Space Exploration1342 articles archived since 1845

How to Map an Exoplanet's Rings [Video]

Dips in starlight reveal the architecture of a super Saturn around a distant star

China's Dark-Matter Satellite Launches Era of Space Science

"Monkey King" is first in a line of Chinese space missions focused on scientific discovery

Astronomers Rename Famous Exoplanets

More than 30 worlds have new names drawn from world mythology, literature and history

Do We Live in a Star Wars Universe?

Tis the season for science fiction fun, but could we even tell if the universe around us was filled with galactic empires and rebel forces?

Salty Ceres, Martian Dunes and Venus at Last

From progress on deciphering the strange features of dwarf planet Ceres to NASA's plans to play with Martian sand and a heroic rescue of Japan's Venus-bound spacecraft, it's been an interesting past couple of weeks...

Did the Solar System Just Gain 2 New Worlds?

A pair of scientific papers suggest that the ALMA observatory may have detected 2 new "planet-scale" objects associated with the outer realms of the solar system. But should we be awed or skeptical?...

Astronomers Skeptical Over "Planet X" Claims

Two controversial new studies suggest the discovery of large objects at the outer reaches of the solar system

Can Time Travelers Reach the Past via Wormholes?

Astronauts already skip ahead in time, but the laws of physics seem to forbid going backward—or do they?

What It's Like to Live on Mars

Report from a simulated Martian research station

Ceres Is Cloudy, with a Chance of Cryovolcanoes

New findings reveal a crater’s vaporous hazes, and hint at the dwarf planet’s possible origin in the outer solar system

Super Spiral Galaxies Amaze Astronomers

A new breed of giants raises questions about how the biggest galaxies arise

A Tale of 2 Habitable Planets

New study explores how life on one exoplanet could spread to its neighbor

Japan Orbiter Seeks a Second Shot at Venus [Update]

Five years after a failed insertion into planet's orbit, Akatsuki tries again

New Law Paves the Way for Asteroid Mining--but Will It Work?

A newly passed bill sets the stage for the future of the private spaceflight industry, and could have big implications for asteroid mining

Hawaiian Court Revokes Permit for Planned Mega-Telescope

Decision throws construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope into question

Basic Rocket Science: Sub-Orbital Versus Orbital

As the private space company Blue Origin achieves a 100 kilometer suborbital flight, and a spectacular re-landing of its rocket, it's worth pausing to consider the basic energy requirements of spaceflight from the surface of the Earth...

The Dawn of the Space Mining Age

New legislation and interest from a number of private ventures could lead to extraction of valuable minerals from asteroids—and sooner than you might think

Better Than Sci-Fi

The Case of the Disappearing Quasars

A dozen quasars in the early universe appear to have shut down in just a few years, baffling astronomers

Gigantic Ice Cloud Spotted on Saturn Moon Titan

Findings from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft suggests winter in Titan's southern hemisphere will be even colder than predicted