Space Exploration
Opal Gemstone Found on Mars: Another Sign of Martian Water
NASA's Curiosity rover has been exploring areas like the Gale Crater for more than a decade,...
Space Exploration
Space Exploration
The Mystery of Dark Stars
Dark stars are some of the earliest stars in the universe. They most likely formed in...
Space
What Happens When a Planet’s Orbit Goes Chaotic?
Can a planet's orbit be disrupted? Could Earth fall out of orbit and hurtle into the...
Space
Could Quantum Communication Enable an Extraterrestrial Handshake?
Photon-enabled quantum communication could send exponential amounts of data securely over interstellar distances, potentially to intelligent...
Science
New US Venus Missions Seek Better Understanding of Earth’s “Twin”
Venus missions will provide insight into geologic forces at work on Venus, analyze its atmosphere and...
Science
First Marsquake Launches Field of Martian Seismology
Analysis of the first marsquake and 480 subsequent temblors are giving NASA's Mars Insight Lander science...
Environmental Tech
Heavenly Hygiene: How Do Astronauts Shower In Space?
Hygiene in space, where water never falls from the sky and the soap floats inconveniently away,...
Engineering
Unfolding Space and Time: The James Webb Space Telescope Launch
Thanks to the just-launched James Webb Space Telescope, we'll soon glimpse millions of galaxies like (and...
Science
The Hard Call: Looking for Life on Mars Amid Rubble, Rocks and Soil Samples
Asking "Is there life on Mars?" means searching for something unknown. These samples may help us...
Science
Space Gem or Fools Gold? The Search for Diamonds in the Sky
What is a space gem? Diamond-like minerals have been found in meteorites or detected by telescopes.
Frontiers
Rocking and Rolling: Mega Marsquakes Shake Up Planetary Science
Earth has earthquakes. Mars has marsquakes! Big ones, at that.
Science
The Buzz About Weather on Other Planets: WASP 127-b
Wasp 127-b is hot, fast and fluffier than almost any planet astronomers ever found before. But...
Space
Bennu Asteroid Unlikely to Hit Earth in the Next 300 Years
The Bennu asteroid is a 500-meter-wide asteroid that orbits our sun, following a trajectory that periodically...
Frontiers
Planet-Forming Disks Contain Key Ingredients for Life: Methanol
In 2021, the complex carbon molecule methanol — a key molecule of life — was discovered...