In 1919, a total solar eclipse confirmed a prediction in Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
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
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.
Stunning images of nebulae and galaxies from the Hubble Space Telescope have conditioned the way we think space should look.
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.
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.
Cool nights and colorful leaves are not the only highlights of fall this year. The sky will offer some unique beauty of its own.
Astronomy and planetary science often reach mind-bending results. This is no exception.
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.
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?