Space

The latest discoveries from space agencies and astronomers as they explore galaxies, black holes, exoplanets, and more. Also learn about night sky watching events right here on the home planet.

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Latest in Space

A new urine filtration system could help future astronauts explore further without needing to lug around hefty water reserves.
Science

Future astronauts could safely drink their own urine with this Dune-like device

By Mack DeGeurin

The rim and floor of Gale Crater as seen from NASA’s Curiosity Rover.
Science

Mars was icy and wet billions of years ago, new study suggests

By Tom Hawking

Image of the planet Mars
Mars

Elon Musk’s Martian dreams include modded Cybertrucks and bioengineered animals

By Andrew Paul

Screenshot of model rocket vertically landing
Aviation

Teen’s model rocket sticks a SpaceX-inspired vertical landing

By Andrew Paul

Image of Omega Centauri star cluster with black hole and evidence stars highlighted
Black Holes

Astronomers discover Earth’s closest black hole

By Andrew Paul

Starship test launch in 2021
NASA

SpaceX’s Starship may mess up the lunar surface

By Andrew Paul

NASA asteroid concept
Science

How often do asteroids come near Earth?

By Briley Lewis

an illustration of a blue exoplanet with white swirls near a sun-like star
Deep Space

A nearby exoplanet reeks of rotten eggs

By Laura Baisas

Close up of Syntrichia caninervis moss
Agriculture

This inedible, indestructible moss may help humans thrive on Mars

By Andrew Paul

SpaceX will attempt the first commercial spacewalk
Science

SpaceX will attempt the first commercial spacewalk

By Briley Lewis

Breakdown of Antikythera mechanism
Archaeology

The world’s oldest mechanical computer used a lunar calendar to study the stars

By Andrew Paul

NASA's Orion Capsule is drawn into the well deck of the USS Portland during recovery operations after it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, on December 11, 2022. - Orion was launched November 16 on the Artemis rocket for a 25-day mission to the Moon. The main goal of this mission was to test Orion's heat shield -- for the day when it is humans and not test mannequins riding inside. (Photo by Mario Tama / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MARIO TAMA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Science

How NASA and SpaceX get spacecraft safely back on Earth

By Marcos Fernandez Tous / The Conversation

a fun moon rises over an italian city
Mars

July’s skies sizzle with the Buck Moon and a meteor shower

By Laura Baisas

Henrique Alvim Corrêa’s Illustrations for The War of the Worlds (1906)
Science

100 years of aliens: From Mars beavers to little gray men

By Bill Gourgey

International Space Station orbiting above Earth
International Space Station

NASA is paying SpaceX to destroy the International Space Station

By Andrew Paul

the tall and straight pillars of creation as seen with two space telescopes. these celestial bodies are finger-like figures of gas and dust
Deep Space

Ethereal Pillars of Creation come to life in new 3D visualization

By Laura Baisas

NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson is pictured in her spacesuit prior to the start of a science and maintenance spacewalk that ended early after her suit experienced a water leak in the service and cooling umbilical unit.
International Space Station

NASA is having one rough summer

By Andrew Paul

In the era of private spaceflight, who gets to be an astronaut?
Science

In the era of private spaceflight, who gets to be an astronaut?

By Briley Lewis

3D printed Lego moon brick made from meteorite dust against space background
Engineering

Future lunar bases could be built with LEGO moon bricks

By Andrew Paul

Concept art of asteroid entering planet's atmosphere
NASA

What would we do if an asteroid slammed Earth on July 12, 2038?

By Andrew Paul

titan
Science

Wave erosion may have shaped Titan’s coastlines

By Tom Hawking

Concept art of lunar rover heat switch system
Science

Moon rovers are evolving to survive the harsh lunar night

By Andrew Paul

Illustration of an astronaut on Mars, using a remote control drone to inspect a nearby cliff.
Science

Traveling to Mars could destroy your kidneys

By Briley Lewis

Litter at sea
AI

Ocean trash can now be tracked from space

By Andrew Paul

an illustration of two merging quasars in space. they are round yellow and orange disks, with a black hole in the center. white light is coming out of the center of the black hole.
Deep Space

In a first, astronomers spot merging quasars from the Cosmic Dawn

By Laura Baisas

Pegasus Shooting Star Vodka promo art next to meteorite
Science

The $200 meteorite-infused vodka is refreshingly tasty

By Andrew Paul

Artist concept art of Voyager 1
Deep Space

Voyager 1 defies the odds yet again and is back online

By Andrew Paul

a pink galaxy shaped like a koi fish
Science

Space ‘koi fish’ caught by telescope

By Laura Baisas

NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg rides the Canadarm2 robotic arm while maneuvering a roll-out solar array toward the International Space Station's truss structure 257 miles above the Pacific Ocean. In the rear, is the SpaceX Dragon crew vehicle that docked to the Harmony module's forward port on March 3 carrying four SpaceX Crew-6 crew members.
Science

‘Check his pulse one more time’: NASA accidentally airs ISS emergency test

By Andrew Paul

Steve
Science

Have you seen Steve? Look up and you might spot the sky phenomenon.

By Briley Lewis

Astronaut conducting spacewalk outside ISS
Science

NASA astronauts will scrape microorganisms off ISS during upcoming spacewalk

By Andrew Paul

milky way above a barn and tent
Science

10 spectacular images from Milky Way Photographer of the Year awards

By Popular Science Team

Watch a meteor’s incredible light show above Spain and Portugal
Science

Watch a meteor’s incredible light show above Spain and Portugal

By Andrew Paul

Starship fourth liftoff
Science

SpaceX’s fourth Starship launches

By Andrew Paul

blue swirls swirling around white clouds and a brown surface on jupiter
Science

Surprisingly, storms on Jupiter and Earth have something in common

By Laura Baisas

Boeing Starliner launch
Science

Boeing Starliner launches first crewed mission for NASA

By Andrew Paul

Zebrafish
Science

Why do we send so many fish to space?

By Briley Lewis

First metal 3D printer on space station dribbles molten steel
Science

First metal 3D printer on space station dribbles molten steel

By Harri Weber

Image of June 3, 2024, solar flare
Science

Watch a wild ‘failed eruption’ solar flare

By Andrew Paul

JWST discovers earliest galaxy ever observed
Science

JWST discovers earliest galaxy ever observed

By Tom Hawking

a full moon rises with blurred red flowers
Space

June skygazing: Nevermind the viral ‘planet parade,’ check out the Strawberry/Solstice moon

By Laura Baisas

Panels A, B, and C each show stereographic image pairs of the asteroid Dinkinesh taken by the L’LORRI Instrument aboard NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft. The images were taken in the minutes around closest approach on November 1, 2023. The yellow and rose dots indicate the trough and ridge features, respectively. These images have been sharpened and processed to enhance contrast. Panel D shows a side view of Dinkinesh and its satellite Selam taken a few minutes after closest approach.
NASA

The odd moon orbiting a ‘Dinky’ asteroid is actually two moons fused together

By Laura Baisas

Farmer finds hunk of charred space debris, potentially from a SpaceX rocket
Science

Farmer finds hunk of charred space debris, potentially from a SpaceX rocket

By Harri Weber

Concept art of EarthCARE satellite scanning clouds above Earth
Climate Change

The ‘White Dragon’ satellite will keep watch over our clouds

By Andrew Paul

A spherical collection of stars which fills the whole view. The cluster is dominated by a concentrated group of bright white stars at the center, with several large yellow stars scattered throughout the image. Many of the stars have visible diffraction spikes. The background is black
Science

The 8 most extraordinary JWST images of 2024, so far

By Popular Science Team

Universe’s oldest known stars found in Milky Way’s ‘halo’
Science

Universe’s oldest known stars found in Milky Way’s ‘halo’

By Laura Baisas

an exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star
Deep Space

Newly discovered exoplanet may be habitable (or a Venus-like hellscape)

By Laura Baisas

a pink and red galaxy (left). an illustration of the cylindrical euclid space telescope (right)
Science

See 5 dazzling new images from Euclid, the ‘dark universe detective’

By Laura Baisas

This artist's concept illustrates a supermassive black hole with millions to billions times the mass of our sun. Supermassive black holes are enormously dense objects buried at the hearts of galaxies.
Black Holes

Astronomers use wobbly star stuff to measure a supermassive black hole’s spin

By Laura Baisas

An artist’s impression of ESA’s ExoMars rover, Rosalind Franklin.
Energy

Europe’s first Mars rover will use nuclear-powered heaters

By Andrew Paul

NASA and Boeing’s Starliner delays expose the challenges of space travel
Science

NASA and Boeing’s Starliner delays expose the challenges of space travel

By Briley Lewis

closeup of bumblebee
Science

How scientists accidentally found out that some bees can hibernate underwater

By Popular Science Team

Comet above Spain
Science

Watch a meteor’s incredible light show above Spain and Portugal

By Andrew Paul

Riding atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, spacecraft sets off to collide with an asteroid in the world’s first full-scale planetary defense test mission in November 2021.
Science

A rare risk of asteroid fastballs turns scientists into sluggers

By Theo Nicitopoulos / Undark

Eros in Stereo
Science

Mars might have an asteroid problem

By Briley Lewis

canola field
Science

Farmer finds hunk of charred space debris, potentially from a SpaceX rocket

By Harri Weber

Concept art of lunar base with floating train path alongside astronauts
Engineering

Wild NASA proposal envisions magnetic hover trains on the moon

By Andrew Paul

An illustration of what exoplanet WASP-39 b could look like. It is also a hot and puffy gas giant like exoplanet WASP 193b.
Science

A massive cotton candy-like exoplanet stumps astronomers

By Laura Baisas

green and purple aurora lights
Science

Spectacular aurora photos: Skies dazzle in vivid colors around the world

By Popular Science Team

In the race for space metals, companies hope to cash in
Science

In the race for space metals, companies hope to cash in

By Sarah Scoles/Undark

How ‘safe mode’ protects space telescopes like Hubble and TESS
Science

How ‘safe mode’ protects space telescopes like Hubble and TESS

By Briley Lewis

SpaceX EVA suit helmet close up
Science

SpaceX reveals new sleek spacesuits ahead of upcoming historic mission

By Andrew Paul

The planet Venus is dry thanks to water loss to space as atomic hydrogen. In the dominant loss process, an HCO+ ion recombines with an electron, producing speedy hydrogen atoms (orange) that use CO molecules (blue) as a launchpad to escape.
Science

Why Venus is so dry

By Laura Baisas

A Long March 5 rocket, carrying the Chang'e-6 mission lunar probe, lifts off as it rains at the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China's Hainan Province on May 3, 2024.
Science

China is en route to collect first-ever samples from the far side of the moon

By Andrew Paul