Space(Page 8)

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.

Latest in Space

LHS 3154b, a newly discovered massive planet that should be too big to exist.

The planet that should not exist The planet that should not exist

By Suvrath Mahadevan et al./The Conversation

A lineup of the best telescopes for astrophotography on a plain background

The best telescopes for astrophotography The best telescopes for astrophotography

By Stacey L. Nash

The last full moon of 2022 rises through a clear sky, past a string of festive lights. The moon is positioned at the center of a star made up of white Christmas lights.

Two meteor showers and a bright Mercury to light up December’s sky Two meteor showers and a bright Mercury to light up December’s sky

By Laura Baisas

An artist’s impression showing the HH 1177 system. The young and massive stellar object glowing in the center is collecting matter from a dusty disc while also expelling matter in powerful jets. This is the first time a disc around a young star has been discovered in another galaxy.

Astronomers spot an extragalactic star with a disc around it for the first time Astronomers spot an extragalactic star with a disc around it for the first time

By Laura Baisas

Scientists want to use the sun’s gravity to communicate between stars Scientists want to use the sun’s gravity to communicate between stars

By Briley Lewis

How AI could help scientists spot ‘ultra-emission’ methane plumes faster—from space

How AI could help scientists spot ‘ultra-emission’ methane plumes faster—from space How AI could help scientists spot ‘ultra-emission’ methane plumes faster—from space

The full view of the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument reveals a 50 light-years-wide portion of the Milky Way’s dense center. An estimated 500,000 stars shine in this image of the Sagittarius C region, along with some as-yet unidentified features. A vast region of ionized hydrogen, shown in cyan, wraps around an infrared-dark cloud, which is so dense that it blocks the light from distant stars behind it. Intriguing needle-like structures in the ionized hydrogen emission lack any uniform orientation. Researchers note the surprising extent of the ionized region, covering about 25 light-years.

Chaotic region shines bright with 500,000 stars in new JWST image Chaotic region shines bright with 500,000 stars in new JWST image

By Laura Baisas

An artist’s concept of the Milky Way, which is a spiral galaxy that has a defined center. The spiral arms are made up of stars that can be wound tightly or loosely.

Elliptical galaxies may just be spiral galaxies with their arms lobbed off Elliptical galaxies may just be spiral galaxies with their arms lobbed off

By Laura Baisas

Close-up of SpaceX Starship Falcon rockets igniting during liftoff

Another SpaceX Starship blew up Another SpaceX Starship blew up

NASA Psyche spacecraft surrounded by engineers in lab

NASA’s Psyche wins first deep space laser relay NASA’s Psyche wins first deep space laser relay

Computer simulation of Apollo 12 lunar lander effects on lunar surface

Watch NASA’s supercomputer simulation of the Apollo 12 lunar landing Watch NASA’s supercomputer simulation of the Apollo 12 lunar landing

UNCOVER z-13 and UNCOVER z-12 are the second and fourth most distant galaxy ever observed. The James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) helped confirm their existence within Pandora’s Cluster (Abell 2744). They are shown here as near-infrared wavelengths of light that have been translated to visible-light colors.

JWST spots two of the most distant galaxies astronomers have ever seen JWST spots two of the most distant galaxies astronomers have ever seen

By Laura Baisas

NASA ISS toolbag floating away above Earth

This tool bag is floating in space This tool bag is floating in space

Space Telescope with visible-light data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The resulting wavelength coverage, from 0.4 to 5 microns, reveals a vivid landscape of galaxies whose colors give clues to galaxy distances: The bluest galaxies are relatively nearby and often show intense star formation, as best detected by Hubble, while the redder galaxies tend to be more distant, or else contain copious amount of dust, as detected by JWST.

‘Christmas tree’ galaxy shines in new image from Hubble and JWST ‘Christmas tree’ galaxy shines in new image from Hubble and JWST

By Laura Baisas

Why scientists used these radio transmitters to create artificial auroras Why scientists used these radio transmitters to create artificial auroras

By Charlotte Hu

the surface of the moon revealing beautiful craters

Here’s what a billion years does to glass on the moon Here’s what a billion years does to glass on the moon

NASA's Super Guppy rocket transport prop plane landing on tarmac in Alabama

Watch NASA’s bizarre and bulbous Super Guppy cargo plane touch down in Alabama Watch NASA’s bizarre and bulbous Super Guppy cargo plane touch down in Alabama

Three moons and Jupiter, plus the NASA probe Juno.

The Juno spacecraft spotted evidence of a salty ocean on Jupiter’s biggest moon The Juno spacecraft spotted evidence of a salty ocean on Jupiter’s biggest moon

By Briley Lewis

An astronaut in a white spacesuit with Earth in the background.

In space, your body is like a soda can In space, your body is like a soda can

By Kelly and Zach Weinersmith

A gray asteroid against the black background of our solar system.

Why the heck is Earth wet? Why the heck is Earth wet?

This square astronomical image is divided horizontally by a waving line between a white-orange cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively blue-purple-pink upper portion. From the nebula in the bottom half of the image, an orange cloud shaped like a horsehead sticks out. In the bottom left of the image, a white round glow is visible. The clouds from the bottom half of the image shine purple/blue light into the upper half. The top of the image shows the black expanse of space. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing stars of varying sizes and colors. Blue stars are younger and red stars are older.

Euclid telescope spies shimmering stars and galaxies in its first look at the ‘dark’ universe Euclid telescope spies shimmering stars and galaxies in its first look at the ‘dark’ universe

By Laura Baisas

Astronomers found the most distant black hole ever detected in X-rays (in a galaxy dubbed UHZ1) using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope. X-ray emission is a telltale signature of a growing supermassive black hole. This result may explain how some of the first supermassive black holes in the universe formed. These images show the galaxy cluster Abell 2744 that UHZ1 is located behind, in X-rays from Chandra and infrared data from JWST, as well as close-ups of the black hole host galaxy UHZ1.

Farthest black hole ever recorded by astronomers is nearly as old as our universe Farthest black hole ever recorded by astronomers is nearly as old as our universe

By Laura Baisas

A sample of Asteroid Bennu is put on public display for the first time at the Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, on November 3, 2023. A sample collected from the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu contains abundant water and carbon, NASA revealed, offering more evidence for the theory that life on Earth was seeded from outer space. The small black rock is located in a glass viewing pain.

Smithsonian unveils a very small sample of the 4.5-billion-year-old Bennu asteroid Smithsonian unveils a very small sample of the 4.5-billion-year-old Bennu asteroid

By Laura Baisas

Screenshot of star from NASA+ show 'Space Out'

NASA’s free streaming platform launches this week. Here’s what to watch. NASA’s free streaming platform launches this week. Here’s what to watch.

The silver structure of the International Space Station against the black backdrop of space.

What mouse embryos can tell us about the future of pregnancies in space What mouse embryos can tell us about the future of pregnancies in space

Test subject tilting in spatial disorientation machine

These wearables might protect astronauts from space ‘death spirals’ These wearables might protect astronauts from space ‘death spirals’

A large asteroid with a smaller asteroid orbiting it. This image shows the “moonrise” of the satellite as it emerges from behind asteroid Dinkinesh as seen by the Lucy Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager. This image was taken by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft at 12:55 p.m. EDT on November 1, 2023, within a minute of closest approach, from a range of approximately 270 miles. From this perspective, the satellite is behind the primary asteroid. The image has been sharpened and processed to enhance contrast.

First NASA images from Lucy’s flyby reveal that ‘Dinky’ is not alone First NASA images from Lucy’s flyby reveal that ‘Dinky’ is not alone

By Laura Baisas

yeah! caption is A size comparison of Dinkinesh (shown in blue) and other main asteroid belt objects Bennu and (2867) Steins.

NASA spacecraft Lucy says hello to ‘Dinky’ asteroid on far-flying mission NASA spacecraft Lucy says hello to ‘Dinky’ asteroid on far-flying mission

By Laura Baisas

The Milky Way galaxy shines above a dark space telescope in the foreground.

What astronomers learned from a near-Earth asteroid they never saw coming What astronomers learned from a near-Earth asteroid they never saw coming

By Briley Lewis

The gold mirrors of JSWT sit in front of an extremely large, circular door in a vast room with scientists working.

This NASA photographer documented the 30-year journey to build the James Webb Space Telescope This NASA photographer documented the 30-year journey to build the James Webb Space Telescope

By Abby Ferguson

Beaver moon sets behind Rocca Calascio castle in Calascio, Italy, on November 9, 2022. November full moon takes this name because during this month beavers fill the banks of rivers and build their dams and dens to take refuge in view of winter.

You can see three meteor showers at their peak and a full Beaver Moon this November You can see three meteor showers at their peak and a full Beaver Moon this November

By Laura Baisas

An artist's rendition of the infrared aurora superimposed on a Hubble Space Telescope photograph of Uranus. The planet is blue with a white ring around it and the aurora is shown in red at its poles.

Uranus has a weird infrared aurora Uranus has a weird infrared aurora

By Laura Baisas

An ISRO rocket launches amid a brownish plume of exhaust.

India had an impressive year in space—and it’s just getting started India had an impressive year in space—and it’s just getting started

Man holding HULC lunar camera in rocky outdoor environment

A sneak peek at the lunar camera destined for the Artemis missions A sneak peek at the lunar camera destined for the Artemis missions

A computer-generated three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus. Venus has a surface temperature of over 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

Earth-like plate tectonics may have shaped Venus billions of years ago Earth-like plate tectonics may have shaped Venus billions of years ago

By Laura Baisas

Dark black holes merge together in a brown, star-studded illustration.

Gravitational wave detector now squeezes light to find more black holes Gravitational wave detector now squeezes light to find more black holes

Orang heat radiates from a reentering space capsule in NASA artwork.

Rockets and satellites are shedding metal into the atmosphere Rockets and satellites are shedding metal into the atmosphere

By Briley Lewis

Artist rendition of Voyager 1 in space

Voyager probes get virtual tune-up to keep decades-long missions going and going Voyager probes get virtual tune-up to keep decades-long missions going and going

NASA astronaut Harrison Schmitt is standing on the moon’s surface next to a large split lunar boulder, with a roving vehicle on the other side of the boulder.

The moon is 40 million years older than we thought, according to crystals collected by Apollo astronauts The moon is 40 million years older than we thought, according to crystals collected by Apollo astronauts

By Laura Baisas

Pale craters on the moon's lunar surface, with dark shadows below.

This private lander could be the first US machine on the moon this century This private lander could be the first US machine on the moon this century

The best telescopes under $500 are a great starting point

The best telescopes under $500 The best telescopes under $500

A radio telescope in Australia beneath the Milky Way.

Oldest radio burst ever found could tell us what exists between galaxies Oldest radio burst ever found could tell us what exists between galaxies

An image of Jupiter taken with the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIR Cam in July 2022. Researchers recently discovered a narrow jet stream traveling 320 miles per hour sitting over Jupiter’s equator above the main cloud decks. The numerous bright white "spots" and "streaks" are likely very high-altitude cloud tops of condensed convective storms. Auroras, appearing in red in this image, extend to higher altitudes above both the northern and southern poles of the planet.

Why a 3,000-mile-long jet stream on Jupiter surprised NASA scientists Why a 3,000-mile-long jet stream on Jupiter surprised NASA scientists

By Laura Baisas

The planet Earth, as seen from the DSCOVR satellite. Earth appears as a bright blue dot against the darkness of space, with the shadow of an annular solar eclipse over much of North America.

What the ‘Ring of Fire’ eclipse looked like to a satellite nearly 1 million miles from Earth What the ‘Ring of Fire’ eclipse looked like to a satellite nearly 1 million miles from Earth

By Laura Baisas

An artist's illustration of a cutaway of Mars along with the paths of seismic waves from two separate quakes in 2021. These seismic waves, detected by NASA’s InSight mission, were the first ever identified to enter another planet’s core.

Giant quake that shook Mars for hours had a surprising source Giant quake that shook Mars for hours had a surprising source

By Laura Baisas

Red-capped Hall effect thrusters being attached to a spacecraft body by two engineers.

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will blaze an unusual blue trail across the solar system NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will blaze an unusual blue trail across the solar system

By Briley Lewis

Two Celestron telescopes on a white background

Save up to $101 on a Celestron x PopSci telescope with this post-eclipse sale at Amazon Save up to $101 on a Celestron x PopSci telescope with this post-eclipse sale at Amazon

By Stan Horaczek

A young Black person with short dyed-blonde hair wearing a yellow jacket and eclipse glasses while looking up at an eclipse in front of some residential buildings.

How to watch Saturday’s ‘ring of fire’ eclipse from wherever you are How to watch Saturday’s ‘ring of fire’ eclipse from wherever you are

By John Kennedy

The metal capsule containing asteroid samples of Bennu.

NASA’s first asteroid-return sample is a goldmine of life-sustaining materials NASA’s first asteroid-return sample is a goldmine of life-sustaining materials

Parker Solar Probe in front of sun concept art

The fastest ever human-made object keeps breaking its own speed record The fastest ever human-made object keeps breaking its own speed record

This new infrared image of NGC 346 from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) traces emission from cool gas and dust. In this image blue represents silicates and sooty chemical molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. More diffuse red emission shines from warm dust heated by the brightest and most massive stars in the heart of the region. Bright patches and filaments mark areas with abundant numbers of protostars.

Star-making hot spot looks like a glowing raven in new JWST image Star-making hot spot looks like a glowing raven in new JWST image

By Laura Baisas

This image shows many looping and overlapping orbits encircling the Sun, all of different colors (to differentiate between asteroids). The center of the image – representing an area within the orbit of Jupiter – is very densely packed with orbits, while the outer edges remain clearer, showing the background plane of the Milky Way.

A mission to map the universe unveils star clusters, asteroids, and tricks of gravity A mission to map the universe unveils star clusters, asteroids, and tricks of gravity

By Laura Baisas

An orange ring around the dark moon eclipsing the sun.

We can predict solar eclipses to the second. Here’s how. We can predict solar eclipses to the second. Here’s how.

Close up of Axiom Space Prada lunar spacesuit glove

Moon-bound Artemis III spacesuits have some functional luxury sewn in Moon-bound Artemis III spacesuits have some functional luxury sewn in

A NASA astronaut in a white spacesuit in orbit above blue Earth.

Why we need a code of ethics to study space tourists Why we need a code of ethics to study space tourists

Orbital cubesat plasma brake concept art

A new satellite’s ‘plasma brake’ uses Earth’s atmosphere to avoid becoming space junk A new satellite’s ‘plasma brake’ uses Earth’s atmosphere to avoid becoming space junk

Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus, and Alexei Ekimov will share the 2023 Nobel prize in chemistry.

Discoverers of colorful quantum dot nanotech win 2023 Nobel Prize in chemistry Discoverers of colorful quantum dot nanotech win 2023 Nobel Prize in chemistry

By Laura Baisas

Illustration of trackable objects orbiting Earth

The FCC just dished out their first space junk fine The FCC just dished out their first space junk fine

A purplish spiral galaxy with red and yellow space objects.

JWST takes a jab at the mystery of the universe’s expansion rate JWST takes a jab at the mystery of the universe’s expansion rate

By Briley Lewis

Artist conception of early starbursting galaxies. The image is rendered from FIRE simulation data used for this research that can explain recent JWST results. Stars and galaxies are shown in the bright white points of light, while the more diffuse dark matter and gas are shown in purples and reds.

Bursting stars could explain why it was so bright after the big bang Bursting stars could explain why it was so bright after the big bang

By Laura Baisas

A spacecraft in a white room as technicians wearing cleanroom suits look on.

NASA’s mission to a weird metal asteroid has blasted off NASA’s mission to a weird metal asteroid has blasted off

Purple, blue, and white meteors fall at night during October stargazing

A ‘ring of fire’ eclipse and Hunter’s Moon will bring lunar drama to October’s skies A ‘ring of fire’ eclipse and Hunter’s Moon will bring lunar drama to October’s skies

By Laura Baisas

Inside the small world of simulating other worlds

Inside the small world of simulating other worlds Inside the small world of simulating other worlds

By Sarah Scoles/Undark

Solar sail concept art from NASA

How tiny spacecraft could ‘sail’ to Mars surprisingly quickly How tiny spacecraft could ‘sail’ to Mars surprisingly quickly