space

Editor's Picks

an illustration of our solar system
A 'planetary parade' will dance across the sky on Jan. 21 — but that's not the best night to see it Worlds will align for a "planetary parade" in January, with four bright and easily visible to the naked eye. But an even better view arrives in February and March. Here's what you need to know.
An artistic image of the outline of the human body in front of a cosmic image
Most of the atoms in your body left the Milky Way on a 'cosmic conveyor belt' long before you were born, new study reveals New research suggests that most of the atoms within the human body likely spent part of their lives drifting beyond the Milky Way on a cosmic "conveyor belt," before eventually returning to our galaxy.
Around Earth, an invisible magnetic field traps electrons and other charged particles.
New NASA robot with X-ray vision will watch Earth 'breathing' from the moon NASA's LEXI instrument is set to land on the moon's surface sometime this month. Using X-ray sensors, the device will watch Earth's atmosphere "breathing out and breathing in" to uncover key space weather mysteries.

Latest about space

Geminid Meteor in the night sky of Penang Island

Doorbell camera captures 1st-ever video of the sound and sight of a meteorite crash-landing

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

A doorbell camera recorded a rare video of the moment a meteorite fell outside a home.

Space
An illustration of a strange streak of light in the night sky

Did people report seeing UFOs before the 20th century?

By Elana Spivack published

Are UFO sightings a 20th-century phenomena, or did people report seeing them earlier in history?

Extraterrestrial Life
An illustration of an astronaut sitting in a lounge chair on the moon

What temperature is the moon?

By Elana Spivack published

An astronomer describes how the moon's surface temperature changes.

The Moon
An illustration of an asteroid field

Chinese 'robot dog' that moves like a cat could revolutionize space exploration and asteroid mining

By Rory Bathgate published

Using AI training, researchers designed a "robot dog" that moves like a cat, and has no trouble navigating low-gravity environments

Robotics
A stunning, billowing cloud of purple and orange gas in space

Our favorite space stories of 2024 — from lost planets to human-caused meteor showers

By Brandon Specktor published

From the mysterious Planet Nine to the prospect of a "human-caused meteor shower," space and physics editor Brandon Specktor lists his favorite stories of 2024.

Astronomy
An image of the moon with the bottom half in shadow

Scientists still don't fully understand why some planets have hundreds of moons while others have none

By Nicole Granucci published

It's not a competition, but if it were, Saturn would be winning.

Space
Earth's shadow partially covers the moon as viewed from the ISS

Is the moon a planet?

By Briley Lewis published

The moon is a round, rocky body, but is it a planet? The answer, scientists say, is complicated.

The Moon
Laser experiment in photonics laboratory.

Lasers powered by sunlight could beam energy through space to support interplanetary missions

By Skyler Ware published

New research has found a way to power spacecraft with lasers generated using solar energy alone.

Engineering
Image shows the north polar region of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io as captured by NASA’s Juno during the spacecraft’s 57th close pass of the gas giant on Dec. 30, 2023.

NASA solves 44-year-old mystery of why Jupiter's Io is so volcanically active

By Pandora Dewan published

Io is the most volcanically active world in our solar system. Now, NASA scientists have revealed how and why.

Space
A photo of galaxy NGC 4449, with red and orange sparkling clouds

What is the universe expanding into if it's already infinite?

By Nicole Granucci published

The universe is constantly expanding, but how do scientists think about what it's expanding into?

Cosmology
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