Space

Latest

caldor fire

California's Caldor Fire seen from space in harrowing satellite images (gallery)

By Christine Lunsford

The Caldor Fire, one of the largest in California's history, has been blazing since Aug. 14, 2021.

This image by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 instrument, features the Herbig-Haro object HH111, which lies about 1,300 light-years from Earth. Herbig-Haro objects consist of young stars blasting superheated jets through surrounding clouds of dust and gas.

Amazing Hubble telescope photo shows space 'sword' piercing huge celestial 'heart'

By Mike Wall

A flaming blue sword seems to pierce a giant cosmic heart in a gorgeous new photo captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.

This still image from Northwestern University's new simulation shows the center of a massive galaxy, where a supermassive black hole exists.

Watch a supermassive black hole feast in mesmerizing new simulation (video)

By Doris Elin Salazar

There's no consensus yet on how supermassive black holes form, but a new mesmerizing simulation is taking a crack at that question like never before.

An artist's impression of dark matter in the beginning of the universe.

Is dark matter made of 'Fermi balls' forged in the Big Bang?

By Paul Sutter

A new theory suggests dark matter may have come from quantum bags that got squished together in the early universe.

The massive Hurricane Ida is easily visible on Earth from 1 million miles away as seen by NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory in orbit at a stable Lagrange point on Aug. 29, 2021 as the storm made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 storm.

See Hurricane Ida from 1 million miles away in this NOAA satellite view

By Tariq Malik

The sheer size of Hurricane Ida when it made landfall on Sunday was clearly visible from a NOAA satellite 1 million miles away.

SpaceX's Dragon CRS-23 cargo ship is seen with a bright blue Earth as a backdrop by a camera on the International Space Station during its docking approach on Aug. 30, 2021.

SpaceX's Dragon docks at ISS in time for astronaut's birthday

By Mike Wall

The robotic Dragon capsule delivered about 4,800 lbs. (2,200 kilograms) of supplies and scientific gear to the orbiting lab.

Juno spacecraft over Jupiter's great red spot. Jupiter is a gas giant, but could a spacecraft pass through a gas planet?

Could a spaceship fly through a gas giant like Jupiter?

By JoAnna Wendel

These planets are mostly made of gas, but a spaceship would have a rough time trying to get through a giant planet like Jupiter or Saturn.

Image shows the Russian-built module Zarya (top) being aligned to attach to the U.S. module Unity in 1998

New cracks found on International Space Station

By Nicoletta Lanese

Officials have not reported if the new cracks are causing any air leaks.

Artist's illustration of the view from the seas of a potentially habitable "Hycean" exoplanet.

Alien life could thrive on big 'Hycean' exoplanets

By Mike Wall

The search for alien life should broaden its horizons a bit, a new study suggests.

quantum entanglement.

Quantum crystal could reveal the identity of dark matter

By Adam Mann

By entangling the motion and quantum properties of a beryllium crystal, scientists have achieved unprecedented precision for measuring electromagnetic waves.

Scientists detected the radio "colors" of a fast radio burst (FRB) for the first time ever.

Scientists detected the radio 'colors' of a fast radio burst for the first time

By Brandon Specktor

Astronomers detected the radio 'colors' of a fast radio burst (FRB) for the first time, proving that the source was not a binary star system.

Crowds converge near Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, in this satellite image taken on Aug. 24, 2021.

Satellite images show crowds at Kabul airport before two reported explosions

By Elizabeth Howell

Massive crowds converged at Hamid Karzai International Airport before explosions there killed and injured dozens on Thursday (Aug. 26).

Millions of "blueberries" like these dot the surface of Mars. They could hold an important trace of ancient water, a new study suggests.

Martian 'blueberries' may hold signs of ancient water, new study suggests

By Brandon Specktor

Martian 'blueberry' stones may hold evidence of the planet's watery past, a new study of similar minerals on Earth suggests.

This artist's illustration shows the distant Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein as it might look in the outer Solar System. Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is estimated to be about 1000 times more massive than a typical comet, making it arguably the largest comet discovered in modern times. It has an extremely elongated orbit, journeying inward from the distant Oort Cloud over millions of years. It is the most distant comet to be discovered on its incoming path.

Interstellar comets visit our solar system more frequently than thought

By Tereza Pultarova

Comets from other star systems, such as 2019 Borisov, visit the sun's neighborhood more frequently than scientists had thought, a new study suggests.

The rogue black holes could make up 10% of the universe's total black hole mass.

Rogue black holes could be wandering at the edges of the Milky Way

By Ben Turner

A new simulation predicts that the lost giants were dislodged by gigantic collisions and have wandered the outskirts of galaxies ever since.

An illustration depicts Titan's dense yellowish atmosphere above a river of methane on the moon surface

Moon-in-a-jar recreates the hazy atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon

By Nicoletta Lanese

A new experiment recreated Titan in small glass cylinders.

A conceptual illustration of a Dyson sphere

Alien 'Dyson spheres' could be harvesting the power of black holes

By Adam Mann

Researchers show how intelligent aliens might draw nearly-limitless power from a black hole using a Dyson sphere.

Bezos shows the aviation glasses that once belonged to Amelia Earhart, which he took with him during the flight, at the post-flight press conference.

Why all the hate? Looking at what makes Blue Origin's presence in space so different

By Chelsea Gohd

These days, it feels as though billionaire-backed space companies are launching off Earth all the time. So why does Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin seem to be in the hot seat?

An artist's depiction of a meteor shower on Venus.

Venus and a newly discovered comet will cross paths in December. Will sparks fly?

By Meghan Bartels

Venus is Earth's twisted twin in so many ways, what about on the skywatching front?

SpaceX's Starship could launch on its first uncrewed flight to Mars in 2024.

SpaceX Starship: Key milestones for the world's most powerful rocket

By Elizabeth Howell

SpaceX's Starship system is the most powerful rocket yet. Here are some of the key moments in its history as the rocket and spacecraft get ready for the first orbital test.