Astronomy
Astronomy is a broad discipline covering all facets of astrophysics. In this section you can learn about the origins of the universe, black holes and other astronomical phenomena.
Constellation Pictures
How to Find Orion's Belt in the Night Sky
Radio Telescope Image Gallery
How do I build a telescope at home?
Shooting the Stars as an Astrophotographer
The Largest Star in the Universe Is 1,700x Bigger Than Our Sun
Twinkle, Twinkle: The Ultimate Stars Quiz
White Dwarfs Can Shred Planets to Pieces
What Is a Harvest Moon?
The Mysteries of Mercury Retrograde Unveiled: A Cosmic Phenomenon
A Comprehensive Guide to the Layers of the Earth
Learn More / Page 6
The idea behind the "fake" moon is to provide extra illumination to Chengdu, a city in China's Sichuan province. What could possibly go wrong?
By Mark Mancini
After cruising 300 million miles and spending seven months in space, the InSight spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars' surface. How awesome is that?
Some scientists think the existence of plate tectonics could be a prerequisite for life. So do they exist on other planets outside of Earth?
By Mark Mancini
Advertisement
Once upon a time, the sun caught an interstellar orphan and adopted it as its own. It's named 2015 BZ 509.
To define the location of objects in the sky, astronomers utilize a system of celestial coordinates, which extends latitude and longitude from Earth's surface into space.
Yep, 'Oumuamua was probably kicked out of its own star system by an overbearing gas giant like Jupiter.
Advertisement
In this stellar nursery, firstborn stars are ruthless.
No worries though. Jupiter, Neptune or Uranus could create their own beautiful, bright ring display in the distant future.
Scientists are continually discovering more moons orbiting the outer planets, particularly Saturn and Jupiter. Just how many moons does Jupiter have?
Advertisement
It's a celestial gift in the middle of August. Just look up for a spectacular sight.
The annual Leonid meteor shower is back, and peaks in the late-night hours of November 17. It's made up of tiny bits of debris from the comet Tempel-Tuttle. Here's how to see it.
Neither massive planets nor tiny stars, brown dwarfs are entirely different substellar curiosities that possess qualities of both.
Advertisement
Astronomers have just discovered a gas in Uranus' clouds that does nothing to help the planet being taken seriously.
Jupiter has been notoriously bad about revealing any water deep in its thick atmosphere. That's changing though.
This stellar noodle is the strongest material in the cosmos!
Advertisement
When a huge star collapses, it releases massive amounts of radiation in concentrated streams. If one of those streams hit Earth, it wouldn't be pretty. But where should we put "gamma-ray bursts" on our list of anxieties?
A billion years ago, the moon stopped being geologically active. But that's not to say that the moon is doing nothing for Earth. Let's find out why we owe our moon some thank yous.
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a supermoon! Aside from being bigger and brighter than a regular moon, does a supermoon affect anything on Earth?
The European Space Agency's Gaia satellite observatory has created a 3-D model of the Milky Way — and beyond! — that charts more than a billion stars.
Advertisement
Say hello to the newly discovered TRAPPIST-1 system, which is just 39 light-years away and filled with seven Earth-like planets.
The rings of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune may be remnants of smaller planets destroyed long ago by the gas giants' powerful gravity.