281–300 of 1,241 results
Mars Hope

Solar System

Update from the Hope Probe at Mars

The United Arab Emirates' Hope Probe, on a wide orbit around Mars, provides views of the dynamic Red Planet.

Full moon and Earth shadow

Solar System

Uncovering Secrets of Earth's Shadow

The daily rising and setting of Earth's shadow is a beautiful sight anyone on the planet can view. It's also an opportunity to witness the rapid changes that accompany sunset or sunrise, but at the opposite end of the sky.

WISPR view vs. Magellan radar

Solar System

The Parker Solar Probe Captures Surprising Images of Venus Nightside

A visible glow from our sister planet’s nightside sheds new light on a 300-year-old observing enigma dubbed the “ashen light.”

solar flare

Solar System

Solar Tsunami Hit Earth 9,200 Years Ago

Scientists examining ancient ice cores have found radioactive evidence of an extreme solar storm that took place in 7,176 BCE.

Solar nebula

Solar System

Meteorite Evidence Suggests Earth’s Water Was Here Before Earth Was

Where did Earth’s water come from? One of the oldest meteorites on Earth is adding new pieces to an old puzzle.

Asteroid trail in Crab Nebula image by Hubble

Solar System

Citizen Scientists Find 1,000+ Asteroids Photobombing Hubble Images

The combined power of citizen science and machine learning have led to the discovery of more than 1,000 new asteroids in archival images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

View of Gale Crater from top of pediment

Solar System

Evidence Hints at Ancient Life on Mars

Scientists have found a chemical signature that hints at ancient life on Mars. But other possible explanations remain.

Mare Orientale gravity map

Solar System

Set Your Sights on This Lunar Bull’s-Eye

Go ahead, live on the edge: Grab your chance this month to see Mare Orientale, one of the most spectacular lunar seas most people have never seen.

Asteroid makes close approach

Solar System

Watch an Asteroid Race Across the Sky

The kilometer-wide, potentially hazardous asteroid 1994 PC1 will fly past Earth on January 18th. Good news on two counts: It won't hit us, and it's bright enough to see in a 4-inch telescope.

Enceladus's plumes

Solar System

Do the Plumes from Saturn’s Icy Moon Reach Down to Its Ocean?

The plumes erupting from Saturn's moon Enceladus may originate in slush in the moon's icy crust rather than its deep, subsurface ocean.

Comet 19P/Borrelly on Dec. 30, 2021

Solar System

Comet-seeking on Cold, Crunchy Nights

Did the recent apparition of Comet Leonard whet your appetite for more of these beautiful unpredictables? Here are five more you can see with your telescope this season.

Ryugu sample

Solar System

Samples from Asteroid Ryugu Are Most Primitive Material We've Found

The material that the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft returned from asteroid Ryugu is the most pristine sample we've ever gotten our hands on.

Artist's concept of probe above Alfven surface

Solar System

“Humanity Has ‘Touched’ the Sun”

On its eighth close pass, NASA’s record-breaking Parker Solar Probe entered our star’s atmosphere and “touched” the surface of the Sun.

Solar System

Precious Hours with the Geminids

At first glance, the annual Geminid meteor shower appears to be on a collision course with a bright Moon. But a closer look reveals a happy window of dark skies.

Comet Leonard meets M3

Solar System

See Comet Leonard at its Best

The year's brightest comet is now on display in the predawn sky this week and next. Here's how to find it.

NASA's DART mission

Solar System

NASA’s DART Mission Launches for Head-on Collision with an Asteroid

The first-ever planetary defense mission is now on its way to the asteroid Didymos and its moon, Dimorphos.

Portrayal of 'Oumuamua (1I/2017 U1)

Solar System

Can This Near-Earth Asteroid Help Us Understand the First Interstellar Visitor?

Astronomers have observed an object like ‘Oumuamua — but unlike the first known interstellar visitor, this one is in the solar system.

Chipping the Moon

Solar System

Has a Stray Piece of the Moon Become a Quasi-satellite of Earth?

A quasi-satellite of Earth, named Kamoʻoalewa, might actually be a chip off our Moon.

Twisted glass slab

Solar System

Did a Comet Explode Over South America 12,000 Years Ago?

Huge chunks and twisted slabs of dark glass are strewn across a patch of the Chilean Atacama Desert. Do they have a cosmic origin?

Venusian volcano Idunn Mons in radar data

Solar System

The Case for an Active Volcano on Venus

After decades of studying Venus, many questions remain about our planetary next-door neighbor. One question has particularly intrigued astronomers: which, if any, of Venus’s 1,600 volcanoes are still active?