Space

Planetary Science

Comet Siding Spring makes close pass by Mars

Mars appears to have survived its close encounter with comet Siding Spring mostly unscathed.

Cosmology

‘The Theory of Everything’ reveals Stephen Hawking’s personal side

A new film explores love and science in the life of physicist Stephen Hawking.

Planetary Science

‘Mars Rover Curiosity’ chronicles robot’s journey

Engineer Rob Manning recounts the decade of victories and setbacks that preceded Curiosity’s landing on Mars.

Astronomy

Second stop planned for mission to Pluto

Scientists identify three possible targets for the New Horizons probe after it visits the former planet.

Astronomy

Comet-crazed, and for good reason

Coming to the edge of knowledge, especially about what’s out in space, fires the imagination.

Astronomy

Rosetta readies for its close rendezvous with a comet

The Rosetta spacecraft and its lander Philae are ready to make history in a risky rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Astronomy

Cosmic jets re-created in a lab

Physicists have recreated in a lab the plasma jets that erupt from young stars and black holes.

Planetary Science

Surprises lurk inside a Saturn moon

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft finds possible ocean or football-shaped core inside Mimas.

Planetary Science

MAVEN gives first look at Mars’ escaping atmosphere

Bits of Mars have been caught in the act of floating off into space.

Quantum Physics

Hawking radiation spotted within sonic black hole

Lab-created sonic black hole emits energy as famed physicist Stephen Hawking predicted, though the experiment may not be definitive.

Cosmology

Answers to questions posed by cosmology to philosophy

Tough questions about the philosophy of cosmology have answers; they just might not be right.

Astronomy

Nearby galaxy might explain what tore apart universe’s hydrogen

A local galaxy is leaking enough ultraviolet light to ionize surrounding hydrogen, which could explain how the earliest galaxies transformed the universe.