Space

Everybody wants to find aliens, even the hacktivist group Anonymous.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D.

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?

By Patrick J. Kiger

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.

By Patrick J. Kiger

European scientists are inviting gamers to become citizen scientists, sifting through real astronomical data to spot undiscovered planets orbiting other stars.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Say hello to the newly discovered TRAPPIST-1 system, which is just 39 light-years away and filled with seven Earth-like planets.

By Jonathan Strickland

The rings of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune may be remnants of smaller planets destroyed long ago by the gas giants' powerful gravity.

By Patrick J. Kiger

And solving that issue could go a long way toward making our planetary neighbor habitable.

By Jonathan Strickland

NASA's Spot the Station feature will text or email you when the ISS is about to be overhead. And you won't even need a telescope to see it!

By Laurie L. Dove

The sun's atmosphere is actually hotter than its surface, even though you'd assume the surface is what generates all that heat. How does that work?

By Patrick J. Kiger & Yara Simón

Saturn's largest moon Titan is the only other celestial body we know of that has liquid lakes on its surface. NASA has just captured some amazing footage of clouds.

By Christopher Hassiotis

Outer planets in our solar system have atmospheres made up of flammable chemicals that can cause explosions on Earth. Could a rocketship, or electric spark, ignite them?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Elton's always maintained that Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids. Is he right?

By Julia Layton

The space telescope's ultraviolet observations come days before the Juno space probe will arrive to orbit the gas giant's polar regions.

By Christopher Hassiotis

A lunar land rush is the most likely thing in the world (or, rather, out of it). As private companies gaze spaceward with dollar signs in their eyes, it's time to start settling some questions about space ownership, use and management.

By Nicholas Gerbis

From sporting goods to movie memorabilia, members of the space program have been inventive about what they take into space. Here are 10 offbeat items that have taken the ride.

By Laurie L. Dove

GPS is great, but it's kind of Earth-centric. If we have our hearts set on traveling to distant planets and faraway stars, then it's time to come up with a new navigation system. NASA, of course, has an idea.

By William Harris

It's your home, and a colossally sized one at that. How much do you know about your galactic digs and their residence amid the yawning universe?

By Robert Lamb

How are stars formed? In this article we'll explain stars and learn how stars are formed.

By Robert Lamb & Austin Henderson

Stars are enormous celestial bodies hot enough to register millions of degrees. They're fascinating scientific phenomena, but is it actually possible for scientists to create them?

By Jonathan Strickland

It's not uncommon for planets to wander alone through the universe like big, sullen teenagers. But how do they end up flying solo, and could they still harbor life?

By Kate Kershner

It's not just NASA pros staring into the night sky. Lots of skilled amateurs are out there pointing their telescopes into the great beyond. But can the average space enthusiast actually make a critical discovery?

By Kate Kershner

Of course we want to go to Mars. Until we figure it out though, roving robots with names like Spirit, Opportunity, Sojourner and Curiosity are our best bet for digging up dirt on our nearest planetary neighbor. Want to go along for the ride?

By Marshall Brain & Kate Kershner

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Big as this gas giant is though, next to the sun, it's still small.

By Mark Mancini

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, and it's the smallest in the solar system. So why does it have longer days than we have on Earth?

By Mark Mancini

While we generally picture the sun and planets when thinking about our solar system, it also consists of comets, asteroids and hundreds of moons.

By Nicole Antonio