Space
- Planetary Science
Water’s origin story, science and sci-fi and more reader feedback
Readers discuss how Earth got its water, chat about a hot spot's violent past and more.
- Astronomy
Distant galaxy may contain primeval stars
A stockpile of the first generation of stars might be lighting up gas in a galaxy that existed roughly 800 million years after the Big Bang.
- Planetary Science
Methane found in meteorites from Mars
Methane stored in Martian meteorites points to possibly habitable environments beneath the surface of the Red Planet.
- Planetary Science
Comet lander Philae phones home
The European Space Agency has received signals for its comet lander Philae, which touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in November and has been in hibernation since.
- Planetary Science
Rendezvous with Pluto
Earth will get its first good look at Pluto and its five known moons when New Horizons sails past on July 14.
- Planetary Science
Saturn’s widest ring measured
Saturn has an invisible belt that's nearly 270 times as wide as the giant planet, researchers report.
- Planetary Science
WISE satellite measures girth of Saturn’s widest ring
Saturn’s dark, outermost ring is about 270 times as wide as the planet itself.
- Astronomy
Some of sun’s magnetic fields may act more like forests
A swaying forest of mangrovelike magnetic fields on the sun could be the answer to why the solar atmosphere is millions of degrees hotter than the surface.
- Planetary Science
Cassini gets last look at Saturn’s spongy satellite Hyperion
The Cassini spacecraft buzzed Saturn’s spongy moon Hyperion for the final time and sent back more pictures of this odd little satellite.
- Planetary Science
Pluto’s four littlest moons probably born in a crash
On the eve of the arrival of the New Horizons spacecraft, Pluto’s tiny moons hint at a common origin.
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- Astronomy
Cosmic superlens gives telescopes a boost
A map of galaxy cluster Abell 2744 unveils how gravity magnifies and smears images of far more distant galaxies.
