space

Editor's Picks

an illustration showing the hypothetical Planet 9 with blue rings and a question mark over it, with stars and a galaxy in the background
Planet Nine: Is the search for this elusive world nearly over? Astronomers have been scouring the outer solar system for signs of a hypothetical ninth planet for almost a decade, without success. However, we may finally be on the cusp of finding it, experts say.
Each bright spot in this image, the first all-sky image by eRosita, is black hole or a neutron star.
5 space discoveries that scientists are struggling to explain From "runaway" black holes shooting across the cosmos to secret planets in our own backyard, space is overrun with mysterious objects that scientists are clamoring to explain. Here are five of the strangest sights in the universe, as well as their possible origins.
An illustration of a large, round asteroid having a close encounter with the blue Earth
NASA's most wanted: The 5 most dangerous asteroids to Earth What is the most dangerous asteroid, how probable is an impact, and how much destructive power would a collision with Earth have? Here are 5 big space rocks that NASA is watching closely.

Latest about space

An artist's rendering of the sun rising over the earth

Have days on Earth always been 24 hours?

By Sarah Wells published

Earth's day used to be five hours shorter, and it's predicted to continue lengthening over time.

Planet Earth
Each bright spot in this image, the first all-sky image by eRosita, is black hole or a neutron star.

5 space discoveries that scientists are struggling to explain

By Brandon Specktor published

From "runaway" black holes shooting across the cosmos to secret planets in our own backyard, space is overrun with mysterious objects that scientists are clamoring to explain. Here are five of the strangest sights in the universe, as well as their possible origins.

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

Space photo of the week: James Webb telescope spots galaxy churning out stars in overtime

By Jamie Carter published

The James Webb Space Telescope peers into NGC 4449, a small galaxy showing explosive star formation that astronomers can't quite explain.

Astronomy
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsunchinshan-ATLAS

Bright comet headed toward Earth could be visible with the naked eye

By Joe Rao published

The incoming comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS might become as brilliant as Venus during its close approach to Earth this fall, potentially making it visible to the naked eye.

Comets
Europa

Space photo of the week: NASA sees a 'Platypus' move on Jupiter's moon Europa

By Jamie Carter published

The Juno spacecraft, which orbits Jupiter, has been imaging the giant planet's moon Europa and spotted apparent movement in its icy crust.

Jupiter
Close-up of a gas giant is striped with tans, browns, and some faint orange. A white arrow points to a small dark dot, the shadow of a moon.

Jupiter's elusive 5th moon caught crossing the Great Red Spot in new NASA images

By Keith Cooper published

NASA's Juno spacecraft has spotted the elusive fifth moon of Jupiter transiting the giant planet's Great Red Spot, giving astronomers a rare view of this small but intriguing natural satellite.

Jupiter
This computer-simulated image shows a supermassive black hole at the core of a galaxy. The black region in the center represents the black hole’s event horizon, where no light can escape the massive object’s gravitational grip. The black hole’s powerful gravity distorts space around it like a funhouse mirror. Light from background stars is stretched and smeared as the stars skim by the black hole.

32 strange places scientists are looking for aliens

By Isobel Whitcomb published

From planets and moons in our solar system to dying stars and parallel universes, here are some of the far-out places scientists are searching for alien life.

Extraterrestrial Life
An image of the God's Hand cometary globule. The image features pink and blue clouds against a starry background. One of the clouds is in the shape of a claw or hand.

Space photo of the week: 'God's Hand' leaves astronomers scratching their heads

By Jamie Carter published

A new space photo captures "God's Hand", a cometary globule in the Gum Nebula, where stars are being born.

Astronomy
Visualization of the trajectory and impact of asteroid 2024 BX1.

Asteroid that exploded over Berlin was fastest-spinning space rock ever recorded

By Sascha Pare published

Scientists have calculated the rotational speed of asteroid 2024 BX1, which exploded over Berlin earlier this year, by letting it trail in images of the sky. It turns out, 2024 BX1 was spinning faster than any other near-Earth object ever seen.

Asteroids
The Cat's Paw Nebula, photographed here by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope

Dusty 'Cat's Paw Nebula' contains a type of molecule never seen in space — and it's one of the largest ever found

By Victoria Atkinson published

Scientists have detected a new, unusually large molecule never seen in space before. The 13-atom molecule, called 2-methoxyethanol, was detected in the Cat's Paw Nebula.

Astronomy
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