Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Outer Space

Artist's impression of the simultaneous stellar eclipse and planetary transit events on Kepler-1647. Such a double eclipse event is known as a syzygy.

New Research

This Jupiter-Sized Planet Is the Largest Found Orbiting Two Suns

Any orbiting moons could be habitable—but scientists have yet to spot them

The supernova designated SN 2016cok can be spotted at the edge of the Messier 66 galaxy, marked by the two rectangular crosshairs.

Cool Finds

Spy Two Supernovae in June’s Night Sky

After millions of years, their light is finally bright enough to see from Earth

An artist’s conception of the LISA Pathfinder spacecraft in orbit at Lagrange Point 1.

Life in the Cosmos

A Spacecraft Just Measured Movement Less Than the Width of an Atom

The successful results pave the way for a future mission that could detect low-frequency gravity waves

This artist's concept depicts select planetary discoveries made to date by NASA's Kepler space telescope.

Think Big

How Would You React If We Discovered Alien Life?

Experts weigh in on what the detection of other life forms might mean to the human race

Telescope array

Think Big

The Hunt for High-Energy Photons Takes Place From a Mountaintop in Mexico

A new telescope built from water tanks might help answer some of the biggest questions in astronomy

An artist's representation of an artificial meteor shower.

Trending Today

This Startup Wants to Open the 2020 Olympics With a Man-Made Meteor Shower

Could the only thing better than fireworks be fireworks launched from space?

An artist's rendering of the Indian Space Research Organization's prototype Reusable Launch Vehicle.

Trending Today

India’s Space Agency Just Launched a Mini Space Shuttle

One small step towards a cheaper space program

The three brightest stars in the image make up the Summer Triangle.

Cool Finds

The Red Planet and Summer Triangle Will Soon Shine Bright

Mars is swooping closer to the Earth this week while the Summer Triangle rises in the sky

View of the Bahamas as seen from the International Space Station in the new IMAX film, A Beautiful Planet

A Tweet Is Just a Ritz Cracker, But an IMAX Film Is a Steak Dinner

That’s what astronaut Terry Virts says about the new IMAX film he helped to make

Why Do Humans Have Canine Teeth and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

The Orion spacecraft could one day take astronauts to Mars.

Radiation Remains a Problem for Any Mission to Mars

Engineers have yet to find ways to protect astronauts from cosmic rays and solar radiation

An illustration of the four spacecraft that detected a magnetic reconnection.

New Research

NASA Finally Caught This Crazy Space Weather in Action

The interactions between the Earth and the Sun’s magnetic fields drive explosive space weather

A 2.7-billion-year-old micrometeorite extracted from limestone found in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Journey to the Center of Earth

Ancient Spacedust Reveals Surprising Twist in Evolution of Earth’s Early Atmosphere

Mini fossil meteorites are providing new insights about how our ancient atmosphere evolved into its current state

An artist's depiction of Kepler's latest planetary find.

New Research

Kepler Discovers More Than 1,000 New Exoplanets

The space telescope is still alive and kicking

Cool Finds

Will Luxembourg Lead the Race for Space Mining?

The tiny nation announced its private industry partners for asteroid mining

Sisters Emilia Ponzoni, Regina Colombo, Concetta Finardi and Luigia Panceri mapped the positions and brightness of 481,215 stars.

Cool Finds

These Little-Known Nuns Helped Map the Stars

A century later, the identities of women who mapped over 481,000 stars are finally known

Pictured left: Cancun, Mexico on May 14, 2014; pictured right: Helen Frankenthaler, Canyon, 1965

These Photos Taken From Space Look Astonishingly Like Art Masterpieces

ASTER reveals how art imitates reality

An illustration of the path Mercury will take across the sun on May 9.

Cool Finds

For The First Time in a Decade, Watch Mercury Cross the Sun’s Face

Next week’s transit of Mercury is one of the major astronomical events of the year

Cool Finds

Astronomers Deploy a Laser System for a Clearer View of the Skies

A new four-laser system at the Paranal Observatory will help the massive telescope compensate for atmospheric turbulence

This artist's concept shows the distant dwarf planet Makemake and its newly discovered moon. Makemake and its moon, nicknamed MK 2, are more than 50 times farther away than Earth is from the sun.

Think Big

Hubble Spies a Tiny Moon Orbiting Dwarf Planet Makemake

Our solar system still has plenty of surprises

Page 70 of 88