Solar system

The last time North Americans caught a total solar eclipse, the sun was in a lull of activity. This year’s eclipse will be very different

Peregrine will likely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, the moon lander’s builder has said

Our planet’s precession is scarcely noticeable during anyone’s lifetime, but across history, it has had enormous effects

NASA’s Mars Sample Return program is the agency’s highest priority in planetary science, but projected multibillion-dollar overruns have some calling the plan a “dumpster fire”

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander was meant to be the first commercial spacecraft to operate on the surface of the moon. Instead it may not reach lunar orbit at all

A new analysis finds that images from Voyager 2's close encounter with Neptune show the planet as being far too blue

Middle-aged stars hit cruise control, stifling their magnetic fields and resisting the slowdown that scientists expected

Unique studies of gravity waves, atmospheric holes and dazzling coronal displays will accompany April’s total solar eclipse across the U.S., Mexico and Canada

Aditya-L1 will join more than four active spacecraft at the first Lagrange point, a nearly stable region in the gravitational field between Earth and the sun

This year’s most interesting space images include infrared views of galactic “bones,” an asteroid’s double moon, Jupiter’s giant polar vortex, and more

Here’s the best, most inspiring and coolest science we encountered this year

How can the December solstice have the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere but neither the earliest sunset nor the latest sunrise? Earth’s orbital quirks offer answers