Skywatching

16 April 2013, 06:30 AM ET

New Private Rocket Launching from Virginia Coast Wednesday: Watch It Live

Orbital Sciences will launch the first-ever Antares rocket flight from Wallops Island, Va., at 5 p.m. ET on April 17.

15 April 2013, 09:09 AM ET

Controversy Over Planet-Naming Contest Heats Up

The company behind the contest fights back against some disapproving words from the IAU

15 April 2013, 07:00 AM ET

Young Blue Stars Shine in Cosmic Photo

A beautiful cluster of stars shines brightly in a new photo from the European Southern Observatory.

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility will see the first launch of an Orbital Sciences Antares rocket on April 17, 2013.

15 April 2013, 05:11 AM ET

Big Rocket Test Launching from Virginia Island Wednesday

Orbital Sciences will launch its first private Antares rocket test from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wednesday, April 17.

NASA's space shuttle Atlantis has been retired to be on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

14 April 2013, 10:30 AM ET

Replica Rocket Boosters Rise Over Space Shuttle Atlantis Exhibit

The pieces are coming together for space shuttle Atlantis' museum display.

Professor Stephen Hawking speaks about "Why We Should Go into Space" for the NASA Lecture Series, April 21, 2008.

13 April 2013, 11:25 AM ET

Stephen Hawking: Humanity Must Colonize Space to Survive

Stephen Hawking says humanity won't survive another 1,000 years without branching out into space.

Infographic: The history of animals used for testing in space flight.

12 April 2013, 05:21 PM ET

Cosmic Menagerie: A History of Animals in Space (Infographic)

Fruit flies launched in 1947 became the first animals to reach outer space and be recovered alive.

On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space, launched into orbit on the Vostok 3KA-3 spacecraft (Vostok 1).

12 April 2013, 06:04 AM ET

Yuri Gagarin, First Man in Space (Photo Gallery)

On April 12, 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space. See photos of the historic flight of Vostok 1.

On 12 April 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space when he launched into orbit on the Vostok 3KA-3 spacecraft (Vostok 1).

12 April 2013, 06:00 AM ET

Cosmic Bash: Parties on Earth and Mars Celebrate Human Spaceflight

Celebrate the biggest space party in the world tonight.

The space shuttle Columbia, NASA's first orbiter, is showered with lights in this nocturnal scene at Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., during preparations for the first flight (STS-1) of NASA's new reusable spacecraft sys

12 April 2013, 05:58 AM ET

Photos: NASA's First Space Shuttle Flight: STS-1

Photos of NASA's first space shuttle launch STS-1 aboard Columbia on April 12, 1981.

10 April 2013, 07:00 AM ET

NASA to Unveil 2014 Budget Request, Asteroid Lasso Plan Today

NASA is expected to receive $100 million for an ambitious asteroid-retrieval mission.

10 April 2013, 07:00 AM ET

Capturing an Asteroid: How NASA Could Do It

The mission is challenging but achievable, experts say.

09 April 2013, 02:54 PM ET

Space Travel May Increase Chances of Colon Cancer

Cosmic radiation from space travel may increase the risk of colon cancer.

09 April 2013, 10:11 AM ET

Space History Photo: Aerial View of NASA Ames Research Center

A view from the air shows the NASA AMES Research Center.

09 April 2013, 10:03 AM ET

Space Station May Test 'Spooky' Entanglement Over Largest Distance Yet

An entangled photon could be beamed to the International Space Station.

Artist's concept: Disappearance of the ancient magnetic field may have triggered the loss of the Martian atmosphere.

08 April 2013, 04:21 PM ET

Most of Mars' Atmosphere Is Lost in Space

The new results from NASA's Curiosity rover bolster longstanding suspicions about the Red Planet's air.

05 April 2013, 03:59 PM ET

Spot 100 Deep-Sky Objects This Weekend in 'Messier Marathon'

You can see all but a few of the 110 Messier objects in a single night this weekend.

The largest volcanic plume on Jupiter's moon Io comes from the Tvastar volcano.

05 April 2013, 06:30 AM ET

Volcanoes on Jupiter's Moon Io Are All Wrong, NASA Says

The hundreds of volcanoes on Io are farther east than they're supposed to be.

Simulation of magnetic fields at solar maximum.

04 April 2013, 02:00 PM ET

Sun's Magnetic 'Heartbeat' Revealed

Supercomputer simulations are helping solar scientists get a grip on what's happening inside the sun.

04 April 2013, 09:23 AM ET

NASA Sees Curiosity Rover's Parachute Flapping in Martian Wind (Video)

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the unexpected views of Curiosity's huge parachute from space.

03 April 2013, 05:36 PM ET

Potential Dark Matter Discovery a Win for Space Station Science

The potential dark matter find announced today wouldn't have been possible without the International Space Station.

Swarm of Dark Matter Around the Milky Way

03 April 2013, 04:57 PM ET

NASA Chief Weighs In On Possible Dark Matter Discovery

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has high praise for the first results from the space station's Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

03 April 2013, 07:01 AM ET

8 Baffling Astronomy Mysteries

Here are some of the most puzzling mysteries facing astronomers today.

Infographic: How the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer instrument may have found evidence of dark matter in the universe

02 April 2013, 01:08 PM ET

How the Antimatter-Hunting Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Works (Infographic)

Take an in-depth look at the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer will hunt dark matter, cosmic rays and antimatter galaxies.

01 April 2013, 09:47 AM ET

Night Sky: Visible Planets, Moon Phases & Events, April 2013

Stuff in the sky that you can easily see this month.