Space exploration — missions, telescope discoveries, planetary science, and the race to the stars.
Scientists “truly astonished” by discovery that challenges Earth’s origin story
# Earth May Have Formed Almost Entirely from Local Solar System Material, New Study Suggests Researchers have upended a leading model of planetary fo…
James Webb reveals Chariklo’s mysterious rings are changing faster than expected
# James Webb Detects Rapid Changes in Chariklo's Rings, Challenging Assumptions About Small Bodies The James Webb Space Telescope has uncovered unexp…
Supermassive black hole winds are 100 times more powerful than scientists thought
# Supermassive Black Hole Winds Pack 100 Times More Punch Than Expected Astronomers using Japan's XRISM X-ray satellite have measured the winds eject…
Mercury’s surface reveals a surprisingly fiery past
Mercury's geological history proves far more violent than scientists expected. New analysis of the planet's surface composition reveals dramatically l…
JWST ruled out finding tiny moons around an exoplanet—that's great news
# James Webb Telescope Rules Out Detection Method for Exomoons, Reshaping Search Strategy The James Webb Space Telescope has not discovered any exomo…
Astronomers unmask a supernova impostor
# Astronomers Discover Companion Star, Not Supernova, Drives Mysterious Outbursts A star that has puzzled astronomers for ten years is not preparing …
Venus’s pale yellow clouds may hide something surprisingly dark
# Venus's Hidden Cloud Absorber Gets New Constraints From Light Analysis Venus presents one of planetary science's most stubborn riddles. The planet'…
Gamma ray burst may have been two supernovae in one
# Gamma Ray Burst May Have Spawned Both Black Hole and Pulsar, Astronomers Propose Astronomers investigating a gamma ray burst from 2015 now argue it…
Astronomers detect ancient hydrogen signal that could help map the Universe
# Ancient Hydrogen Signal Detected Across Billions of Light-Years Astronomers using South Africa's MeerKAT telescope have detected an exceptionally f…
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is bursting with methanol
Astronomers discovered that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS harbors unusually high concentrations of methanol, offering a rare window into the chemical co…
Have we found alien life? Hundreds of scientists weigh in
# Scientists Remain Deeply Skeptical of 2025 Alien Life Claims Two major announcements about potential extraterrestrial life made headlines in 2025, …
The moon will hide Jupiter in broad daylight on Sept.8 — here's how to see it
# Moon Will Block Jupiter From View in Rare Daytime Occultation on September 8 A rare astronomical event unfolds on September 8 when the moon passes …
Earth's moon could have formed in just 5 hours after giant impact
# Earth's Moon May Have Formed in Just Five Hours After Giant Impact Scientists have refined one of astronomy's oldest mysteries: how long it took fo…
Dying radio galaxies fade faster than scientists expected
# Dying Radio Galaxies Vanish Faster Than Theory Predicted Astronomers have discovered that radio galaxies fade to invisibility far more rapidly than…
FAST finds two mysterious hydrogen clouds with no visible stars
# Enigmatic Hydrogen Clouds Challenge Stellar Formation Theory China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) has detected two …
Deep beneath Mars, scientists find a vast hidden magma system
Scientists using seismic data from NASA's InSight lander detected vast subsurface magma systems beneath Mars that fundamentally reshape understanding …
NASA scientists discover a giant 10-sided pattern on Saturn
NASA scientists have discovered a colossal 10-sided atmospheric structure circling Saturn's south pole, marking an unexpected addition to the gas gian…
September brings a dazzling Venus and a glowing Harvest Moon
# September's Night Sky Delivers Venus, Milky Way, and Harvest Moon for Stargazers September offers a packed calendar for amateur astronomers and cas…
The universe has plenty of hydrogen. So why is star formation collapsing?
Star formation in the universe has collapsed to just 40 percent of its peak rate over the past 4.5 billion years, yet astronomers have discovered an u…
‘Not-quite primordial’ black holes may explain baffling JWST discovery
# JWST's Unexpected Black Holes Find a New Explanation The James Webb Space Telescope has detected far more ancient black holes in the early universe…
Saturn has a big, weird decagon around its south pole
# Saturn's Mysterious 10-Sided Polygon Defies Explanation Researchers have discovered a decagon, a geometric shape with 10 sides and 10 angles, circl…
Earth may have lost the Sun’s protective shield millions of years ago
Earth's magnetic field may have vanished for extended periods millions of years ago, leaving the planet exposed to intense solar radiation and cosmic …
Interstellar solar sails hit a strange problem at 75% of light speed
# Laser-Pushed Solar Sails Face Unexpected Drag Barrier at Near-Light Speeds Researchers have identified a previously overlooked physical barrier for…
NASA delays Crew-13 launch after leak found on SpaceX Dragon
NASA and SpaceX postponed the Crew-13 mission after technicians discovered an oxidizer leak in the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system during final …
NASA’s Swift telescope is back, but time is running out
NASA has restored two telescopes aboard the aging Swift gamma-ray observatory after technical failures halted a commercial rescue mission designed to …
Rocky planets may have formed just 100 million years after the Big Bang
# Early Rocky Planets May Have Formed Just 100 Million Years After the Big Bang Astronomers have discovered that rocky planets could have begun formi…
Scientists discover a massive heat anomaly deep inside Mars
Scientists have detected a dramatic temperature divide buried deep within Mars, with the planet's southern interior potentially hundreds of degrees ho…
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launches to reveal the Universe’s darkest secrets
NASA's Roman Space Telescope has begun its journey to Lagrange Point 2, a gravitational equilibrium location one million miles from Earth. The observa…
The SKA project: A model for dialogue between historical astronomical archives, local memory and modern science
# Historical Archives Meet Modern Radio Astronomy in SKA Project The Square Kilometre Array project is bridging centuries of astronomical knowledge b…
NASA's newest Roman space telescope launches on a quest to explore the hidden universe
# NASA's Roman Space Telescope Launches on Mission to Map the Hidden Universe NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Sunday, beginnin…
Scientists melted a diamond and cracked a secret of ice giants
# Scientists Recreate Diamond Rain Inside Ice Giants in Laboratory Researchers have successfully replicated the conditions that produce diamond rain …
The universe is still speeding up, but nobody knows why
# Universe's Acceleration Remains Robust Despite Recent Doubts The universe continues to expand at an accelerating rate, according to a comprehensive…
Where and when to see 2027’s ‘solar eclipse of the century’
# The 2027 Solar Eclipse Will Be the Longest Until 2114 A total solar eclipse arriving on August 2, 2027, will deliver the longest period of totality…
NASA’s Roman telescope will see 100 times more sky than Hubble
NASA's Roman Space Telescope will launch with capabilities that fundamentally reshape how astronomers survey the universe. The instrument combines the…
NASA’s huge Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is about to launch
# NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Set to Launch This August NASA will launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on August 30, marking a m…
Fastest star ever spotted at the centre of our galaxy
Astronomers have discovered S301, a star moving faster than any other star ever recorded, orbiting dangerously close to Sagittarius A*, the supermassi…
NASA just used satellites and debris to navigate without GPS
NASA researchers have demonstrated a novel navigation system that allows orbiting spacecraft to determine their position and trajectory by identifying…
“I jumped from my chair” – Astronomers spot Betelgeuse’s hidden companion
Astronomers have resolved a century-long mystery surrounding Betelgeuse, the red supergiant star in the constellation Orion, by directly imaging its h…
A mysterious cosmic hum may come from 13-billion-year-old dark stars
Scientists have detected a pervasive hum of gravitational waves rippling through the cosmos, and a new theory suggests this ancient signal may origina…
One asteroid strike may explain two mysteries of Mars’ moon Deimos
A single asteroid impact billions of years ago may solve two long-standing puzzles about Deimos, the smaller of Mars's two moons, according to new res…
Are there plants that could survive as a food source on the moon? Part 2
# Could Plants Feed Lunar Colonists? New Research Challenges Earlier Assumptions The prospect of growing food on the moon has long captured the imagi…
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope is ready to hunt thousands of alien worlds
NASA's Roman Space Telescope has reached a major milestone in its path to launch. The observatory now sits enclosed inside a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocke…
NASA finds Earth microbes could survive on the Moon
# NASA Scientists Warn That Earth Microbes Could Persist in Lunar Shadows NASA researchers have discovered that terrestrial microbes transported to t…
Trump to award Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II astronauts
President Trump announced plans to award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four astronauts aboard Artemis II, recognizing their historic a…
A ghostly ribbon of stars reveals hidden dark matter
Astronomers have detected the first globular cluster stellar stream outside the Milky Way, using it to map the invisible dark matter surrounding a dis…
NASA is about to launch a powerful new eye on the universe
# NASA's Roman Space Telescope Clears Path for August Launch NASA has formally approved the Roman Space Telescope for final launch preparations, with…
JWST peeks at Callisto's ancient scars
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected unexpected activity on Callisto, the least studied of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, challenging the long-…
New 'Star Trek' documentary featuring William Shatner hits theaters this fall, celebrating 60 years of Trek
A new documentary centered on William Shatner enters theatrical release this fall, marking a major celebration of Star Trek's six-decade legacy. The f…
Black holes keep tearing these stars apart, but they survive
# Stars Survive Repeated Encounters With Supermassive Black Holes, But Their Light Shows Fade Astronomers have discovered a remarkable class of stars…
JWST finds early galaxies may be 4 times more massive than thought
# JWST Discovers Early Galaxies Are Far Heavier Than Astronomers Thought The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed a hidden population of faint sta…
Strange gamma-ray signal could be most direct evidence of dark matter yet
# Gamma-Ray Signal in Galaxy Clusters May Reveal Dark Matter's Secrets Astronomers have detected an unusual gamma-ray signal emanating from three sep…
This total solar eclipse looked strangely golden — here’s why
During Spain's recent total solar eclipse, observers witnessed an unusual golden corona instead of the typical pearly white glow that surrounds the Su…
A SpaceX rocket smashed into the Moon — NASA just revealed the crater
A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage struck the Moon on August 5, creating a crater roughly 60 feet across. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photog…
Strange gamma-ray signal could unlock dark matter’s secrets
Astronomers have detected an anomalous gamma-ray signal emanating from three galaxy clusters that may represent the first direct evidence of dark matt…
NASA calls off rescue effort to save doomed telescope
NASA has abandoned plans to save the Swift gamma-ray burst observatory, allowing the aging spacecraft to descend toward Earth and burn up in the atmos…
China's Chang'e 7 moon probe will launch this weekend on the most ambitious lunar mission in history
China launches its Chang'e 7 mission this weekend, targeting the lunar south pole with an unprecedented combination of spacecraft. The mission deploys…
Partial lunar eclipse live: Latest news, viewing tips and live updates from Aug. 27-28 eclipse
A partial lunar eclipse will unfold on August 27-28, representing the deepest such event until December 2028. Space.com is providing live coverage wit…
Levitating molten metal on ISS could refine ultra-strong metallic glass
Ralf Busch and his team at Saarland University will conduct experiments aboard the International Space Station starting August 31 to study metallic gl…
Watch Rocket Lab launch a private Japanese Earth-observing satellite to orbit today
Rocket Lab launches a private Japanese Earth-observing satellite to orbit today. The New Zealand-based company will conduct its ninth mission for iQPS…
Scientists just found the fastest known star in the Milky Way. It zooms around our black hole at 15,500 miles per second
Astronomers discovered the fastest star ever observed in the Milky Way, traveling at 15,500 miles per second as it orbits Sagittarius A*, the supermas…
Private mission to save NASA's Swift space telescope fails
A private spacecraft mission to salvage NASA's aging Swift space telescope has failed, sealing the observatory's fate. The unmanned vehicle was launch…
Scientists create 'laundry gun' for astronauts to clean their clothes by shooting out plasma
A team of researchers has developed a compact, pen-sized device that uses plasma to sterilize and clean clothing in space, potentially solving a persi…
Touchdown! Private Chinese rocket aces landing on 2nd-ever flight
LandSpace, a Beijing-based aerospace company, successfully landed its Zhuque-3 rocket on August 18, marking only the second successful booster landing…
NASA astronaut and 1st female French spacewalker remove failed ISS antenna but run out of time for replacement
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and French astronaut Sophie Adenot removed a malfunctioning antenna during a spacewalk at the International Space Station on…
Starship lives! SpaceX craft arrives at Christmas Island after 24-day ocean ordeal
SpaceX's recovery teams have successfully retrieved the Starship spacecraft after it splashed down in the Indian Ocean following a test launch last mo…
SpaceX launches its 100th mission of the year, sends Starlink satellites to orbit
SpaceX achieved a major operational milestone on Wednesday, August 19, when a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off carrying 24 Starlink satellites to low Earth …
Webb’s mysterious little red dots may be hiding entire galaxies
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified a potential explanation for the "little red dots" that puzzle researchers studying th…
Ancient Egyptian tomb shows how burial trends changed over hundreds of years
Researchers in Spain have traced nearly 700 years of burial practices by studying a single chamber in an ancient Egyptian tomb. The work, published in…
Watch European astronaut make history during spacewalk today
Sophie Adenot, a European Space Agency astronaut, will make history on August 18 when she becomes the first French woman to conduct a spacewalk. The e…
How an ancient collision with another galaxy transformed the Milky Way
Astronomers have discovered evidence that the Milky Way collided with another galaxy in its distant past, fundamentally reshaping our galaxy's structu…
China bounces back from Long March rocket explosion with back-to-back launches (video)
China's space program resumed operations after a setback in mid-August, conducting two back-to-back rocket launches within a week of an explosion. The…
Radio telescopes help scientists map molecules in space and uncover where and how stars form
Radio telescopes are revealing how the chemistry of dying stars transforms into the building blocks of planets and life. The assertion, popularized by…
How to watch 'Lanterns' — HBO's gritty new Green Lantern show
HBO's new series "Lanterns" brings the DC Comics Green Lantern mythology to television with a gritty, noir-influenced approach. The show follows Hal J…
On this day in space! Aug. 16, 1963: Wingless M2-F1 completes 1st glide flight
NASA's M2-F1 aircraft completed its first unpowered glide flight on August 16, 1963, marking a pivotal moment in the development of spacecraft reentry…
Artemis II pilot thanks NASA for letting him fly Orion by hand: 'I'm still blown away by that trust'
NASA is letting Artemis II pilot Reid Wiseman manually fly the Orion spacecraft during the upcoming lunar mission, a decision that impressed the veter…
'This goes beyond showcasing technological soft power': China's new moon map signals bold space ambitions (video)
China released a comprehensive new moon map that establishes its own cartographic standard for lunar geography, marking a shift in how the solar syste…
A black hole shredded a “super sun” — but something strange may have survived
Astronomers observed a black hole tearing apart a massive star in what researchers are calling "the Whippet," one of the most violent stellar encounte…
NASA funds spherical 'Aerobots' that could explore the caves of Saturn's moon Titan
NASA has awarded early-stage funding to develop spherical autonomous robots, called Aerobots, designed to explore the subsurface caves of Titan, Satur…
Stomp Rockets: The perfect start to model rocketry for kids?
Stomp Rockets offer an accessible entry point for children interested in model rocketry. These toys operate without engines or combustion, instead usi…
Can Venus cast a shadow? Here's how to see it for yourself
Venus reaches peak brightness this month, and astronomers say you can observe an optical phenomenon so counterintuitive it strains credulity. The plan…
A massive new cosmic map is revealing black holes, rare stars, and hidden gas
# Astronomers Release Three Million Spectra from Historic Southern Sky Survey The Sloan Digital Sky Survey collaboration has released over three mill…
JWST spots a bizarre “black hole star” 100 billion times brighter than a star
# JWST Reveals Mysterious "Black Hole Star" Shining with Impossible Brightness The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered an object from the early…
Exploring the moon will require rovers that can think for themselves
# NASA Develops Self-Coordinating Lunar Rovers for Autonomous Moon Exploration NASA is developing three small rovers designed to operate with minimal…
Neptune's tiny moons tell the story of Triton's destructive capture
# Neptune's Tiny Moons Reveal How Triton Invaded the System Neptune's moon system looks nothing like any other in the solar system. One massive moon …
Neptune’s tiny moons may be the wreckage of shattered ancient worlds
# Neptune's Tiny Moons May Be Fragments of Destroyed Ancient Worlds The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed an unexpected story written into the …