Space News

Cometary SurpriseComet Lovejoy survives a very close encounter with the Sun.Monday, December 19, 2011
Curiosity on to MarsAfter a successful liftoff, Curiosity will spend the next eight months on the way to Mars.Monday, November 28, 2011
Curiosity CountdownMars Science Laboratory Curiosity is on the pad, awaiting liftoff. Its first opportunity is the morning of Saturday, November 26.Monday, November 21, 2011
Mercury is Not the MoonImages of tiny planet Mercury taken by the Mariner spacecraft in the 60's and 70's show a grey rocky cratered world that looked a lot like Earth's Moon. New results from the MESSENGER spacecraft show that Mercury is full of surprises that challenge our view of how it formed.Thursday, September 29, 2011
A Planet With Two StarsNASA's Kepler spacecraft is on a hunt for planets orbiting other stars. Just announced - a planet that orbits a double star. (Don't go searching for Jedi masters here, it's a big, cold, gassy planet like Saturn.)Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Opportunity Keeps GoingAfter over seven years on the surface of the red planet, Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has arrived at Endeavour Crater, and is still making new discoveries.Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Kaboom!On August 24, a gigantic stellar explosion was detected in the Pinwheel Galaxy, 25 million light years away. It's the closest supernova of its kind seen in decades and astronomers will spend years studying it.Friday, August 26, 2011
Four Moons for PlutoIn 2005 the Hubble Space Telescope discovered two moons around Pluto, to add to the one discovered in 1978. Now, HST has detected a fourth one!Monday, July 25, 2011
The Final FlightSpace Shuttle Atlantis is nearing the end of its flight, the last of the Space Shuttle program. Keep an eye on the mission status at Spaceflight Now.Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Total Lunar Eclipse on June 15A total lunar eclipse occurs on June 15, but it won't be visible from anywhere in North America - except online. Find out how to watch here!Monday, June 13, 2011
Countdown to A Truly Rare EventOn June 5, 2012, the planet Venus passes directly in front of the Sun for the last time until the year 2125. The last time this happened was 2004, but the last time before that? 1882. Transits of Venus are steeped in history and science. Learn more at the Transit of Venus web site!Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Four Planets in the Morning Sky? Sleep In.Four planets group together in the early morning skies of May and early June - but three of them will be very hard to find. Find out why!Thursday, May 19, 2011
Decommissioning DiscoveryBetween its last flight and arrival at its final home in a museum, space shuttle Discovery is being inspected stem to stern by engineers at NASA. They're eager to learn how the ship weathered 39 flights into orbit.Tuesday, March 29, 2011
How Dark is Your Sky?How dark is the night sky where you live? Help GLOBE at Night collect light pollution data from around the world!Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Date With a CometFive facts you should know about NASA's Stardust-NExT spacecraft as it prepares for a Valentine's "date" with comet Tempel 1.Monday, February 14, 2011
On Groundhog DayWhy does Groundhog Day fall on February 2? EarthSky explains.Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Galaxy ZooYou can explore the universe in your spare time! The Galaxy Zoo web site lets users from all over the world help catalog the galaxies found in a vast database of astro-images. Try it out - you might even make a big discovery!Sunday, January 23, 2011
Building CuriosityThis live webcam feed lets you watch engineers at JPL as they continue the construction of the Mars Curiosity Rover.Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Two Moons of SaturnThis image taken by the Cassini spacecraft reveals two very different moons of Saturn. Rhea, icy and cratered, passes in front of Titan, covered with a thick hazy atmosphere.Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Observe the Moon!September 18 is International Observe the Moon Night! Take a close up look at it from your own back yard, or join us at a star party at ASC!Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Large Impact on JupiterAn amateur astronomer in Japan captures video of an object impacting with Jupiter on Friday, August 20.Monday, August 23, 2010
6 Ways to Help an AstronomerCheck out Wired News' list of six ways you can help out astronomical research!Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Hubble at 20The Space Telescope Science Institute celebrates the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope.Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Kaboom!For the first time, the Cassini spacecraft has witnessed lightning on the planet Saturn. Scientists have converted the electrical signal from the lightning into sound, so you can even 'hear' it!Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Waka Waka WakaFor decades, Saturn's moon Mimas has been known as the moon that looks strikingly like the Death Star from Star Wars. Now, a new false-color image from Cassini makes Mimas look more like Pac Man! Insert another quarter...Monday, March 29, 2010
Avalanches on MarsA new image from Mars Reconnasaince Orbiter's HiRISE camera shows an avalance in progress on Mars!Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Watch the Webb-CamCheck in on the engineers at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as they build the James Webb Space Telescope!Thursday, March 11, 2010
How Dark is Your Sky? How many stars can you see from home? GLOBE at Night aims to make a worldwide map of light pollution, and it needs your help! From March 3-16, observers all around the world will record their observations of the constellation Orion and how many stars are visible.Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Ice on the MoonData gathered from India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft reveals deposits of water ice near the north pole of the Moon. There could be as much as 600 million metric tons.Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Halfway to PlutoThe New Horizons spacecraft is officially halfway to Pluto! We'll still have to wait until 2015 for our first close-up look at the tiny world.Friday, February 26, 2010
Four Shuttle Launches To GoSpace Shuttle Discovery is slated to roll to the launch pad on March 2. It's headed for a launch currently scheduled for the morning of April 5.Thursday, February 25, 2010
Looking WISEThe Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft launched in December, and is now sending back its first views of the cosmos in infrared light.Friday, February 19, 2010
Hubble's New View of PlutoPlanet or not, Pluto still fascinates. Researchers working with the Hubble Space Telescope have released the most detailed view of the tiny dwarf planet yet. It's still a blurry view and will probably remain one until the New Horizons mission reaches Pluto in 2015.Saturday, February 06, 2010
Cassini's Mission ExtendedThe Cassini spacecraft has been sending back incredible images of the ringed planet Saturn since it arrived in 2004. NASA has extended it's mission through the year 2017.Saturday, February 06, 2010
Spirit's New MissionSpirit may be stuck forever, but if it can survive the coming martian winter, it will still have plenty to study.Saturday, February 06, 2010