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Enormous, mountain-size asteroid will be visible from Earth this weekend in rare 'once in a decade' eventThe enormous near-Earth asteroid (887) Alinda has made its closest approach to our planet in decades, and it's about to peak in brightness in a rare once-in-a-decade event. Here's how to watch it live this weekend.
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10 jaw-dropping space photos that defined 2024From solar storms to "shooting stars" over Stonehenge, here are our top 10 favorite space photos of 2024 — and what they told us about our beautiful cosmos.
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Space news quiz: From Starliner to solar storms, do you know the year's top space stories?QUIZ From impressive moon missions to unbelievable auroras, 2024 was a year that got many of us looking up. How well do you remember the year's top space news stories?
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Our favorite space stories of 2024 — from lost planets to human-caused meteor showersFrom the mysterious Planet Nine to the prospect of a "human-caused meteor shower," space and physics editor Brandon Specktor lists his favorite stories of 2024.
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Winter solstice 2024: When does winter start?When does winter start in 2024? Here's the science of the winter solstice, and why its the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
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12 strange reasons humans haven't found alien life yetScientists have been searching for evidence of extraterrestrial life for decades. So, where are all the aliens? Here are 12 intriguing theories ...
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Thanksgiving auroras? Solar storm likely to hit Earth on Thursday and Friday, NOAA warnsAn outburst of solar energy looks primed to hit Earth on Thursday, potentially bringing auroras to the northern U.S. on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
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James Webb telescope spots 'feasting' black hole eating 40 times faster than should be possibleAstronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have spotted a feeding black hole in the early universe that seems to be eating 40 times faster than is theoretically possible.
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Witch's head to God's eye: 12 of the spookiest objects in the universeA shrieking skull, a cackling witch, a ghostly hand and other cosmic illusions haunt our skies. Which do you think is the spookiest object in the universe?
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Voyager 1 loses contact with NASA, turns on retro transmitter not used since 1981NASA lost contact with the interstellar Voyager 1 spacecraft for nearly a week after a technical glitch shut off the probe's main transmitter. Using Voyager's weaker backup transmitter, engineers are assessing the problem from 15 billion miles away.
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James Webb telescope finds 1st possible 'failed stars' beyond the Milky Way — and they could reveal new secrets of the early universeThe James Webb Space Telescope may have found dozens of elusive brown dwarfs — strange objects larger than planets but smaller than stars — beyond the Milky Way for the first time ever.
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'Severe' solar storm that hit Earth Thursday could be 'global phenomenon' with auroras as far south as CaliforniaA powerful solar outburst hit Earth Thursday, triggering a "severe" geomagnetic storm. Auroras could be visible as far south as California and Alabama, NOAA predicts.
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32 things on Mars that look like they shouldn't be thereThe more scientists study the Red Planet, the more they find unusual objects and patterns scattered across Mars' surface. Here are some of the most baffling.
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'Ring of fire' solar eclipse blazes over Easter Island in incredible new imageOn Oct. 2, a partial "ring of fire" solar eclipse was visible from the remote island of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, where around 1,000 stone moai statues stand. You can see the whole celestial event play out in this incredible composite image.
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Watch live: A 'ring of fire' solar eclipse has begun over Easter IslandThe Oct. 2 partial solar eclipse, known as an annular or "ring of fire" eclipse, is about to begin over Easter Island and South America. Watch it for free right here.
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32 alien planets that really existBeyond our solar system, countless alien worlds of lava, ice, water and noxious gas swirl through the cosmos. Here are some of the strangest exoplanets that scientists have discovered so far.
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Can you see Earth's new 'minimoon' with the naked eye?On Sunday, Sept. 29, Earth captured a new "minimoon" called 2024 PT5. The bus-size asteroid is expected to orbit our planet for 57 days, but is too small to be visible to amateur skywatchers.
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Auroras may paint the northern US tonight as Earth reels from 'strong' G3 geomagnetic stormVibrant auroras could be visible as far south as Oregon and Pennsylvania tonight as Earth reels from a "strong" G3-class geomagnetic storm. However, the nearly full Harvest Moon may complicate viewing opportunities.
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'Space trash' will lead us to intelligent aliens, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb saysThe long-sought evidence of alien life could be lurking in Earth's oceans, says Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb. Here is his plan to find it.
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What??? James Webb telescope finds giant question mark in spaceAstronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a pair of distant galaxies being twisted into a cosmic question mark thanks to a rare form of gravitational lensing.
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Watch Live: Boeing Starliner is about to return to Earth without its crewBoeing's Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth today after undocking from the International Space Station without its crew. A livestream of the mission begins at 5:45 p.m. ET.
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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket grounded for 2nd time in 2 months following explosive landing failureThe U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket for the second time in as many months following a routine landing that ended in flames on Wednesday (Aug. 28).
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See the moment the blue supermoon 'gobbled up' Saturn in epic astrophotography imageOvernight on Aug. 20-21, the full 'Sturgeon Supermoon' briefly occulted, or passed in front of, Saturn, snuffing the ringed planet's light from the sky. An epic new astrophotography image captures the entire spectacle from start to finish.
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Auroras headed to the US again in aftermath of gargantuan 'X-class' solar flare
Auroras may once again be visible in northern parts of the U.S. this weekend as Earth braces for impact from a powerful coronal mass ejection.
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