Space
We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Planetary Science
Ceres’ mysterious bright spots come into focus
The Dawn spacecraft gets its best look yet at bright spots on Ceres.
- Planetary Science
The sad magnetic state of the solar system’s rocky worlds
While a strong magnetic shield protects Earth from the sun’s occasional outbursts, the solar system’s other rocky planets are mostly defenseless.
- Planetary Science
The wait for more Pluto data is almost over
As New Horizons prepares to tell us everything it learned about Pluto, fans of the dwarf planet take a crack at imagining what the spacecraft saw.
- Astronomy
First known exoplanets have few counterparts
The first known exoplanets were discovered around pulsars — probably one of the least likely places to have been found, astronomers now say.
- Astronomy
Two stars were once considered coldest known
Two stars once thought to be the coldest known are actually scorching compared with some truly frigid brown dwarfs.
- Astronomy
Go to Green Bank to listen to the stars
Visitors to the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia get a close-up with the world’s largest movable land object.
- Astronomy
Nearby quasar may be home to dynamic duo
A pair of black holes left over from a galaxy collision might live in the nearest quasar to Earth.
- Planetary Science
Life after Pluto: New Horizons to head for Kuiper belt boulder
The New Horizons spacecraft has a second target in the Kuiper belt: an icy boulder dubbed 2014 MU69.
- Planetary Science
Mountains, craters revealed in latest images of dwarf planet Ceres
The Dawn spacecraft sent back postcards from Ceres that show off the dwarf planet’s varied terrain.
- Planetary Science
Flyby of Dione yields stunning pictures of icy Saturn moon
Saturn’s moon Dione shows off its ripping landscapes during the Cassini spacecraft’s final flyby.
- Astronomy
Eight more galaxies found orbiting the Milky Way
The dozens of satellite galaxies that orbit the Milky Way make excellent laboratories for studying dark matter.
- Astronomy
Eight more galaxies found orbiting the Milky Way
The dozens of satellite galaxies that orbit the Milky Way make excellent laboratories for studying dark matter.
