NASA's next Mars rover will get one of these 9 names By Mike Wall NASA has chosen nine finalists in the student naming contest for its next Mars rover, which currently goes by the bland Mars 2020.
Early 'soda lakes' may have provided missing ingredient key to the origin of life By Laura Geggel How did early life get its start, given that this essential mineral was scarce?
The quantum world may have a favorite flavor, tantalizing results suggest By Paul Sutter The world of the teensy-tiny, the quantum realm, could have a favorite flavor. Here's why that's a big deal.
Earth's oldest known impact crater may tell us a lot about our planet's frozen past By Mike Wall Scientists have identified the oldest known impact crater on Earth — and the ancient structure could tell us how our planet emerged from a long-ago frozen phase.
Pictures from Space! Our Image of the Day By Space.com Staff Colorful stars sparkle across a sea of cosmic dust and gas in this new view of Gum 26, a star-forming region in the Milky Way galaxy.
After an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, volcanic eruption may have helped life flourish on Earth By Chelsea Gohd
Strange 'martian' mineral mounds rise up from Utah's Great Salt Lake By Tom Metcalfe Rare mounds of a crystalline mineral have emerged above the surface of Utah's Great Salt Lake, where they're expected to remain just a few months before disappearing again.
'Orange dwarfs' may be the best stars to study in search for life By Elizabeth Howell Move over, red dwarfs. Emerging research shows that another star type could be more friendly to life.
The Spitzer Space Telescope will shut down Jan. 30. NASA celebrates its legacy this week. By Meghan Bartels A 16-year NASA mission that painted the universe in infrared light will come to an end this month, as the Spitzer Space Telescope takes its final observations on Jan. 29.
The top space stories of the week! By Doris Elin Urrutia These are the top space stories this week from Space.com.
High school student discovers alien planet with twin suns just days into a NASA internship By Doris Elin Urrutia A high school junior found a distant planet that orbits two stars, one of just a dozen such worlds known to scientists.
How the tiny exoplanet-hunting ASTERIA satellite showed scientists what cubesats can do By Meghan Bartels A tiny satellite studying alien worlds may be gone for good, but during the two years the spacecraft operated, it laid the foundation for what may become a new way of finding exoplanets.
Violent solar storms are happening closer to Earth than anyone thought was possible By Yasemin Saplakoglu The spectacular solar storms that paint the polar skies in beautiful greens and pinks have a darker side
What will NASA's Mars 2020 rover be called? There's 155 names on the shortlist. By Mike Wall The competition to name NASA's next Mars rover has entered a new phase, with the space agency culling the field from 28,000 down to 155.
Milky Way's cannibalistic past illuminated by ancient star's life story By Elizabeth Howell A planet-hunting telescope recently made a new discovery about the Milky Way's past cannibalism.
Venus: The hot, hellish & volcanic planet By Charles Q. Choi Venus is the brightest planet in our solar system, has a hellish atmosphere, and is covered in volcanoes. Learn more about planet Venus here.
Huge Philippines volcano eruption blasts ash 9 miles up as satellites watch (video) By Samantha Mathewson The Taal volcano eruption in the Philippines this week sent ash plumes 9 miles (14 kilometers) into the air, new satellite imagery shows.
This super-sharp image could help explain the Milky Way's strange creamy center By Rafi Letzter What's going on in the middle of our galaxy?
2019 was the second hottest year on record, NASA says By Meghan Bartels It's the award no one wanted to win: 2019 was the second hottest year on record, government scientists confirmed yesterday (Jan. 15).
Controversy over giant telescope roils astronomy conference in Hawaii By Meghan Bartels Heated conversations at the American Astronomical Society's January meeting are usually about stars and galaxies, distant worlds and elaborate calculations.
