Staring up into the night sky, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite expanse of space, with every pinprick of light in the vast canopy of darkness a star holding secrets forged by 13.8 billion years of the universe's existence. And yet, despite its great age and the unfathomable distance between us and even our nearest neighbor, through the study of astronomy we are able to understand more about the world beyond our atmosphere.
Join our expert writers and editors as we reveal the greatest mysteries in cosmology, such as how black holes form, and explore celestial bodies like exoplanets and nebulas, that are scattered throughout our universe. You will also discover how scientists are pushing the boundaries of space exploration using observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope with the latest astronomy news, features and articles.
Discover more about astronomy
—35 jaw-dropping James Webb Space Telescope images
—What is the hottest place in the universe?
—Best telescopes 2024: Beginner and advanced scopes for stars, galaxies and nebulas
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NASA spacecraft takes milestone 100,000th image of Mars (photo)
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Why is Venus so bright?
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'Unprecedented' protoplanet collision spotted in 'Eye of Sauron' star system just 25 light-years from Earth
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Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS makes closest pass of Earth. Where's it heading next?
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Comet 3I/ATLAS reaches its closest point to Earth tonight: How to see it
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Ursid meteor shower 2025: When and where to see 'shooting stars' on the longest night of the year
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NASA eyes 3I/ATLAS with alien-hunting Clipper spacecraft in new image
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'Potentially hazardous' asteroid 2024 YR4 was Earth's first real-life planetary defense test
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Astronomers discover skyscraper-size asteroid hidden in sun's glare
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$100,000 quadrillion asteroid Psyche may be the product of metal volcanoes, study hints
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Sneaky asteroid zooms past Antarctica closer than a satellite — and astronomers didn't catch it until hours after
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Our solar system's asteroid belt is slowly disappearing
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Science history: DART, humanity’s first-ever asteroid deflection mission, punches a space rock in the face — Sept. 26, 2022
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'City killer' asteroid could be nuked before close encounter with the moon
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What happened to the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?
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Skyscraper-size asteroid previously predicted to hit us in 60 years will zoom past Earth on Thursday (Sept. 18) — and you can see it live
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James Webb telescope finds supermassive black hole hidden inside 'Jekyll and Hyde' galaxy
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'A scale almost too big to imagine': Scientists spot monster black hole roaring with winds at more than 130 million mph
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Scientists spot 2 black holes that took turns slaughtering 1 unlucky star
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James Webb telescope may have discovered the earliest, most distant black hole ever seen
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Record-breaking black hole collision finally explained
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'Unlike any we've ever seen': Record-breaking black hole eruption is brighter than 10 trillion suns
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'Not so exotic anymore': The James Webb telescope is unraveling the truth about the universe's first black holes
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'Torn apart by the darkness': What would happen if a human fell into a black hole?
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Physicists detect rare 'second-generation' black holes that prove Einstein right... again
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Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS makes closest pass of Earth. Where's it heading next?
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Comet 3I/ATLAS reaches its closest point to Earth tonight: How to see it
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NASA eyes 3I/ATLAS with alien-hunting Clipper spacecraft in new image
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The UN's International Asteroid Warning Network is closely watching comet 3I/ATLAS. Here's why.
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Comet 3I/ATLAS is getting greener and brighter as it approaches Earth
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New 3I/ATLAS images show the comet getting active ahead of close encounter with Earth
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RIP 'other ATLAS': Watch the doomed comet explode into pieces in incredible new images
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Comet 3I/ATLAS gallery: See NASA's long-awaited images of interstellar visitor
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'3I/ATLAS is a comet': NASA finally releases new 3I/ATLAS images and addresses alien rumors
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30 models of the universe proved wrong by final data from groundbreaking telescope
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James Webb telescope may have found the first stars in the universe, new study claims
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'Puzzling' object discovered by James Webb telescope may be the earliest known galaxy in the universe
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Record-breaking 'dark object' found hiding within a warped 'Einstein ring' 10 billion light-years away
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James Webb telescope could have spotted controversial 'dark stars' in the far universe
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The universe's first magnetic fields were 'comparable' to the human brain — and still linger within the 'cosmic web'
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Astronomers find bizarre 'Cosmic Grapes' galaxy in the early universe. Here's why that's a big deal (photo)
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The universe may start dying in just 10 billion years, alarming new model predicts
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100 undiscovered galaxies may be orbiting the Milky Way, supercomputer simulations hint
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Ursid meteor shower 2025: When and where to see 'shooting stars' on the longest night of the year
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See up to 150 'shooting stars' per hour this weekend as the Geminid meteor shower reaches its stunning peak
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100,000 mph 'comet fragment' explodes in green fireball over Great Lakes, eerie videos show
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This week's Leonid meteor shower could be one of the best in years. Here's why.
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Orionids 2025: Meteor shower caused by Halley's Comet peaks as two new comets cross the sky
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Dramatic 'fireballs' expected during Draconid meteor shower this week: How to get the best views
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Meteorite that crash landed through Georgia man's roof is 20 million years older than Earth, scientists say
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Perseid meteor shower 2025: How to see 'shooting stars' despite the full moon
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The Perseids are about to peak — here's how to watch the glorious meteor shower without the full moon ruining the show
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NASA spacecraft takes milestone 100,000th image of Mars (photo)
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Why is Venus so bright?
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Spiders on Jupiter? Scientists uncover secret origins of arachnid-like 'demon' lurking on gas giant's moon.
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Saturn's largest moon may be riddled with 'slushy tunnels' that contain alien life, new study hints
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City-size 'cosmic butterfly' carved into Mars' surface contains traces of ancient water
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James Webb telescope uncovers a new mystery: A broiling 'hell planet' with an atmosphere that shouldn't exist
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Time moves faster on Mars, posing new challenges to crewed missions
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Strangely bleached rocks on Mars hint that the Red Planet was once a tropical oasis
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Earth had a secret neighbor, and it may explain our moon
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When is the next full moon?
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Cold Moon 2025: See the last and highest full moon of the year
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Scientists finally find explanation for lopsided cloud that follows Earth's moon through space
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Beaver Supermoon: The biggest, brightest full moon of the year rises tonight
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What are the mysterious lights sometimes seen on the moon?
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We were wrong about how the moon's largest and oldest crater formed — and that's great news for NASA's next lunar landing
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Harvest supermoon photos: See the moon at its biggest and brightest in pictures from around the world
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The full Harvest Moon supermoon rises tonight
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Artemis Program: NASA's plan to send humans back to the moon
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Giant sunspot on par with the one that birthed the Carrington Event has appeared on the sun — and it's pointed right at Earth
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Astrophotographer snaps 'absolutely preposterous' photo of skydiver 'falling' past the sun's surface
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'Severe' solar storm brings auroras as far south as Florida — and more are on the way tonight
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The next Carrington-level solar superstorm could wipe out 'all our satellites,' new simulations reveal
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Mystery of the sun's mind-bogglingly hot atmosphere may finally be solved
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'The sun is slowly waking up': NASA warns that there may be more extreme space weather for decades to come
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Gigantic 'letter S' spotted on the sun just before a 'dark eruption' hurls a fiery shadow at Earth
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'Cannibal' solar storm could paint auroras above 18 US states this Labor Day
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Scientists unveil most detailed photo of a solar flare ever taken
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