Planetary Science
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Finds Signs of Epic Ancient Floods on Mars
New results from the mission reveal that its landing site of Jezero Crater has a surprisingly dynamic and complex hydrologic history
Stories by Jonathan O'Callaghan
Planetary Science
Solar ‘Superflares’ Rocked Earth Less Than 10,000 Years Ago—and Could Strike Again
Although our sun is considered a quiet star, it is now thought to have repeatedly pelted our planet with enormous eruptions in the not too distant past. Could another occur in the near future?...
Space Exploration
InSight Lander Makes Best-Yet Maps of Martian Depths
The NASA mission used seismic waves from marsquakes to perform a core-to-crust survey of the planet’s subsurface
Astronomy
Astronomers Thrill at Giant Comet Flying into Our Solar System
The huge object may be the biggest comet ever seen. And it is already showing signs of activity as it approaches the orbit of Saturn
Space & Physics
SpaceX Starlink Mega Constellation Faces Fresh Legal Challenge
The company’s ongoing launches of thousands of satellites for global high-speed Internet service may clash with preexisting environmental regulations
Space & Physics
China Lands Tianwen-1 Rover on Mars in a Major First for the Country
Second only to the U.S. in a fully successful Mars landing, China is now set to explore the Utopia Planitia region of the Red Planet’s surface
Space Exploration
First in Flight: NASA Just Proved Flying on Mars Is Possible—Next Up Is the Solar System
With Ingenuity’s five successful flights on the Red Planet, aviation may find unexpected footing in the future of space exploration
Space & Physics
The James Webb Space Telescope’s First Year of Extraordinary Science Has Been Revealed
From more than 1,000 proposals, the scientists that hoped to perform the observatory’s historic first studies now know their fate
Space & Physics
Water on Mars May Be Trapped in the Planet’s Crust, Not Lost to Space
Understanding the fate of Mars’s moisture could unlock deep secrets of the planet’s past habitability
Space & Physics
The First 100 Days on Mars: How NASA’s Perseverance Rover Will Begin Its Mission
With the space agency’s latest rover set to touch down on February 18, here is the agenda for its initial months
Space & Physics
Alien Hunters Discover Mysterious Signal from Proxima Centauri
Strange radio transmissions appear to be coming from our nearest star system. Now scientists are trying to work out what is sending them
Space & Physics
Fresh Data from Gaia Galaxy Survey Gives Best Map Ever of the Milky Way
The European Space Agency telescope is allowing our Milky Way to be studied like never before
Quantum Physics
Quantum Time Twist Offers a Way to Create Schrödinger’s Clock
Physicists describe a way to merge quantum theory with Einstein’s special theory of relativity—and even a method to test it experimentally
Space & Physics
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Seeks to Grab a Piece of Asteroid Bennu
The spacecraft’s first attempt to gather material from the space rock’s surface could become the largest nonlunar sample return in history
Space & Physics
A NASA Probe May Have Found Signs of Life on Venus 40 Years Ago
Data from an old NASA mission to our sister planet may contain overlooked evidence for the gas phosphine, a potential biosignature
Space & Physics
Water on Mars: Discovery of Three Buried Lakes Intrigues Scientists
Researchers say they have detected a group of lakes hidden under the Red Planet’s icy surface
Space & Physics
Japan Prepares for Hayabusa2’s Daring Return to Earth
In December the spacecraft will swing past our planet and drop off samples collected from an ancient asteroid
Space & Physics
Summer on Mars: NASA’s Perseverance Rover Is One of Three Missions Ready to Launch
A new generation of orbiters, landers and rovers will study the Red Planet as never before, setting the stage for returning pristine samples to Earth
Space & Physics
A Hydrogen Iceberg from a Failed Star Might Have Passed through Our Solar System
The interstellar visitor ‘Oumuamua, discovered in 2017, may represent an entirely new type of astrophysical object, two astronomers say
Space & Physics
Astronomers May Have Found the Closest Black Hole to Earth
At just 1,000 light-years away, an object in a nearby star system could be our nearest known black hole—but not everyone is convinced
