Latest articles by Hanneke Weitering
On this day in space! Aug. 17, 1877: Asaph Hall Discovers the Martian moon Phobos
On this day in space, Aug. 17, 1877: American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered Mars's moon Phobos.
On this day in space! Aug. 16, 1963: Wingless M2-F1 completes 1st glide flight
On this day in space Aug. 16, 1963: NASA's M2-F1 aircraft prototype makes its first glide flight.
On this day in space! Aug. 15, 1977: Mysterious 'Wow!' Signal boosts search for E.T.
On Aug. 15, 1977, astronomers using Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope detected the famous "Wow!" signal, which remains unexplained to this day.
On this day in space! Aug. 14, 1992: Meteorite shower hits Uganda
On Aug. 14, 1992, a space rock entered the atmosphere over Mbale, Uganda and exploded into hundreds of pieces!
On this day in space! Aug. 13, 2014: Game-changing WorldView-3 Earth-observing satellite launches to orbit
The WorldView-3 Earth-observing satellite.
On this day in space! Aug. 12, 2005: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched
On Aug. 12, 2005, NASA launched its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission.
On this day in space! Aug. 11, 1960: 1st object successfully recovered from orbit
President Eisenhower inspects the Discoverer 13 capsule after its return to Earth.
On this day in space! Aug. 10, 1972: A 'Great Daylight Fireball' lights up the sky over North America
On Aug. 10, 1972, an Earth-grazing fireball burst through the sky over North America. Here's what happened.
On this day in space! Aug. 9, 1976: Soviet Luna 24 sample return probe launches to the moon
On Aug. 9, 1976, the Soviet space program launched its last moon mission. Luna 24 was a robotic sample return mission and the third of its kind.
On this day in space! Aug. 8, 1977: Soviet Union's Salyut 5 reconnaissance space station burns up in Earth's atmosphere
Salyut 5 was a Soviet space station and part of the highly-secretive Almaz military space station program.
On this day in space! Aug. 5, 2011: NASA's Juno spacecraft launches to Jupiter
On Aug. 5, 2011, NASA launched the Juno spacecraft on a mission to study Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! Aug. 4, 2007: NASA launches Phoenix Mars lander to Red Planet
On Aug. 4, 2007, NASA launched its Phoenix Mars Lander on a mission to touch down in the Martian arctic for the first time. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! Aug. 3, 2004: NASA launches MESSENGER spacecraft to orbit Mercury
NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft aimed to orbit Mercury for the first time to hunt for clues of water on the tiny, innermost planet.
On this day in space! Aug. 2, 1971: Apollo 15 makes 1st-ever televised liftoff from the moon
On Aug. 2, 1971, a lunar liftoff was televised for the first time on NASA's Apollo 15 mission, one giant leap for live TV from the moon.
Solar eclipse glasses: Stay safe this August 12 with our eclipse eye-protection guide
You can always grab a pair ahead of the next solar eclipse!
On this day in space! July 31, 1971: Apollo 15 astronauts drive on the moon for 1st time
On July 31, 1971, Apollo 15 astronauts drove on the moon for the first time. Here's how it happened and why it mattered.
On this day in space! July 30, 1610: Galileo sees Saturn's rings for the 1st time
On July 30, 1610, the famous astronomer Galileo Galilei became the first to observe rings around the planet Saturn. Here's why it matters centuries later.
On this day in space! July 29, 1982: Soviet Salyut 6 space station falls to Earth
On July 29, 1982, the Salyut 6 space station fell out of space and safely burned up in Earth's atmosphere along the way. Here's why it mattered.
On this day in space! July 28, 1851: The 1st photo of a total solar eclipse was taken by a Prussian daguerreotypist
On July 28, 1851, the first-ever photo of a total solar eclipse was recorded by a Prussian daguerreotypist named Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski. It changed solar astronomy.
On this day in space! July 27, 1962: The 1st zero-g cosmonaut training flight took off on a Soviet jetliner
On July 27, 1962, two Russian cosmonauts boarded a Soviet airliner and experienced weightlessness without going to space. Here's why it mattered.
Quadrantid meteor shower: When, where & how to see it in 2026
Reference The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on Jan.3-4 and is active between Dec. 28 and Jan. 12. Our guide tells you how and where you can see the Quadrantid display.
Spooky space: 12 haunting images of our cosmos
Here are some of the most spine-chilling space photos to scare your pants off this Halloween.
