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Solar System

This mosaic of Bennu was created using observations made by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft that was in close proximity to the asteroid for over two years.

New Research

Asteroid Bennu Could Shed Light on How Ingredients for Life Reached Earth

New, detailed imagery of the asteroid’s surface show that it’s covered in boulders and carbon-containing molecules

This illustration depicts a giant planet the size of Jupiter, WD 1856 b. The planet is about seven times larger than the white dwarf star that it orbits every 34 hours.

This Giant Planet Is Orbiting a Dead Star

In a first, NASA astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a ‘dead’ white dwarf star

This orthographic projection shows Ceres, centered on Occator crater and the brightest spot on Ceres.

New Research

NASA Mission Shows Dwarf Planet Ceres Is Geologically Active

Seven studies of data from the Dawn spacecraft’s final orbit makes the case for liquid under the dwarf planet’s surface

They're here until Thursday!

Perseid Meteor Shower Reaches Peak Starting Tonight

The early mornings of August 11, 12 and 13 are the best times to view the annual summer ‘shooting star’ display

An illustration of high-altitude "shallow lightning" storms on Jupiter

The Forecast on Jupiter Is Cloudy With a Chance of ‘Mushballs’

New research describes the gas giant’s wild weather

Three of the four units of the ESO's Very Large Telescope, in Chile's Atacama desert

See Two Giant Exoplanets Orbit a Distant Star in This Rare Image

Researchers used the Very Large Telescope in Chile to capture the image

NASA and the European Space Agency released the closest pictures of the sun ever taken last week.

See Our Sun’s Surface in Unprecedented Detail

NASA and the European Space Agency released the closest images ever taken of our sun

Watch Colorful Sunsets on Distant Planets in This NASA Simulation

New models from a NASA scientist show what the sun’s setting might look like on Venus, Uranus and Mars

This artist's rendering of green airglow on Mars depicts the European Space Agency's Trace Gas Orbiter in the foreground.

Green Glow Detected in Mars’ Atmosphere

The emerald light resembles the glow emitted in Earth’s atmosphere

A new cluster of sunspots, visible in the top left part of the image, might indicate a new period of activity for the sun.

The Sun Produced Its Biggest Solar Flare Since 2017

The activity might be a sign of the sun entering into a new period of activity—or not, NASA says

At the center of the swirl, a bright yellow spot is has a characteristic twist that indicates the birth of a new exoplanet.

New Research

This Very Large Telescope Snapped an Exoplanet’s Baby Photos

The fiery swirl looks like a “Doctor Who” title card, but it’s actually a photograph of a planet-in-progress 520 light year away

Mars’ Chryse Planitia region is peppered with small hills topped with craters that might be mud volcanoes.

New Research

Martian Mud Probably Looks Like Lava

Muddy water that drains smoothly on Earth leaves a lumpy trail under Mars-like conditions

Jupiter seen in high resolution thermal infrared via the Gemini Observatory's Lucky Imaging technique.

Check Out These New Images of Jupiter’s Stormy Surface

The images allowed scientists to map lightning strikes and revealed holes in the Great Red Spot

A meteorite found in the Sahara Desert, valued at more than $2.5 million.

Christie’s Auction House Offers 29-Pound Hunk of Moon for $2.5 Million

The rock crash-landed in the Sahara Desert after a presumed collision chipped it off the lunar surface

Venus' volatile atmosphere expands in the sun, creating a low pressure area that drives strong winds around the planet.

New Research

The Forces Behind Venus’ Super-Rotating Atmosphere

Earth’s sister planet spins slowly, but its atmosphere whips around at high speeds

The Unified Geologic Map of the Moon, showing the geology of the Moon’s near side (left) and far side (right).

Gorgeous New Map of the Moon Is Most Detailed to Date

The rendering builds on decades of data that dates back to the Apollo missions, which happened some fifty years ago

An image of the April 2012 Lyrid meteor shower raining down on Earth, taken from the International Space Station.

How To Watch April’s Lyrid Meteor Shower From Home

Though not as plentiful as the Perseids in summer, the Lyrids can serve up some serious fireballs

NASA Names Its Next Mars Rover ‘Perseverance’

In an illustrated narrative, Perseverance—scheduled to launch this summer—searches for any signs of past microbial life on Mars

A gray whale "spyhopping" off the coast of Alaska. Gray whales migrate over 12,000 miles along North America's west coast.

New Research

How Storms on the Sun Interfere With Whale Migration

The new research gives weight to the hypothesis that gray whales use Earth’s magnetic field to navigate

An image of asteroid 2020 AV2, taken on January 8, 2020 by the Elena robotic unit part of the Virtual Telescope Project

Astronomers Spot First Asteroid Nearer to the Sun Than Venus

Such “intervenusian” rocks are both rare and difficult to detect

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