Space

The law is the first of its kind by any nation, but how much weight it has is yet to be seen. It is perhaps just one small step to preserve human heritage in space.

By Michelle L.D. Hanlon

Everyone's heard of the blue moon and the harvest moon, but every other full moon of the year has a name, too. What are their names and when do theses moons occur?

By Nathan Chandler

Stars are giant nuclear fusion reactors and we wouldn't exist without them. Find out how much you know about these twinkling lights with our quiz.

By David Warmflash, M.D.

Whether it's a solar eclipse, a meteor shower or the launch of the long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope, 2021 has a lot to offer.

By Valerie Stimac

All of the planets in the solar system are named for Greek gods, except Earth. So where did the name come from?

By Mark Mancini

The Quadrantids are a short but powerful meteor shower that shows up in early January. How can you glimpse it?

By Valerie Stimac

A magnetar is a neutron star with a super-strong magnetic field. Astronomers consider them among the scariest objects in the universe, but why?

By Valerie Stimac

There are four others with this unusual honor. While not every other went from space to the Senate like Mark Kelly, their stories are equally as interesting.

By David Warmflash, M.D.

Until recently, Arecibo had the biggest radio telescope in the world, and its ability to detect distant signals made it a very powerful tool for studying the universe. It even starred in two movies.

By Patrick J. Kiger

You might call it a Christmas miracle. Jupiter and Saturn will align so closely they may look like a double planet. The last time we saw this was in 1226.

By Valerie Stimac

Late November is the perfect time to look for Orion's Belt. If you're new to stargazing, we'll show you how to find it.

By Valerie Stimac

NASA and other agencies have been studying artificial gravity in hopes they will someday use it to help astronauts combat the effects of weightlessness in space. How close are we to that reality?

By David Warmflash, M.D.

The annual Leonid meteor shower is back, and peaks in the early-morning hours of November 17. It's made up of tiny bits of debris from the comet Tempel-Tuttle. Here's how to see it.

By Patrick J. Kiger

He stood just 5 feet, 2 inches. But Gagarin cast an enormously long shadow in space exploration, both for his achievements and his mysterious death.

By Nathan Chandler

Humans have now occupied the International Space Station for 20 continuous years. What does this international cooperation say about the future of space exploration?

By Wendy Whitman Cobb

A distant asteroid made mostly of iron is potentially worth $10,000 quadrillion, making it many times more valuable than the global economy.

By Patrick J. Kiger

NASA is sending astronauts to the moon as soon as 2024. And they'll have 4G cell service when they get there.

By David Warmflash, M.D.

Even if you've never looked through a telescope, you've probably seen Vega, one of the brightest stars in our galaxy. In fact, thousands of years ago, Vega was our North Pole star, and will be again in the future.

By Valerie Stimac

Every autumn, Earth passes through a stream of debris left by Halley's comet, resulting in nighttime meteor showers in mid-October. The best time this year is Oct. 20-21.

By Patrick J. Kiger

When you think about space travel, you probably don't take the time to wonder how astronauts go to the bathroom. However, the annals of aeronautic history abound with space bathroom tales. Here are 10 of our favorites.

By Stephanie Watson

Star-gazers gasped when they saw how much Betelgeuse dimmed in 2019 and the reason wasn't clear. Even though it's back up to full strength, how long will it be before it explodes? We haven't seen a supernova in over 400 years.

By Nathan Chandler

For decades Bob Lazar talked about a mysterious element 115 that supposedly could power alien spacecraft. People thought he was a nut but scientists discovered element 115 in 2003. Was there any connection?

By Nathan Chandler

Other companies, like Amazon and Telesat, are planning to emulate StarLink's model, meaning there could soon be as many as 50,000 satellites, mostly for the purpose of internet service, floating around in space.

By Nathan Chandler

It's a celestial gift in the middle of August. Just look up for a spectacular sight.

By Christopher Hassiotis

The Perseverance rover will explore Mars' Jezero Crater, gathering rock samples which may prove that life once existed on the red planet.

By Patrick J. Kiger