Milky Way and moonlight  

Indian Beach at Ecola State Park in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

what do you think? 2018-10-19 08:44:23

Watch launch of BepiColumbo mission to Mercury  

The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to planet Mercury launches from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on October 19 at 9:45 PM EDT (October 20 at 1:45 UTC) Here's how to watch.

what do you think? 2018-10-18 20:16:58

Report calls for NASA to ramp up search for alien biosignatures  

NASA is again being encouraged to expand its search for alien life - not just intelligent life - all forms of life, including microbes.

what do you think? 2018-10-18 10:49:04

What makes giant soldier ants?  

Charles Darwin puzzled over why ants come in such wildly different sizes. The question even made him doubt his theory of evolution. New research might explain things

what do you think? 2018-10-18 10:39:04

How do dogs process words?  

What's happening in your dog's brain when it hears you say squirrel? New research looks at how dog's brains react to human words.

what do you think? 2018-10-18 10:05:28

Northern lights over Sweden  

Photographer Jörgen Andersson captured the northern lights over Sweden on October 7, 2018.

what do you think? 2018-10-18 08:51:32

Moon and Mars on October 17 and 18  

Mars isn't as bright now as it was last July and August. But it's still pretty bright! Don't miss it near the moon on these evenings.

what do you think? 2018-10-17 12:29:14

Asteroid 2018 EB has a moon  

Binary asteroids - that is, asteroids with moons - aren't uncommon. More than 300 have been discovered so far. Astronomers found a moon for 2018 EB when it swept closest to Earth on October 7.

what do you think? 2018-10-17 10:06:30

New species of giant dinosaur identified  

The fossils of Ledumahadi mafube suggest that it was the largest land animal alive 200 million years ago.

what do you think? 2018-10-17 09:58:54

Venus passages compared  

Venus will sweep near the sun in our sky (inferior conjunction) on October 26. Astronomer Guy Ottewell uses his great skill at illustration to compare this passage of Venus with the last one, and the next one.

what do you think? 2018-10-16 18:01:14

The Draconids did have an outburst  

Experts had said "no outburst" predicted for the 2018 Draconids. But, since the parent comet had recently passed near, observers knew to watch anyway.

what do you think? 2018-10-16 10:35:57

When white dwarf meets brown dwarf, pow!  

In 1670, skywatchers saw a nova, a star that appeared where none had been before. Today's astronomers have learned it was a collision between an aging white dwarf star, and less massive brown dwarf.

what do you think? 2018-10-14 10:19:29

New technology may help solve mystery of life’s origins  

How did life on Earth begin? A new technology, called Planet Simulator, might finally help solve the mystery.

what do you think? 2018-10-14 10:04:37

Bees stopped buzzing during total solar eclipse  

In the path of totality of the August 2017 total solar eclipse, bees stopped flying, says a study. "It was like 'lights out' at summer camp."

what do you think? 2018-10-14 10:00:33

Jupiter in the rearview mirror  

In the final minutes of a close flyby of Jupiter on September 6, the Juno spacecraft captured this departing view of the planet's swirling southern hemisphere.

what do you think? 2018-10-14 08:24:12

Moon, Saturn and Mars on October 14-17  

These next several nights - October 14, 15, 16 and 17, 2018 - watch the waxing moon move from Saturn to Mars, and with the mind's-eye, envision the invisible dwarf planet Pluto in between these two bright worlds.

what do you think? 2018-10-14 07:47:09

Meet the trillions of viruses that make up your virome  

Just because you don't have the flu doesn't mean that your aren't teeming with viruses inside and out. But what are all these viruses doing, if they aren't making you sick?

what do you think? 2018-10-11 10:32:55

Autumn in the English Lake District  

How gorgeous is this? Adrian Strand took this photo on October 7, 2018 in the Lake District in northwest England.

what do you think? 2018-10-11 08:49:56

Young moon and Jupiter October 10-12  

The moon is back in the evening sky - low in the west after sunset - as a waxing crescent. The bright object near it is our solar system's biggest planet, Jupiter.

what do you think? 2018-10-10 13:16:36

Astronomers detect ghostly afterglow of cosmic explosion  

For the 1st time, astronomers have detected the faint radio afterglow of a ghost explosion - a kind of cosmic sonic boom - possibly the result of a weird kind of gamma-ray burst.

what do you think? 2018-10-10 10:33:40

See it! Venus as a crescent  

The planet Venus is heading toward inferior conjunction - when it goes between us and the sun - on October 26. For some weeks now, we've been receiving photos of Venus as a crescent world.

what do you think? 2018-10-10 09:00:42

Is Voyager 2 nearing interstellar space?  

Voyager 2, launched in 1977, is now about 11 billion miles (17.7 billion km) from Earth. NASA says the spacecraft has detected an increase in cosmic rays, which might mean it's close to becoming only the 2nd human-made object, after Voyager 1, to enter interstellar space.

what do you think? 2018-10-09 17:19:19

South Taurid meteors to peak in October?  

It's meteor season! This shower rarely produces more than 5 meteors per hour (although it's been known to produce fireballs). Now ... when do the South Taurids peak, October or November?

what do you think? 2018-10-09 13:28:12

Michael heading for Florida panhandle  

The early morning update on Tuesday, October 9, shows Michael as a category 1 hurricane, still forecast to reach major, category 3 status before landfall Wednesday on the Florida panhandle.

what do you think? 2018-10-09 11:20:56

Whale songs evolve, but calls persist for generations  

Humpback whales have ever-changing and evolving songs. But a new study of whales in Alaska shows their repertoire of calls - including growls, trumpets, and ahoogas - remains more stable. Why?

what do you think? 2018-10-09 10:37:40

Meet Proxima Centauri, closest star to sun  

The star Proxima Centauri, one of 3 stars in the Alpha Centauri system, is our sun's nearest known neighbor at 4.2 light-years away.

what do you think? 2018-10-09 10:00:30

Watch 3 whales dive, then leap  

Whale watchers on a cruise out of Nova Scotia got a thrill when they saw 3 whales breach the surface, one after the other. "We did not drive them," the cruise director commented.

what do you think? 2018-10-09 09:51:27

Hubble is in safe mode. Science operations suspended  

The Hubble Space Telescope has been in safe mode since last Friday evening, following the failure of one of the gyros that helps stabilize it. NASA is analyzing the problem and hopes to resume operations soon.

what do you think? 2018-10-08 23:20:05

See it! Last night’s SpaceX launch and landing  

Night launches are always fun, and this one - from Vandenberg Air Force Base, north of Los Angeles, California - generated more than its fair shares of awesome images.

what do you think? 2018-10-08 11:40:25

Microplastics found in sea turtle nesting sand  

Researchers have found microplastics deep in the sand on beaches where sea turtles lay their eggs.

what do you think? 2018-10-08 10:16:24

Construction begins on ESA’s Plato planet-hunter  

The European Space Agency's next big planet-hunting mission - the Plato space telescope - will continue the search for rocky and potentially habitable worlds orbiting other stars.

what do you think? 2018-10-07 10:26:28

Cloud shadow over Las Vegas  

Bettina Berg captured this cloud shadow on October 1, 2018.

what do you think? 2018-10-06 17:01:27

Watch, as black holes spiral closer  

A new simulation by scientists lets you witness supermassive black holes about to collide. One shows them from outside the system, just 40 orbits from merging. The other places you in their midst.

what do you think? 2018-10-06 14:00:12

Groundbreaking science from ultra-close orbits of Saturn  

Last year, in its Grand Finale, the Cassini spacecraft dove repeatedly between Saturn and its rings. This week, 6 teams of researchers published new research based on Cassini's final days and those daredevil dives.

what do you think? 2018-10-06 10:58:21

Baby giraffes inherit spot patterns from mom  

A new study suggests spot patterns are linked to survival rates of young giraffes.

what do you think? 2018-10-05 10:17:25

New dwarf planet nicknamed The Goblin  

The Goblin is a very small dwarf planet, very far away. It might help astronomers in their search for a much bigger world - the long-sought Planet X.

what do you think? 2018-10-04 18:15:15

Did the Hubble telescope find the 1st exomoon?  

Astronomers have tantalizing new evidence for a possible Neptune-sized moon orbiting the gas-giant planet Kepler-1625b, some 8,000 light-years away.

what do you think? 2018-10-04 09:00:13

Zap! Lightning strikes Empire State Building  

Lightning strikes New York City's Empire State Building and One World Trade Center.

what do you think? 2018-10-04 08:25:26

Arctic sea ice reaches 2018 minimum  

On both September 19 and 23, Arctic sea ice dropped to its minimum extent of 1.77 million square miles (4.59 million square km). The 2018 minimum ties for the 6th-lowest in the satellite record.

what do you think? 2018-10-04 08:22:10

Moon and Leo before sunup October 5 to 7  

The lit portion of the waning moon always points eastward. That's also the moon's direction of travel in front of the background stars. Watch the moon wane in the coming mornings, as it sweeps through Leo.

what do you think? 2018-10-04 07:09:30

MASCOT returns 1st image from asteroid Ryugu  

Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft deployed the MASCOT lander to asteroid Ryugu yesterday. Now, MASCOT has returned its 1st image. An international team of engineers and scientists in Germany is standing by.

what do you think? 2018-10-03 15:00:41

Gaia reveals stars flying between galaxies  

Only a small number of hypervelocity stars have ever been discovered. Now ESA's Gaia mission has revealed 20 more.

what do you think? 2018-10-03 10:36:35

Microbes catch a ride on fog  

When fog rolls in, it can bring along communities of airborne microorganisms, says a new study. Moisture in fog allows microbes to last longer than they would in dry air.

what do you think? 2018-10-03 10:26:47

Can you see the Big Dipper in autumn?  

Sure, it's easy to recognize, but sometimes the Big Dipper is low in the northern sky, or not visible at all. That's the case now, in the evening. How to spot it.

what do you think? 2018-10-03 09:22:30

Moon and fogbow  

Fogbows - sometimes called white rainbows, cloudbows or ghost rainbows - are made much in the way as rainbows.

what do you think? 2018-10-03 08:35:45

Breakthrough Listen brings ET search to Africa  

Yuri Milner's Breakthrough Listen program said it has added the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa to its global effort to listen for signals from an alien intelligence.

what do you think? 2018-10-02 12:25:34

What we've learned from 50 years of ocean drilling  

We know more about the surface of the moon than about Earth's ocean floor. But analysis of core samples from the deep seabed has given us insights into climate change, Earth's history, and the key conditions for life.

what do you think? 2018-10-02 10:01:41

New image shows a haunting comet landscape  

Citizen scientists now frequently explore spacecraft images, finding and processing hidden treasures. Jacint Roger Perez of Spain processed this Rosetta spacecraft view of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

what do you think? 2018-10-01 19:01:33

Origami-inspired habitats for the moon and Mars  

An innovative plan by the EuroMoonMars project uses Japanese origami - the art of folding paper into interesting shapes - to design and develop habitats for future human space explorers.

what do you think? 2018-10-01 16:00:21

Smoke over Yosemite in September  

Last summer's major fires in and around Yosemite National Park in California have been contained, but the U.S. National Park Service reports multiple fires still burning in Yosemite's wilderness.

what do you think? 2018-10-01 14:30:18

Moon lights up Gemini in early October  

Wake up before dawn in early October 2018, and let the waning moon show you the zodiacal constellations Gemini and Cancer.

what do you think? 2018-10-01 12:52:53

NASA back in the search for alien technosignatures  

After some prompting by Congress, NASA is again getting involved in SETI. Last week, it held a Technosignatures Workshop in Houston, exploring new ways scientists could seek intelligent aliens.

what do you think? 2018-10-01 01:22:18

Sunset over England  

Sam Kelly captured Thursday's sunset over the Abberton Reservoir in Essex, England.

what do you think? 2018-09-30 08:06:47

Matter falling into a black hole at 30% light speed  

There may be misaligned disks of material rotating around the black hole. Rings of gas may be breaking off and colliding, leaving gas to fall directly towards the black hole at unfathomable speeds.

what do you think? 2018-09-30 07:05:47

NASA balloon tracks electric blue clouds  

A balloon mission flying over the North Pole captured 6 million images of these bright blue noctilucent clouds in their home in the upper atmosphere.

what do you think? 2018-09-30 06:16:09

Study untangles role of pollution, smoke on thunderclouds  

Smoky air makes it harder for thunderclouds to grow. But pollution - if it's not too heavy - energizes their growth, according to a new study based on satellite data.

what do you think? 2018-09-30 04:43:24

Death toll surges over 800 in Indonesia earthquake  

Links to stories and images of the 7.5-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Indonesia on Friday. By Sunday morning, the death toll had gone over 800, with thousands waiting to be rescued.

what do you think? 2018-09-30 01:53:25

The sun in 2 wavelengths  

How our sun looks in 2 different wavelengths at the same time.

what do you think? 2018-09-29 06:58:11

Mercury’s strange chemistry revealed  

Mercury is an odd little world, but new research is revealing its mysteries. Plus, the upcoming BepiColombo mission - a joint mission between Europe and Japan - will help scientists understand the planet's origin and evolution.

what do you think? 2018-09-28 10:15:02

Pink lagoon provides clues to possible Mars life  

This candy-pink lagoon in Spain is providing valuable clues about how extremophile microorganisms might exist on Mars despite the planet's harsh conditions.

what do you think? 2018-09-28 05:21:23

Moon in Taurus September 28-30  

Even in the moon's glare, you should be able to make out Aldebaran, Taurus' brightest star, as well as the tiny, misty, dipper-shaped Pleiades star cluster.

what do you think? 2018-09-28 03:26:43

Hello autumn!  

The sun bursting through autumn leaves in Allaire State Park in New Jersey.

what do you think? 2018-09-27 02:41:50

Powerful jet from the wrong kind of star  

Astronomers had theorized that strong magnetic fields prevent jets from forming. Then they found a strongly magnetic neutron star with a jet.

what do you think? 2018-09-26 11:24:31

Opportunity emerges from Mars dust  

We still haven't heard from the Opportunity rover on Mars, which went silent in June when a dust storm engulfed it. Now, at least, the dust has cleared, and we can see the rover!

what do you think? 2018-09-26 05:55:15

What are haboobs? Amazing pics and videos  

Dust storms, also known as haboobs, occur when winds from dying thunderstorms push downward and pick up sand and dirt across desert areas. Amazing pics and video from last summer's haboobs in Arizona, here.

what do you think? 2018-09-26 03:39:51

Scientists spy roving dust storms on Titan  

Using data from the Cassini spacecraft, whose mission to Saturn ended a year ago, scientists now say they can see dust storms moving across the surface of Titan, Saturn's large moon.

what do you think? 2018-09-26 02:43:59

Which one is 'Oumuamua’s home star?  

The 1st object known to be from another solar system passed through our solar system a year ago. Where did it come from? Astronomers have identified 4 plausible candidates.

what do you think? 2018-09-26 02:03:13

See it! 2018’s Harvest Moon  

We're still collecting images of last night's Harvest Moon, but there are some beauties so far. Check back! We'll be adding more.

what do you think? 2018-09-25 06:22:03

Fight climate change with more swamps  

These scientists say the world needs more swamps, bogs, fens, marshes and other types of wetlands.

what do you think? 2018-09-25 06:05:26

How scientists know sea level rise is accelerating  

Sea levels have been rising since the end of the last Ice Age. But the rate of the rise is accelerating, as Earth's global climate warms. A new video from ESA explains how scientists know.

what do you think? 2018-09-24 12:18:04

Full Harvest Moon September 24-25  

It's the full moon closest to the autumn equinox. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, it means no great lag time between sunset and moonrise, in this season of waning daylight.

what do you think? 2018-09-24 06:55:23

MarCO: Tiny cube satellites headed to Mars  

These boxy satellites, small enough to fit in a backpack, are currently trailing thousands of miles behind the InSight spacecraft on their way to Mars.

what do you think? 2018-09-24 06:40:04

Ross 128 b and the search for Earth-like exoplanets  

Only 11 light-years away, Ross 128 b is the 2nd-closest-known rocky exoplanet. It appears to be a temperate world, with similarities to Earth. Here's a recent study scrutinizing this fascinating world.

what do you think? 2018-09-24 05:49:16

What’s the recipe for a habitable exoplanet?  

What combination of ingredients produce a planet that can support life? NASA has just awarded $7.7 million to Rice University for a new 5-year research program, in hopes of answering that question.

what do you think? 2018-09-24 02:16:07

Venus and Jupiter, from Brazil  

Most of us don't often (or ever) witness the view at sunset, from atop a high mountain, on which is perched an astronomical observatory. The 2 planets here are Venus and Jupiter.

what do you think? 2018-09-23 17:52:17

Why is Earth’s spin axis drifting?  

As Earth rotates, its spin axis -- an imaginary line that passes through the North and South Poles -- drifts and wobbles. Scientists now have, for the 1st time, identified 3 reasons why.

what do you think? 2018-09-23 07:27:31

Birds flying south. How many will return?  

Contrary to popular thought, birds wintering in the tropics survive the winter better than birds wintering in the U.S. That's despite the fact that tropical wintering birds migrate 3 to 4 times farther.

what do you think? 2018-09-23 02:34:10

JAXA confirms 2 rovers landed successfully on asteroid Ryugu  

Japan's space agency JAXA said the pair of tiny robots - released by the Hayabusa2 space probe - touched down Saturday on asteroid Ryugu. See the images here.

what do you think? 2018-09-22 18:47:35

Why your equinox sun rises and sets due east and west  

How is it possible for an equinox sun to rise due east - and set due west - for everyone around the world? How can you visualize it? Illustrations here.

what do you think? 2018-09-21 06:38:49

A new way to launch rockets without fuel?  

Conventional rockets - with their onboard fuel - are expensive and dangerous. A new "quantized inertia" concept might make rocket launches cheaper and safer. The concept has just received $1.3 million in new funding.

what do you think? 2018-09-21 04:54:06

Supernumerary rainbow over New Jersey  

Look slightly inside a bright primary bow, and sometimes you'll see these fringes. Their numbers and spacing can change from minute to minute.

what do you think? 2018-09-20 02:54:33

Were the 2 Magellanic Clouds once 3?  

A new study suggests that the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds - small satellite galaxies to our Milky Way - might have once had a 3rd companion.

what do you think? 2018-09-20 01:48:58

See Venus at its brightest  

Greatest brilliancy for Venus is a delicate balance between how much we see of its day side, and the changing distance between our 2 worlds. Conditions are now optimum! Venus looms low in the twilight, dazzlingly bright.

what do you think? 2018-09-20 01:28:16

Life imitates art? Astronomers find Star Trek planet Vulcan  

In recent decades, astronomers and Trekkies have had fun speculating on what might serve as Spock's home star. Many settled on 40 Eridani A, about 16 light-years away. Now they've found a Vulcan-esque planet for this star!

what do you think? 2018-09-19 14:27:22

Waxing moon over Amsterdam  

The waxing gibbous moon rising over Amsterdam as the sun sets.

what do you think? 2018-09-19 06:33:49

How leaves tell each other about a bug attack  

"We often think of plants as being passive and at the mercy of their environment. My jaw literally dropped when I first saw these videos ... They beautifully illustrate how active and complex plants really are."

what do you think? 2018-09-19 05:22:21

Scientists discover earliest human drawing yet  

This month, scientists published their discovery of 73,000-year-old cross-hatchings found in a South African cave. It's now the earliest known drawing and evidence of early humans' ability to store information outside the human brain.

what do you think? 2018-09-18 13:09:10

Elon Musk and SpaceX announce 1st tourist for ‘moon loop’  

Musk said Monday from SpaceX headquarters in California that it will send Japanese billionaire and online fashion tycoon Yusaku Maezawa - with a group of artists - on a loop around the moon and back to Earth in 2023.

what do you think? 2018-09-18 04:02:23

Dry ice frosts a Mars crater  

The white markings here are bright residual carbon dioxide ice deposits - dry ice - on the south-facing rim of a pit crater on Mars.

what do you think? 2018-09-18 02:08:04

TESS planet-hunter achieves 1st light  

Launched last April, TESS is successor to the Kepler mission, which discovered a substantial fraction of all known exoplanets orbiting distant suns. This 1st-light image from TESS is cause for celebration. Ahoy! New worlds ahead!

what do you think? 2018-09-17 05:01:28

Last night’s 1st quarter moon  

A 1st quarter moon is showing us half of its day side, or a quarter of the whole moon.

what do you think? 2018-09-17 03:21:13

Moon sweeps near Saturn and Mars September 17 to 19  

On September 17, 18 and 19 - as soon as darkness falls - let the moon serve as your guide to 2 bright and beautiful planets, Saturn and Mars.

what do you think? 2018-09-17 01:40:08

Mars is closest to the sun today  

On September 16, 2018, Mars reaches perihelion, its closest point to the sun in its 2-year orbit. Mars' brightness in July and August - and a recent global dust storm on the planet - are both linked to this event.

what do you think? 2018-09-16 07:28:59

You can still see 4 evening planets  

We've been treated for several months now to the sight of 4 bright planets in our evening sky. Although Mars isn't as bright now as it was, all 4 planets are still up there after sunset, visible from across Earth.

what do you think? 2018-09-16 06:51:22

10 years of Large Hadron Collider discoveries  

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has generated mind-blowing science in the last decade - including the Higgs boson particle. How the LHC, one of the most complex machines ever created, is helping physicists decode the universe.

what do you think? 2018-09-16 06:19:58

Report calls for direct images of Earth-like exoplanets  

A congressionally-mandated report recommends that NASA lead efforts to directly image possibly Earth-like exoplanets, using upcoming technologies. A major goal is finding habitable - maybe even inhabited - worlds.

what do you think? 2018-09-16 05:24:55

Giant iceberg A68 finally pushes off  

We saw this break away from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica last year. Now, finally, it's beginning to drift.

what do you think? 2018-09-15 02:58:14

Why is Sunspot Solar Observatory closed?  

In a strange turn of events, AURA has suddenly shut down its Sunspot Solar Observatory in New Mexico. The FBI is involved, and speculation is running wild. Mercury leak? Terrorism? Espionage? Aliens?

what do you think? 2018-09-14 05:19:36

It’s been a year since Cassini plunged into Saturn  

On September 15, 2017, the Cassini spacecraft plunged into Saturn, ending its spectacular mission. Cassini's last images and final moments, here.

what do you think? 2018-09-14 02:33:33

Here’s how Hubble sees Saturn  

Cassini ended its 13-year mission at Saturn a year ago, when it plunged into the giant planet's atmosphere. Now the Hubble Space Telescope is keeping an eye on the planet.

what do you think? 2018-09-14 01:02:43