Space

If you take cosmic dust and add plasma ... do you get life? Findings suggest that plasma crystals may be the key to one of the universe's greatest mysteries: Is there life out there?

By Jacob Silverman

Until recently, most people assumed that if Mars had liquid water, it no longer did and hadn't for quite some time. But scientists have recently noticed some anomalies in photos of Mars that may suggest there is water. Could there be life, too?

By Sarah Dowdey & Robert Lamb

Kepler-186f was the first Earth-sized planet found within its star's habitable zone. But there's still a lot we don't know about it.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

The four Jovian planets are officially designated as gas (and/or ice) giants. Which planets are they and what makes them so unique?

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Terrestrial planets include the four closest to our sun, including Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. What else makes these celestial bodies terrestrial planets?

By Mitch Ryan

Move over Saturn. There are other planets in the solar system surrounded by ring systems.

By Mitch Ryan

Gliese 581c was one of the first "Earth-like" planets found, back in 2007. It generated a lot of excitement then but what about now?

By Kathryn Whitbourne

Surprisingly, the solar system isn't odorless - it has a distinct scent that some astronauts like and others think is stinky. So, what does it smell like and why?

By Valerie Stimac

Do you love looking at beautiful pictures of the night sky? How do space photographers get those shots? And could you join their ranks?

By Valerie Stimac

And this month's buck moon is extra-special because it is a supermoon!

By Valerie Stimac

Recently, there's been a spike in UFO sightings - officially UAP, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena - all over the world and nobody seems to know why or what the objects we're seeing might be.

By Jennifer Walker-Journey

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his brother plan to blast into space next month. But even if you're not related to a billionaire, you can still experience the fun of space at a 'down-to-Earth' price.

By Valerie Stimac

Yep, two small-bodied Russian tortoises made it to the moon and back before man did.

By Mark Mancini

The Chinese space station Tiangong, now with its first crew of astronauts, is scheduled for completion in 2022. What does that mean for the future of the aging International Space Station and multinational space cooperation?

By Patrick J. Kiger & Desiree Bowie

On July 20, 2021, Wally Funk will blast off. Her trip to space has been delayed since 1961, when the 'Mercury 13' Woman in Space Program was cancelled.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Today, Blue Origin flew its billionaire founder Jeff Bezos and three others into space, a week after Virgin Galactic flew its billionaire founder Richard Branson on the same mission. Will space tourism be more than a millionaire's hobby?

By Valerie Stimac

Scientists have observed flashes of X-rays coming from behind a supermassive black hole, consistent with Albert Einstein's prediction that extremely large objects can bend light.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, a team of scientists discovered what could very well be the first exoplanet outside the Milky Way. It's massive and might even orbit a black hole.

By Valerie Stimac

NASA's DART spacecraft hit its mark Monday, Sept. 26 after years of planning. The bullseye was asteroid Dimorphos. Here's what NASA hopes to learn now.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The gegenschein, "faint light" in German, occurs under very specific astronomical conditions when the sun reaches the exact opposite of Earth from wherever you're stargazing.

By Valerie Stimac

You know Saturn and Venus and Mars. Can you put the eight planets of the solar system in the correct order? There are several ways to do this.

By Valerie Stimac

One of the three-man crew of Apollo 11, the mission that first set foot on the moon, Michael Collins was a true American hero.

By Mark Mancini

In recent years, Saturn has overtaken Jupiter as the planet with the most moons in our solar system. How many does it have and could it have even more?

By Valerie Stimac & Desiree Bowie

Lettuce has key nutrients that give both astronauts and Earth-dwellers alike a physical and psychological boost. And the lettuce grown in space is no less nutritious than the Earth-bound variety.

By Katie Carman

NASA's historic Beach House on Cape Canaveral is the last place many astronauts visit before they blast off into space. Today it's full of mission memories and NASA artifacts.

By Mark Mancini