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Very large space rocks that fly within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometers) of Earth's solar orbit are known as potentially hazardous asteroids.

'Potentially hazardous asteroid' will make its closest-ever approach to Earth on April Fools' Day (yes, really)

By Harry Baker published

Astronomers have confirmed that a "potentially hazardous" asteroid is set to make its closest-ever approach to Earth this Friday (April 1).

Artist's concept of the European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft mapping stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

The Milky Way's 'thick disk' is 2 billion years older than scientists thought

By Brandon Specktor published

Astronomers have found that part of the MIlky Way known as the thick disk is about 2 billion years older than expected, forming just 0.8 billion years after the Big Bang.

Taken during Juno's 39th close flyby of Jupiter on Jan. 12, 2022, this stunning view captures two of the planet's moons: Io (left) and Europa (right).

NASA spacecraft snaps gorgeous new photo of Jupiter's moons Io and Europa

By Samantha Mathewson published

NASA's Juno spacecraft beamed back stunning new photos of Jupiter's moons, Io and Europa.

A NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory image of the sun.

Strange new type of solar wave defies physics

By Ben Turner published

Scientists think this could also help to explain mysterious phenomena on Earth.

This is a colored view of the C-type asteroid 162173 Ryugu, seen by the ONC-T camera on board of Hayabusa2.

We may finally know why spinning-top asteroid Ryugu has such a weird shape

By Ben Turner published

Scientists think Ryugu may have been made by gravity squishing the asteroid's rocky contents together after its ice melted.

The northern lights shine above mountains near Atigun Pass, Dalton Highway, Alaska.

NASA set to launch 2 rockets into the northern lights

By Stephanie Pappas published

Researchers plan to launch two rockets into the heart of the northern lights. Here's what they might find.

These astronomy books will guide you across the sky, along with history and culture - Best Astronomy books

Best astronomy books 2022

By Elizabeth Howell published

Explore the cosmos and find your way around the night sky with this combination of classic titles and new entries, all in the best astronomy books.

Data from SARAO's MeerKAT radio telescope data (green) showing the odd radio circles, is overlaid on optical and near infra-red data from the Dark Energy Survey.

Odd radio circles could come from giant black holes, new study finds

By Ben Turner published

The circles could come from giant explosions in space, but what is causing the explosions is still a mystery.

Comet Leonard, shown here on Dec. 4, 2021, was the brightest comet to whiz past Earth that year.

RIP Comet Leonard: Brightest comet to whiz past Earth in 2021 is now a blur of dust.

By Stephanie Pappas published

Comet Leonard, the brightest comet to whiz past Earth in 2021, has likely disintegrated.

A Soyuz 2.1a carrier rocket blasts off from Baikonur Cosmodrome on December 8, 2021

UK satellite company will use SpaceX rockets after Russian ban

By Ben Turner published

The deal comes in the wake of the Russian demand that OneWeb guarantee not to use its satellites for military purposes.

NASA's Artemis 1 mission, stacked at the launch pad ready for testing, as seen from space by the Pléiades Neo satellite, operated by the European aerospace company Airbus.

NASA's new moon rocket spotted from space rolling to the launch pad (photos)

By Chelsea Gohd published

NASA's moonbound rocket rolled to the launch pad, and satellites orbiting Earth captured the milestone from space.

The weird effect is a result of quantum particles being both waves and particles.

Weird quantum boomerang predicted 60 years ago spotted for the first time

By Ben Turner published

The effect has been predicted for more than 60 years.

Astronaut floating in space. Jonathan Knowles via Getty Images

Why does NASA let male astronauts stay in space longer than females?

By John Arnst published

Here's why NASA has different radiation limits for male and female astronauts, and how these limits may change in the near future.

In this illustrative concept image, a black hole is sucking in all the nearby matter in space.

A spiderweb of wormholes could solve a fundamental paradox first proposed by Stephen Hawking

By Paul Sutter published

A seemingly intractable black hole paradox first proposed by physicist Stephen Hawking could finally be resolved — by wormholes through space-time.

An artist's representation of a supermassive black hole.

Could the secret of supermassive black holes lie in ultralight dark matter?

By Stefanie Waldek published

Though scientists know there's a supermassive black hole at the center of most galaxies, they can't explain how the gravitational giants formed.

Artist's illustration of Planet Nine, a world about 10 times more massive than Earth that may lie undiscovered in the far outer solar system.

Planet Nine is still missing in action after survey of 87% of the Southern Sky

By Brandon Specktor published

Astronomers failed to find any evidence of the elusive Planet Nine in a survey of 87% of the Southern sky

Ahead of NASA’s Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch.

NASA's Artemis moon rocket just rode a 'supertank' to the launch pad

By Mindy Weisberger published

Inch by inch, NASA's Artemis I spacecraft and rocket have finally chugged all the way to the launch pad. The mission's "wet dress rehearsal" will take place on April 1.

Images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes show a filament of matter and antimatter extending from a pulsar.

NASA caught a dead star spewing antimatter across space in dazzling new image

By Mindy Weisberger published

A relatively small pulsar (a dense, collapsed and rapidly-spinning star) belched out a giant filament containing matter and antimatter particles that streamed for trillions of miles.

The ExoMars rover, called Rosalind Franklin, is designed to collect samples beneath the Martian surface.

Mars mission on hold indefinitely after European Space Agency cuts ties with Russia

By Jeanna Bryner published

The European Space Agency (ESA) has unanimously voted to suspend a joint Mars mission with Russia.

An image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope during its alignment process shows galaxies and stars in the background.

1st image snapped by iconic Webb telescope pushes limits of the 'laws of physics'

By Tom Metcalfe published

The Webb Telescope released its first sharp image — a spectacular view of a star that is focused with such sharpness that it pushes the limits of the laws of physics.