![How to Map an Exoplanet's Rings [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/C8FBB32D-64F6-4FE6-9579DD87E66D139E_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
How to Map an Exoplanet's Rings [Video]
Dips in starlight reveal the architecture of a super Saturn around a distant star
Space Exploration1342 articles archived since 1845
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]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/E5F4AD8A-B7C0-4DAC-9634B7D242DDAB6D_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
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
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
