astronomy

1919 eclipse

Why we still remember a ‘relatively’ important eclipse nearly a century later

In 1919, a total solar eclipse confirmed a prediction in Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

Why we still remember a ‘relatively’ important eclipse nearly a century later
A composite image of a partial (left) and total (right) solar eclipse, taken in March 2015.

What you need to know about this month’s total solar eclipse

What you need to know about this month’s total solar eclipse
When Sona Hosseini went on a class trip to the planetarium, she fell in love with the stars.

Her love of the stars made her lose track of her life on Earth

Her love of the stars made her lose track of her life on Earth
Galaxies

Astronomers report there are 2 trillion galaxies in the 'observable' universe

Astronomers report there are 2 trillion galaxies in the 'observable' universe
Gaia - Milky Way

Mapping the Milky Way as never before

Mapping the Milky Way as never before
An artist's rendering of a habitable moon orbiting a gas giant planet.

Life beyond Earth? The best bet may be on moons, not planets

The search is on for planets that could harbor life, but many of the candidates that we can see are more like gassy Jupiter than rocky Earth. But those planets may be home to rocky moons that can sustain life themselves

Life beyond Earth? The best bet may be on moons, not planets
An artist's rendering if Kepler 186f, a world extremely similar to Kepler 438b, an Earth-like exoplanet orbiting an M-class dwarf star in the habitable zone.

Up close, 'Earth-like' planets are still wildly unfamiliar worlds

The Kepler Space Telescope is on the hunt for potentially habitable planets, but even the most "Earth-like" planets can look dramatically different than our home. One of them, Kepler-438b, is a case study in just how tough finding a second Earth can be.

Up close, 'Earth-like' planets are still wildly unfamiliar worlds

How Hubble Brought Color to the Universe

Stunning images of nebulae and galaxies from the Hubble Space Telescope have conditioned the way we think space should look.

How Hubble Brought Color to the Universe
Comet Lovejoy has probably passed through the inner solar system at least once already—we just weren't alive to see it.

Look hard and you can see Comet Lovejoy lighting up the night sky

The last time Comet Lovejoy was visible in the night sky was 8,000 years ago. Now it's back and visible from the Northern Hemisphere in the coming weeks, and binoculars or a telescope can give you a glowing view of the visitor.

Look hard and you can see Comet Lovejoy lighting up the night sky
The crew and back-up team for Ahad Momand's mission. Momand is third from the left.

The only Afghan to ever fly in space almost didn't make it back to Earth

Ahad Momand is the first — and only — Afghan to have gone into space. He was a national hero after his flight in 1988, but it nearly ended in tragedy after a computer malfunction stranded him in orbit without food or water.

The only Afghan to ever fly in space almost didn't make it back to Earth
Lunar eclipse

This year's October sky should be pretty cool — starting this morning

Cool nights and colorful leaves are not the only highlights of fall this year. The sky will offer some unique beauty of its own.

This year's October sky should be pretty cool — starting this morning
Galaxy formation

The water on Earth is even older than the sun

Astronomy and planetary science often reach mind-bending results. This is no exception.

The water on Earth is even older than the sun
Artist's drawing of a black hole named Cygnus X-1

A high-powered telescope peers into the dark heart of a black hole

Black holes may be exotic, but they are hardly rare. Every galaxy has one, including ours. But it's tough to look at and study black holes since their gravitational pull is so powerful light can't escape from them. But thanks to a new telescope that captures high-energy x-rays, NASA scientists are peering at their edges, confirming Einstein's theories, and may have gotten the first glimpse of a new kind of black hole.

A high-powered telescope peers into the dark heart of a black hole
Scientists using NASA's Kepler space telescope have found the best candidates yet for habitable worlds beyond the solar system.

Hello? Is anybody out there?

Data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft points to potentially over 10 billion earth-like planets elsewhere in our galaxy. With more earth-like planets, there's more potential for earth-like life. But if we make contact with extraterrestrials, who gets to say hello? And how?

Hello? Is anybody out there?