Mike Wall

The annual Draconid meteor shower peaks Wednesday evening (Oct. 7) — but the bright, gibbous moon will wash it out.

By Mike Wall Published 7 October 20

The launch of a U.S. spy satellite atop a powerful Delta IV Heavy rocket was called off in the final seconds late last night (Sept. 30), mirroring the outcome of an attempt a month ago.

By Mike Wall Published 1 October 20

Investigators have traced the source of the leak to the "main work area" of the Zvezda Service Module, the heart of the Russian part of the station, NASA officials announced Tuesday (Sept. 29).

By Mike Wall Published 30 September 20

The Starship SN7.1 tank was destroyed on purpose at SpaceX's South Texas facilities, during a pressure test designed to take the stainless-steel hardware to its bursting point.

By Mike Wall Published 24 September 20

Scientists have found an alien world that orbits its host star every 3.14 Earth days, a close approximation of the famous mathematical constant pi.

By Mike Wall Published 23 September 20

The next big leap for SpaceX's Mars-colonizing Starship spacecraft appears to be right around the corner.

By Mike Wall Published 15 September 20

A new film channels the spirit and traces the lineage of Laika, the first creature ever to orbit Earth.

By Mike Wall Published 12 September 20

A team of physicists just snagged $3 million for testing the law of gravity like never before.

By Mike Wall Published 10 September 20

The imaging sensors for the future Vera C. Rubin Observatory have taken their record-breaking first photos.

By Mike Wall Published 9 September 20

Though 2020 QG survived its recent encounter with Earth, the rock's path through space was altered significantly.

By Mike Wall Published 20 August 20

SpaceX just plucked another payload fairing out of the sky, and you can see video of the dramatic cosmic catch.

By Mike Wall Published 20 August 20

The bubble of charged particles that surrounds our solar system looks more like a deflated croissant than a comet, as traditionally envisioned, a recent study suggests.

By Mike Wall Published 10 August 20

For the first time ever, astronomers have directly imaged multiple planets orbiting a sunlike star.

By Mike Wall Published 24 July 20

The Tianwen-1 mission launched atop a Long March 5 rocket from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center early this morning (July 23), kicking off a seven-month cruise to Mars.

By Mike Wall Published 23 July 20

Astronomers are buzzing about Comet NEOWISE, which observers under clear, dark skies in the Northern Hemisphere can currently see with the naked eye.

By Mike Wall Published 18 July 20

It's unclear exactly what the spacecraft will be doing up there.

By Mike Wall Published 15 July 20

Betelgeuse's weird recent dimming was caused by starspots that temporarily covered at least half of the red supergiant's surface, a new study suggests.

By Mike Wall Published 2 July 20

Space Perspective aims to send paying customers and payloads to the stratosphere in its Spaceship Neptune, a balloon-borne capsule that's scheduled to make its first test flights early next year.

By Mike Wall Published 22 June 20

Europe's Trace Gas Orbiter spotted an emerald glow in Mars' wispy atmosphere, marking the first time the phenomenon has been spotted on a world beyond Earth.

By Mike Wall Published 17 June 20

Astronomers have discovered an activity cycle in another fast radio burst, potentially unearthing a significant clue about these mysterious deep-space phenomena.

By Mike Wall Published 9 June 20

Neil deGrasse Tyson thinks we could all use a strong dose of the overview effect right now.

By Mike Wall Published 4 June 20