Astronomy
- Science & Society
The first Cassini to explore Saturn was a person
Cassini, the spacecraft about to dive into Saturn, was named for the astronomical pioneer who first perceived the gap between the planet’s famous rings.
- Planetary Science
Watery exoplanet’s skies suggest unexpected origin story
Compared with Neptune, HAT-P-26b’s atmosphere has few heavy elements, suggesting it formed differently than the ice giants in Earth’s solar system.
- Planetary Science
Mars may not have been born alongside the other rocky planets
Mars formed farther away from the sun than its present-day orbit, not near the other terrestrial planets, new research suggests.
- Astronomy
Read up on solar eclipses before this year’s big event
Three new books chronicle the science, history and cultural significance of total solar eclipses.
- Astronomy
No long, twisted tail trails the solar system
The bubble that envelops the planets and other material in the solar system does not have a tail, new observations show.
- Physics
Gamma-ray evidence for dark matter weakens
Excess gamma rays are still unexplained, but they might not come from dark matter.
- Planetary Science
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot has company. Meet the Great Cold Spot
A previously unidentified dark mark on Jupiter has been dubbed the “Great Cold Spot” because of its temperature and resemblance to the planet’s Great Red Spot.
- Astronomy
Squabbles in star nurseries result in celestial fireworks
Images from the ALMA observatory in Chile reveal that early days of stars can be just as fiery as their death.
- Astronomy
Massive red, dead galaxy spotted in young universe
A hefty red, dead galaxy may raise questions about how galaxies formed in the early universe.
- Astronomy
Event Horizon Telescope to try to capture images of elusive black hole edge
Network of radio observatories will attempt a first-ever glimpse at an event horizon.
- Tech
SpaceX launches and lands its first reused rocket
Aerospace company SpaceX has successfully reused a Falcon 9 rocket’s booster section for the first time.
- Astronomy
Asteroid in Jupiter’s orbit goes its own way
Asteroid shares Jupiter’s orbit around the sun but travels in the opposite direction as the planet.
