Space

Explore the vast reaches of space and mankind’s continuing efforts to conquer the stars, including theories such as the Big Bang, the International Space Station, plus what the future holds for space travel and exploration.

Topics to Explore

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Our Milky Way Is Warped Like an Old Vinyl Record

It's tricky to see the true shape of the Milky Way when you're stuck inside it. So how did scientists figure it out?

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Feb 6, 2019 Astronomy / Stars Channel

Earth's Oldest Rock May Have Been Discovered (On the Moon!)

The Apollo 14 mission landed on the moon in January 1971, but what the astronauts brought back could be making history now.

By Mark Mancini Feb 4, 2019 Space / Space Exploration

Where Did THAT Come From? Hubble Discovers Galactic Neighbor Bedin 1

On a galactic scale, that's kind of like finding a tree in your backyard that you'd never seen before.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Jan 31, 2019 Space / Space Exploration

Saturn's Rings Will Exist for Just a Blip in Time

No worries though. Jupiter, Neptune or Uranus could create their own beautiful, bright ring display in the distant future.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Jan 17, 2019 Astronomy / The Solar System

Mark Your Calendars for These Space Events in 2019

From rocket launches and eclipses to meteor showers and lunar landings, these are the space events you won't want to miss in 2019.

By Patrick J. Kiger Jan 14, 2019 Space / Space Exploration

Barnard's Star B May Host Primitive Life, Kind of Like Europa

Things just got more interesting on this enigmatic exoplanet.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Jan 11, 2019 Space / Space Exploration

Does the Sun Rotate?

Like Earth, the sun does rotate, but in a different way.

By Patrick J. Kiger Jan 11, 2019 Astronomy / The Solar System

After the Sun Dies, It'll Become a Stellar Crystal

Those stars twinkling in the nighttime sky may actually be crystal spheres. And our beloved star is headed in that direction, too. Eventually.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Jan 9, 2019 Astronomy / The Solar System

Orion Nebula Is Scene of Epic Star Battle

In this stellar nursery, firstborn stars are ruthless.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Jan 8, 2019 Astronomy / Stars Channel

Chinese Spacecraft Lands on the Far Side of the Moon

The China National Space Administration makes history — and shows the world the dark side of the moon.

By Mark Mancini Jan 3, 2019 Astronomy / The Solar System

What Are the 'Blueberries' on Mars?

Scientists are still trying to come up with a conclusive explanation for the Martian blueberries.

By Patrick J. Kiger Dec 24, 2018 Space / Space Exploration

This Is a First: An Image of the Sun's North Pole

The image, which was created by the European Space Agency, shows the blazing hot orb's northern-most region for the very first time. Pretty cool stuff.

By Mark Mancini Dec 13, 2018 Astronomy / The Solar System

Voyager 2 Goes Interstellar, Just Like Voyager 1

That means it takes nearly 17 hours for a radio signal, traveling at the speed of light from Earth, to reach Voyager 2.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Dec 10, 2018 Space / Space Exploration

Gravitational Waves Are Lifting the Veil of Cosmic Darkness

We've identified 11 different times gravitational waves have passed through Earth. Yep, we're getting good at detecting these ripples in spacetime that Einstein predicted.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Dec 7, 2018 Space / Space Exploration

How Much Starlight Has Been Emitted Since the Beginning of Time?

It is a mind-blowing amount.

By Patrick J. Kiger Dec 4, 2018 Astronomy / Stars Channel

NASA's InSight Will Probe Mars' Quakes, Temperature and Wobble to Understand Its Origins

After cruising 300 million miles and spending seven months in space, the InSight spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars' surface. How awesome is that?

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Nov 27, 2018 Astronomy / The Solar System

Hungry 'Hot DOG' Eats Nearby Galaxies, Fattens Its Black Hole

And this hot DOG's ferocious appetite shows no signs of slowing down.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Nov 16, 2018 Space / Space Exploration

Heads Up: Massive Dark Matter Hurricane Passing Earth

Dark matter is the most mysterious (and possibly important) material in the universe, and scientists are excited that a storm of the stuff is upon us.

By Jesslyn Shields Nov 14, 2018 Astronomy / The Solar System

Discovered! Icy Super-Earth at Barnard's Star, Our Sun's Neighbor

But you can forget about Barnard's Star b bearing any resemblance to our planet.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Nov 14, 2018 Space / Space Exploration

Communicating With Aliens Is Hard. Communicating With Alien AI Could Be Harder

If you think about it, it'll likely be an alien machine that encounters our probes searching for intelligent life. How's that going to work?

By Greg Fish Nov 9, 2018 Space / Aliens & UFOs

The Milky Way Is a Cannibal

A stunning accusation has been made: About 10 billion years ago, a small galaxy strayed too close to ours, so our galaxy ate it.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D. Nov 2, 2018 Astronomy / Stars Channel

Is China Launching Fake Moon a Bright Idea?

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 Oct 26, 2018 Astronomy / The Solar System

What Are Moonmoons?

Can a moon have a moon of its own?

By Patrick J. Kiger Oct 24, 2018 Astronomy / The Solar System

Space Community Vows to Bounce Back After Soyuz Mishap

With the Russian Soyuz spacecraft officially out of commission, what does that mean for space exploration? And more importantly, the crew on the International Space Station?

By Mark Mancini Oct 22, 2018 Space / Spaceflight

Pluto: Is It a Planet After All?

Back in 2006, the International Astronomical Union decided to demote Pluto to the status of a dwarf planet. A new historical study challenges that designation.

By Patrick J. Kiger Oct 16, 2018 Astronomy / The Solar System