The 10 Weirdest Things in the Solar System
Pierogi moons, rubber duckie comets and spewing ice balls: We have some very strange neighbors among the myriad planets, moons and objects that circle our sun.
Stories by Lee Billings
Q&A: Kim Stanley Robinson Explains How He Flooded Manhattan
His new book, New York 2140, explores the interplay of climate change and global finance on a warmer, wetter future world
![Watch Live Today: The James Webb Space Telescope Will Spark a New Era in Astronomy [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/733A2769-4821-4BAD-8FDA61E7796963FE_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Watch Live Today: The James Webb Space Telescope Will Spark a New Era in Astronomy [Video]
Astronomer Amber Straughn will present a free live Webcast tonight at 7 P.M. Eastern time about NASA’s revolutionary space observatory
A Tasty Trove of Exoplanets at TRAPPIST-1
A baker’s half-dozen of Earth-size worlds is orbiting a (relatively) nearby star—and some could be habitable
![Nearby Star Hosts 7 Earth-Size Planets [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/4FC47A43-8E18-44DB-8421079287E4A8EF_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Nearby Star Hosts 7 Earth-Size Planets [Video]
Astronomers say at least three of the worlds may be habitable, and could be studied for signs of life within a decade
![Europa Mission Heralds Sea Change in the Search for Alien Life [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/04E811A2-49CF-4B1C-AC41795C76E4FBF4_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Europa Mission Heralds Sea Change in the Search for Alien Life [Video]
Jupiter’s ocean-bearing moon is the next frontier in NASA’s hunt for extraterrestrials
Planet Formation out of Black Hole Belches
New studies suggest lonely planets flying through intergalactic space were formed by star-destroying supermassive black holes.
![150-Year Journey to Alpha Centauri Proposed [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/8929FC73-45C3-4DF4-8533212047197E6C_agenda.jpeg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
150-Year Journey to Alpha Centauri Proposed [Video]
Humanity possesses the means to place probes into orbit around nearby stars. But do we have the patience?
Is It Time to Give Up on Dark Matter?
There is still good reason to think undiscovered fundamental particles act as gravitational glue for galaxies.
A Breakthrough in the Search for Alpha Centauri's Planets
A new public-private partnership is supercharging the race to image habitable exoplanets
Newfound Source of Mysterious Cosmic Bursts Poses Deeper Enigmas
Despite a breakthrough discovery by radio astronomers, the decade-long puzzle of elusive “fast radio bursts” is far from being solved
Brain Beauty: The Art of Neuroscience
Book recommendations from Scientific American
![Q&A: The Astronaut Who Captured Out-of-This-World Views of Earth [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/DB4637C2-B800-4B30-8A9C9DA5F3FF1B79_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Q&A: The Astronaut Who Captured Out-of-This-World Views of Earth [Slide Show]
Don Pettit discusses his dazzling orbital photographs of our home planet
Plumes Spotted on Europa Suggest Easy Access to Water
Water vapor erupting from this Jovian moon could offer new pathways for exploring its subsurface ocean
The Year in Planetary Science
Take a light-speed trip through the solar system to catch up on 2016’s biggest stories from our celestial neighborhood. Produced with support from Explore Scientific
Trump’s First 100 Days: Space
The new administration will likely shift NASA resources away from Earth exploration and into deep space. But many questions remain about how the agency will be led and funded
Under Trump, NASA May Turn a Blind Eye to Climate Change
The President-elect’s space policy platform calls for disruptive reorganizations and possible budget cuts to Earth-observing satellite programs
Pluto's Icy Heart May Hide an Ocean
New studies suggest the dwarf planet’s spin is tilted askew, perhaps by the presence of a subsurface sea
New Images Reveal Fate of Lost Mars Lander
European Space Agency’s Schiaparelli spacecraft crashed and possibly exploded
European Spacecraft May Be Lost on Mars
The Schiaparelli lander’s failure to phone home has scientists fearing the worst
