Space

  1. Planetary Science

    Ring Shots

    With the sun poised behind Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft recently got a unique view of the rings' icy dust particles, enabling it to discover two new rings and confirm the presence of two ringlets.

    By Ron Cowen
  2. Planetary Science

    Web Special: Clay magic on Mars

    NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has just completed a week of picture taking from as low as 300 kilometers above the surface of the Red Planet.

    By Julie Rehmeyer
  3. Astronomy

    Enigmatic Eruption

    An erupting star near the outskirts of the Milky Way has become one of the most puzzling objects in the galaxy.

    By Ron Cowen
  4. Planetary Science

    Web Special: Welcome to Mars’ Victoria Crater

    With stunningly powerful vision, the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has taken a remarkable picture that shows the exploration rover Opportunity poised on the rim of Victoria Crater on Mars.

    By Ron Cowen
  5. Astronomy

    Jet Set: Astronomers identify the makeup of quasar streams

    Astronomers have identified the particles in jets emanating from supermassive black holes as electrons and protons, which carry much more energy than some computer models had suggested.

    By Ron Cowen
  6. Astronomy

    Oversize supernova

    Researchers have found a supernova so luminous that it must have been produced by a much heavier star than the standard theory allows.

    By Ron Cowen
  7. Planetary Science

    A discordant name for a dwarf planet

    The largest known object at the fringes of the solar system, the icy body whose discovery heated up the debate about the nature of planethood, has an apt new name.

    By Ron Cowen
  8. Astronomy

    Enigmatic Eruptions: Gamma-ray bursts lack supernova fireworks

    The most powerful bursts in the universe may have gotten more mysterious.

    By Ron Cowen
  9. Planetary Science

    SMART stop

    The European Space Agency's first mission to the moon ended with a deliberate bang on Sept. 3.

    By Ron Cowen
  10. Planetary Science

    Martian doings

    The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has finished reshaping its orbit, while the venerable rover Opportunity is approaching the rim of the widest and deepest crater it has yet visited.

    By Ron Cowen
  11. Astronomy

    Temperamental Monsters

    A new theory suggests that many huge stars undergo outbursts during which they shed most of their mass late in life rather than doing it gradually over their 3-to-4-million-year lifetimes.

    By Ron Cowen
  12. Planetary Science

    Oversize Orb: Puffy planet poses puzzle

    Astronomers have discovered what may be the largest planet ever found, an orb 36 percent wider than Jupiter that circles a nearby star.

    By Ron Cowen