2024

Six infrared images of Titan created with data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft

Saturn’s Moon Titan May Not Have an Underground Ocean After All

A new analysis of data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft may upend Titan’s status as an ocean world. But it might still have pockets of water within a slushy ice layer

A supermoon in December 2017

Look Up This Week to See the Bright ‘Cold’ Moon, the Last Supermoon of the Year

December’s full moon will reach peak brightness on Thursday, but it will look striking for the next few nights—especially when it’s just above the horizon

An artist's impression of the collision between the early Earth and Theia, which may have formed the moon

A Planet Slammed Into Earth 4.5 Billion Years Ago, Forming the Moon. The Projectile May Have Been Our Neighbor

Little is known about the long-destroyed moon-forming planet, Theia. But it may have been born in the inner solar system—just like Earth—a new study suggests

A clip from Georges Méliès' 1902 short film, A Trip to the Moon

In an Out-of-This-World Observation, a Museum Curator Filmed the Moon Getting Struck by Meteors—Twice

Lunar impacts could affect plans for future bases on the moon

A supermoon in July 2022

November’s Full Beaver Supermoon Peaks on Wednesday—and It Will Be the Year’s Biggest

Supermoons occur when full moons coincide with the moon’s closest position to Earth in its orbit

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