Why do the planets in the solar system orbit on the same plane? By JoAnna Wendel About 4.5 billion years ago, the solar system was just a giant, spinning cloud of gas and dust. Today, it's flat. Here's how that happened.
SpaceX Inspiration4 astronauts return to Earth with historic splashdown off Florida coast By Amy Thompson After three days in space, SpaceX's first all-civilian crew returned to Earth tonight, splashing down off the Florida coast to end a historic mission.
Nearly 900 years ago, astronomers spotted a strange, bright light in the sky. We finally know what caused it. By Yasemin Saplakoglu In the 12th century, Chinese and Japanese astronomers spotted a supernova in the sky shining as brightly as Saturn.
New gravitational wave detector picks up possible signal from the beginning of time By Adam Mann Physicists turned on a new type of gravitational-wave sensor and saw two intriguing results, but they aren't yet ready to claim a discovery.
SpaceX launches four civilians into orbit on historic Inspiration4 flight By Amy Thompson SpaceX made history tonight as it launched a crew of private citizens on a jaunt around Earth.
A 10 billion-year-old supernova will soon replay before our eyes, new dark matter study predicts By Brandon Specktor Scientists predict that an ancient supernova will reappear in the sky for a 4th time in the year 2037, thanks to the meddling influence of dark matter.
Distant 'Requiem' supernova will be visible again in 2037, astronomers predict By Tereza Pultarova A distant supernova previously imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope will be visible again from Earth and surrounding space in 2037, astronomers predict.
Chinese astronauts send back stunning images of Earth from Tianhe space station module (photos) By Andrew Jones China's Shenzhou 12 astronauts have sent back stunning images taken out of small windows on the Tianhe space station module in low Earth orbit.
Otherworldly 'time crystal' made inside Google quantum computer could change physics forever By Ben Turner The crystals neatly sidestep some of physics' most iron-clad laws.
1st 'atom tornado' created from swirling vortex of helium atoms By Ben Turner Physicists have created the first-ever atomic vortex beam — a swirling tornado of atoms and molecules with mysterious properties that have yet to be understood.
Travel through galaxies and the dark matter web in this stunning universe simulation By Stephanie Pappas A new freely downloadable universe simulation reveals the structure of galaxies and galactic clusters over more than 13 billion years of history.
Cosmic objects with strange orbits discovered beyond Neptune By Stephanie Pappas A six-year search of space beyond the orbit of Neptune has netted 461 newly discovered objects, including four that could shed light on Planet Nine.
The 'megacomet' Bernardinelli-Bernstein is the find of a decade. Here's the discovery explained. By Meghan Bartels The scientists that found Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein are an unlikely pair.
Our Milky Way galaxy isn't very well mixed, study suggests By Meghan Bartels Our galaxy isn't as thoroughly mixed as scientists sometimes assume, according to a new study.
Archivist's vintage 'Images of Apollo' photo prints land on auction By Robert Z. Pearlman A private archivist known for unearthing rare images from the early years of spaceflight is now selling a treasure trove of NASA prints representing some of the most iconic photos taken.
Perseverance rover collects 2nd Mars sample (photos) By Mike Wall Perseverance collected another drilled-out core of a Martian rock dubbed "Rochette," sealing the sample in its designated titanium tube on Wednesday (Sept. 8).
In Hurricane Ida's wake, satellite images show oil slicks in Gulf of Mexico By Samantha Mathewson Satellite images capture aerial views of an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico following Hurricane Ida's landfall on Aug. 29.
Super-precise clock tech wins $3 million physics Breakthrough Prize By Mike Wall Two physicists just snagged $3 million for helping develop a super-precise clock that could allow scientists to study and explore the universe like never before.
Smoke sets off alarms on the International Space Station By Yasemin Saplakoglu Alarms blared aboard the Russian side of the International Space Station (ISS) early Thursday (Sept. 9), and the crew reported seeing smoke and smelling burnt plastic, according to news reports.
