Space

Planetary Science

Caught in the Act? Images may reveal planetary birth

Astronomers, for the first time, have imaged dusty clumps surrounding young stars that could be planets in the making.

Planetary Science

Gassy Geysers: Cassini surveys Saturn’s moon

NASA's Cassini spacecraft had a close encounter with the giant vapor plume gushing from Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus.

Planetary Science

Titan may harbor underground ocean

Observations by the Cassini spacecraft hint that Saturn's smog-shrouded moon Titan may harbor a global ocean of water and ammonia 100 kilometers below its surface.

Astronomy

In the Beginning: More early clues for life at home, out there

Astronomers move closer to understanding how life arose on Earth and how it could arise elsewhere.

Astronomy

From Dark Matter to Light

Recent surveys of the shapes, colors, and masses of galaxies have put a new focus on the nitty-gritty of galaxy formation—the complicated physics of the interaction of gas.

Astronomy

State of the Universe: Microwave glow powers cosmic insights

Radiation left over from the Big Bang offers researchers unprecedented cosmic understanding.

Astronomy

Supernova Outbreak: X rays signal earliest alert

Thanks to a lucky break and an overactive galaxy, astronomers report the earliest detection yet of a normal supernova—the explosive death of a massive star.

Astronomy

Web Special: Supernova Outbreak—X rays signal earliest alert

MARCH 5 — Thanks to a lucky break and an overactive galaxy, astronomers report the earliest detection yet of a normal supernova—the explosive death of a massive star. Advance article from March 8 issue.

Astronomy

Urgently Wanted—Star Counters

Through March 8, an organization known as GLOBE at Night is asking for help tallying celestial bodies in the constellation Orion. Designed as a teaching aid, this star-counting program aims to emphasize the loss-of-darkness throughout the globe, a problem which hinders ground-based astronomy. Students, families, and the general public can report their results online by […]

Astronomy

Hefty Find: Density has starring role in making stars massive

Astronomers find new insights into how massive stars form.

Astronomy

New Worlds Atlas

Keep track of the ever-expanding list of newly discovered planets orbiting distant suns at PlanetQuest 2.0, a revamped Website developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It has images, “planet system visualizations,” movies and games that simulate interstellar exploration, and even lets you install a desktop planet counter so that your computer always displays the latest […]

Astronomy

Stellar Switch: Sun not alone in making magnetic flip-flops

After years of searching, researchers have for the first time documented that a star other than the sun flips its magnetic poles.