Space Exploration
NASA’s Giant SLS Rocket Rolls to Launchpad for Artemis 1 Moon Mission
The Space Launch System rocket could lift off on its voyage to lunar orbit as early as late August
Stories by Elizabeth Howell
Astronomy
James Webb Space Telescope Set to Study Two Strange Super-Earths
Space agency officials promise to deliver geology results from worlds dozens of light-years away
Astronomy
5,000 Exoplanets! NASA Confirms a Cosmic Milestone
Three decades after it began, the exoplanet revolution shows no sign of slowing down
Astrophysics
A Stunning Image Shows Stars Aligned for the James Webb Space Telescope
With its mirrors now focused, the observatory’s science instruments are now being readied for work
Astrophysics
Eugene Parker, Namesake of NASA’s Sun-Touching Spacecraft, Dies at Age 94
The eminent astrophysicist changed the way we view our home star
Astronomy
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Will Face ‘29 Days on the Edge’
The observatory must complete about 50 major deployments after liftoff
Space & Physics
Hubble Captures Close-Up of Comet NEOWISE
The new image shows the comet emerged intact from its perilous passage through the inner solar system
Space & Physics
Proposed House Bill Would Delay NASA's Return to the Moon
Although still a long way from becoming law, the legislation is reigniting a debate over the space agency’s plans
Space & Physics
SpaceX to Make Starlink Satellites Dimmer to Lessen Impact on Astronomy
Future batches of the satellite will have a special coating to reduce their reflectivity
Space & Physics
The Mercury Transit of 2019 Has Begun!
Watch while you can—the next transit of the closest planet to the sun will not occur until 2032
Space & Physics
18 Small New Worlds Found in Old Planet-Hunting Data
Hundreds of previously overlooked Earth-sized planets may await discovery in archives from NASA’s Kepler mission
Space & Physics
Why Was Jupiter’s Rapid Growth Spurt Delayed for Millions of Years?
New evidence from the asteroid belt and other sources hints at a surprisingly complicated creation story for the giant planet
Space & Physics
Chinese Space Station Could Crash to Earth on Easter Weekend
The tumbling spacecraft’s uncontrolled reentry could resemble that of NASA’s Skylab station from 1979
Space & Physics
Rare “Superluminous” Supernova Traced to “Heavy Metal” Galaxy
The finding raises new questions about the nature of these colossal cosmic explosions
Space & Physics
Comet Landslide Caught in Action
Images from the Rosetta spacecraft provide the first clear link between a comet's outbursts and changes upon the comet's surface
Space & Physics
NASA Satellite Catches Star's Death by Black Hole
The Swift telescope has charted a star's plunge into a supermassive black hole at the core of a distant galaxy
Space & Physics
The International Space Station May Soon Host the Coolest Place in the Universe
The station's Cold Atom Laboratory will reach temperatures just a billionth of a degree above absolute zero
Space & Physics
Nameless No Longer: Pluto's Geography to Receive Official Titles
An international group of astronomers is set to codify a crop of informal names for the dwarf planet's geographical features
Space & Physics
The Story of NASA’s Real “Hidden Figures”
African-American women working behind the scenes as “human computers” were vital to the Space Race
Space & Physics
Giant Stationary Wave Spied in Atmosphere of Venus
The phenomenon, called a gravity wave, is likely produced by winds flowing over a mountain on the planet's surface
