Space
- Astronomy
Milky Way’s magnetic field mapped
The Planck telescope sees the galaxy’s magnetic field in polarized light bouncing off interstellar dust grains.
- Cosmology
Universe re-created in computer simulation
The Illustris Project traces the detailed evolution of the universe starting from 12 million years after the Big Bang.
- Cosmology
See the sky in a different light
An interactive map lets you explore the galaxy with infrared light.
- Astronomy
Illuminating a dark universe
The film "Dark Universe" compresses a century of discovery into a crisp, comprehensible half hour.
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- Planetary Science
The ice of a distant moon
Jupiter’s moon Europa hides a liquid ocean, and conceivably life, under kilometers of ice. The challenge for engineers is how to penetrate that frozen barrier with technology that can be launched into space and operated remotely.
By Meghan Rosen - Astronomy
Exoplanet spin measured for first time
Astronomers measure the spin of a planet outside our solar system, and its days are short: just over eight hours.
- Astronomy
Chilly starlike orb found just a few light-years away
WISE J085510.83-071442.5 is the coldest brown dwarf found to date.
- Astronomy
More details of super-bright supernova released
A supernova whose light was magnified by a large galaxy in front of it is changing the way astronomers think about distant cosmic objects.
- Planetary Science
Mountains on Saturn moon may have come from space
A mountainous ridge around the equator of Iapetus, one of Saturn’s moons, may have formed from cosmic debris.
By Meghan Rosen - Astronomy
Distant swirling galaxy dwarfed by violent star killer
In a mosaic of images from a telescope in Chile, dark dust lanes and twisting tails betray a history of galactic collisions.
- Planetary Science
RIP LADEE: 9/6/2013 – 4/18/2014
NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission ended April 18.