In Case You Missed It
Top news from around the world
Stories by Sarah Lewin Frasier
“Farout!” Newfound Object Is the Farthest Solar System Body Ever Spotted
The pink-colored object is nearly four times more distant from the sun than Pluto, and hints at the possibility of an as-yet-undiscovered giant planet farther out
Look Up! Gleaming Geminid Meteor Shower of 2018 Peaks Tonight
The celestial display is expected to be the best meteor shower of 2018
NASA Astronauts Could Fly to Moon-Orbiting Station by 2024, Pence Says
The Vice President’s remarks offered new details on the Trump administration’s space-policy plans
Trump Orders “Space Force,” Signs Space-Traffic Policy
The President’s proposal could create a new branch of the armed services meant to assure “American dominance” in space
Weird Low-Light Bacteria Could Potentially Thrive on Mars
The photosynthetic organisms subsist on redder, lower-energy light than other species, and could be a new source of fuel and air for interplanetary outposts
NASA Will Send a Helicopter to Mars in 2020
The autonomous rotorcraft will fly to the Red Planet with the Mars 2020 rover
Watch Live as SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Rocket Launches Today
Whether a success or a failure, the first test flight of the world's current most powerful rocket guarantees fireworks
First Flight of NASA’s Largest Rocket May Be Delayed Until 2020
The agency’s Space Launch System is intended to take astronauts to the Moon and beyond
Astronomers Use Shadowy Alien Worlds to Peer Inside Stars
New analyses allow scientists to measure stellar densities using orbiting planets
The Future of Space Is Coming, "Soonish"
A new book whimsically examines 10 emerging technologies that could change everything
Scientists Explain Pluto's Skyscraper-Size Ice Blades
First observed by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015, the strange spiky features are likely formed from sublimating methane
Sun Unleashes Strongest Solar Flare of Past Decade
The X-class flare was the most powerful seen since 2006, and created radio blackouts on Earth
World's Biggest Space Telescope Heads West on Path to Launchpad
With its testing at Goddard Space Flight Center completed, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope embarks for further testing in Texas before its 2018 launch
Cassini Survives Closest-Ever Encounter with Saturn, Snaps Stunning Images
First images from an epic dive through Saturn’s rings reveal a giant hurricane and turbulent storm clouds
Meet “Steve,” a Strange New Sky Phenomenon
Citizen scientists and space-agency satellites come together to discover a new variety of aurora
Only One of TRAPPIST-1's Rocky Planets May Be Right for Life
A new climate model suggests six of the nearby star's seven worlds are uninhabitable
Kepler Telescope Releases Trove of Data on Newfound Earth-Size Exoplanets
The planet-hunting observatory stared at the TRAPPIST-1 system for nearly three months
Balloon Telescope Searches for Universe's Baby Stars
New maps of galactic magnetic fields will enhance the study of stellar birth
Astronomers Spy Dusty "Traffic Jam" in Young Star System
The newfound structures in disks of dust and gas around newborn stars could aid planet formation
