Trending

Science & Astronomy

Latest

Sand dunes ripple near Mars' north pole in this image captured by the European/Russian Trace Gas Orbiter. The photo was taken on May 25, 2019, and released on Sept. 16.

Sand Dunes Snake Near Mars' North Pole (Photo)

By Mike Wall

Rippling, dark-flecked sand dunes near Mars' north pole look like melting chocolate-chip ice cream in an image captured by the European-Russian Trace Gas Orbiter.

An artist's depiction of the Chandrayaan-2 lander, Vikram, preparing to alight on the lunar surface. The procedure occurred on Sept. 6, 2019, but apparently went wrong, with the Indian space agency losing contact with the lander late in the maneuver.

NASA Probe to Fly Over India's Moon-Landing Site Tuesday

By Mike Wall

We could learn more about the fate of India's first moon lander soon.

This illustration shows how the pulse from the massive neutron star J0740+6620 was delayed by a white dwarf star passing in between the neutron star and Earth.

Astronomers Detect the Most Massive Neutron Star Yet

By Charles Q. Choi

Astronomers have discovered the most massive example yet of the dead stars known as neutron stars, one almost too massive to exist, a new study finds.

Observations of what scientists believe to be the first interstellar comet ever identified.

First Glimpses of Interstellar Comet Suggest It's Not So Different

By Meghan Bartels

Astronomers are rushing to study what appears to be the first known interstellar comet — and in some of the very earliest observations, it looks oddly familiar.

The rings of Saturn take center stage in this portrait by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 taken on June 20, 2019.

Saturn's Rings May Be Ancient After All

By Mike Wall

The great Saturn ring debate is far from settled, a new study suggests.

This photo, taken by a Planet Dove satellite, shows a vast plume of smoke from oil processing facilities in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia after a drone strike claimed by Yemeni Houthi rebels.

Satellite Photo Shows Aftermath of Drone Attack on Saudi Oil Facilities

By Tariq Malik

A Planet Earth-watching satellite has spotted a vast smoke plume from Saudi Arabian oil-processing facilities after a drone attack on Saturday (Sept. 14).

An artist's depiction of the early solar system. In the inset, small particles stick together to form larger particles.

Tiny Space-Rock Particles Could Hold Secrets to Early Solar System

By Meghan Bartels

Small chunks of mineral studding the interiors of space rocks could help scientists pinpoint when the solar system began to form.

A 30-second exposure of the newly identified comet captured by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in early September 2019.

Interstellar Comet: Here's Why It's Got Scientists So Pumped Up

By Meghan Bartels

Karen Meech wouldn't credit Comet C/2019 Q4 with good timing. But when faced with a chance to study the first known interstellar comet, by golly you take it.

The discovery of water vapor in the alien planet K2-18 b is at the heart of two new studies on the exoplanet. Here's what happened behind the science scenes.

2 Studies, 1 Planet! Inside a Race to Discover a Water Vapor World

By Chelsea Gohd

Water vapor, and likely clouds that rain liquid water, have been discovered on an exoplanet that lies in the habitable zone of its star. But there's an issue.

A close-up of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, captured by astrophotographer Miguel Claro from the Cumeada Observatory, the headquarters of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve in Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal.

Rho Ophiuchi's Colorful Cosmic Clouds Glisten in Starry Deep-Space Photo

By Miguel Claro

One of the most colorful wonders of the summer sky in the Northern Hemisphere, especially for deep-sky photographers, is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex.

Top Space Stories of the Week!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

These are the top space stories this week from Space.com.

The Harvest Moon of 2017 rises over NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in this photo by NASA photographer Debbie McCallum.

Harvest Moon 2019: When and How to See September's 'Micro' Moon

By Joe Rao

The full moon of September 2019 also carries the title of the Harvest Moon for those living in the Northern Hemisphere.

The first color image of the comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), which astronomers believe to be the first known interstellar comet ever identified, was captured by the Gemini North telescope at Hawaii's Mauna Kea. Gemini North acquired four 60-second exposures in two color bands (red and green). The blue and red lines are background stars moving in the background.

1st Color Photo of Interstellar Comet Reveals Its Fuzzy Tail

By Elizabeth Howell

Astronomers took the first multicolor images of a potentially interstellar comet, and it looks spectacular.

The HiRISE camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of an avalanche near the Red Planet's north pole on May 29, 2019.

Avalanche on Mars Kicks Up Dirt Near Red Planet's North Pole in Amazing Photo

By Mike Wall

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted a plume of red dirt billowing into the sky near the planet's north pole in May.

A visualization of some of the near-Earth asteroids tracked by NASA.

2 Asteroids Will Harmlessly Fly By Earth This Weekend, But NASA Will Wave Hello Anyway!

By Meghan Bartels

It's always nice to see old friends, and NASA's asteroid-monitoring team has a busy schedule this weekend (Sept. 13 and 14) doing just that.

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the Milky Way's closest galactic neighbors, gets a new close-up in this image from the European Southern Observatory's VISTA telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. VISTA, which stands for the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy, has been studying this dwarf galaxy and its smaller galactic sibling, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), for the past decade to image the two galaxies in unprecedented detail. The LMC is located about 163,000 light-years away from Earth, while the SMC is slightly farther away at a distance of 200,000 light-years. Both are satellite galaxies of the Milky Way.

Pictures from Space! Our Image of the Day

By SPACE.com Staff

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the Milky Way's closest galactic neighbors, gets a new close-up in this image from the European Southern Observatory's VISTA telescope.

Aaaaaaand it's gone.

This Ridiculously Speedy Star Might Be Running Away from a Rare, Unproven Type of Black Hole

By Brandon Specktor

I'd be running, too.

Astronomers detect powerful X-ray bursts emanating from the center of a galaxy called GSN 069 approximately every 9 hours, revealing the unprecedented diet of a supermassive black hole.

This Hungry, Hungry Supermassive Black Hole Has a Monster Appetite

By Samantha Mathewson

A supermassive black hole located millions of light-years away maintains a very hearty diet.

The International Space Station crosses the sky above the Old City of Jerusalem.

International Space Station Streaks Across Jerusalem's Night Sky (Photo)

By Miguel Claro

A photo shows the International Space Station crossing the sky above the Old City of Jerusalem.

This is the deepest image ever of the site of the neutron star collision. The white box highlights the region where the kilonova and afterglow were once visible.

Afterglow of Colliding Neutron Stars Would Outshine Our Sun

By Rafi Letzter

A new, hours-long Hubble study of the collision site revealed never-before-seen details of the neutron-star merger