Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
A new tool for 'weighing' unseen planets
A new instrument funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation called NEID (pronounced "NOO-id"; sounds like "fluid") will help scientists measure the masses of planets outside our solar system—exoplanets—by...
NASA TV coverage set for three spacewalks in January
Four astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station for three spacewalks in January to complete battery upgrades and finalize repairs to an invaluable cosmic ray detector.
SpaceX Starlink mega-constellation: 'Limited time' to fix brightness issue
Astronomers say the coming interference from satellite mega-constellations needs rapid solutions.
NASA's 1st SLS Megarocket Core Loaded Onto Barge Ahead of Key Engine Test
The 212-foot-long (65 meters) SLS core stage rolled out of NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans Wednesday (Jan. 8) and was loaded onto a barge, agency officials announced.
Young stars have been found in an old part of our galaxy
HONOLULU – A cluster of young stars in the Milky Way is hanging out where it seemingly shouldn’t exist. Our galaxy is enveloped in an extensive halo of old stars and hot...
Researchers take exploration of key 'building block' particles into space
As part of SpaceX's CRS-19 resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched Dec. 5, researchers from NASA, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and New York University (NYU)...
Moon river: Rocket part ferried on the mighty Mississippi
With a brass band playing and a parade of workers sporting Mardi Gras beads, a huge component of a new rocket system was wheeled slowly from a New Orleans spacecraft...
NEID exoplanet instrument sees first light
The new NEID instrument, now installed at the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Southern Arizona, USA, has made its first observations. The NSF-NASA funded instrument is...
USS Abraham pulls into Pearl Harbor amid lengthy deployment
The USS Abraham Lincoln has entered the last leg of a lengthy deployment with a port visit at Pearl Harbor.
Jets Blast Out of Famous Black Hole at 99% the Speed of Light
The jets emanating from a famous black hole are cruising along at near light speed, according to new observations.
In Photos: SpaceX Launches Third Batch of 60 Starlink Satellites to Orbit
SpaceX launched its third batch of 60 Starlink satellites on Jan. 6, 2020, on a Falcon 9 rocket. See photos of the mission here!
Hubble Detects Smallest Known Dark Matter Clumps
Using Hubble and a new observing technique, astronomers have uncovered the smallest clumps of dark matter ever detected. Dark matter is an invisible substance that makes up most of the...
NEID Exoplanet Instrument Sees First Light
The new NEID instrument, now installed at the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Southern Arizona, USA, has made its first observations. The NSF-NASA funded instrument is...
Goldilocks Stars Are Best Places to Look for Life
Hubble observations suggest that orange stars, slightly cooler than our Sun, are better hangouts for life. There are more of them in our galaxy, they live much longer than our...
Cosmic Magnifying Glasses Yield Independent Measure of Universe's Expansion
Astronomers using Hubble have made the most precise measurement yet of the universe's expansion rate using the gravitational lensing method, which is independent from the usual cosmic distance ladder.
Telescope upgrade, move will aid in search for exoplanets
Thousands of planets orbiting stars other than our own - known as extrasolar planets, or exoplanets - have been detected and cataloged over the last 30 years. A new effort...
A New Tool for 'Weighing' Unseen Planets
The NEID instrument will help scientists determine the density of distant planets, which can reveal whether the planet is rocky, like Earth, or mostly gaseous, like Jupiter.
NASA: 'Joint, independent team' will probe Boeing Starliner orbital glitch
NASA is establishing a "joint, independent team" to investigate the failure of Boeing's Starliner space capsule to reach the International Space Station during a test flight.
Oscars to air without a host for a second consecutive year
The Academy Awards will air without a host for a second consecutive year, ABC Entertainment announced.
Evolving landscape added fuel to Gobi Desert's high-speed winds
A new study finds that the dark, rocky landscape of the Hami basin in the Gobi Desert helped to make it one of the windiest places in China.
Satellite Spots Iran Missile Attack Aftermath from Space
Satellites operated by San Francisco-based company Planet have captured remarkably sharp photos of Iraq's al-Asad airbase, one of the sites hit in last night's (Jan. 7) bombardment.
Planet WASP-12b is on a death spiral, say scientists
Astrophysicists have shown that exoplanet WASP-12b, located 600 light-years away, is spiraling in toward certain destruction in about 3 million years.
NFL playoffs: How to watch, betting odds for divisional round
NFL playoffs: How to watch and betting odds for the divisional round
Mysterious 'Wave' of Star-Forming Gas May Be the Largest Structure in the Galaxy
A newly discovered suburb of baby-booming stars, known as the Radcliffe Wave, may be the largest structure in the Milky Way.
800,000 Years Ago, a Meteor Slammed Into Earth. Scientists Just Found the Crater.
Scientists have finally pinpointed the location of a long-hidden, 790,000-year-old impact crater, found under a lava field in southern Laos.
Cosmic bubbles reveal the first stars
Astronomers have identified several overlapping bubbles of hydrogen gas ionized by the stars in early galaxies, a mere 680 million years after the Big Bang. This is the earliest direct...
Virgin Galactic's next spaceship reaches build milestone
Virgin Galactic's next passenger spaceship has reached a major construction milestone, the company said Wednesday.
Milestone in Advanced Light Source Upgrade Project Will Bring in a New Ring
An upgrade of the Advanced Light Source, a synchrotron at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), has passed an important milestone that will help to...