Best-Ever View of Distant Object Ultima Thule Reveals Weird Circles, Pits By Mike Wall The best-ever photos of Ultima Thule have made it down to Earth, and they heighten the intrigue about the frigid and faraway world.
NASA Picks Payloads to Be Toted by 1st Private Moon Landers By Mike Wall We know now what NASA science gear will fly on the first private moon landers, which could launch as early as this year.
Hubble Spots Gassy Objects Jetting Away from Newborn Star By Elizabeth Howell Young stars can hide, but Hubble's good at seeking them out. The famed space telescope spotted the "smoking gun" of a newborn star about 1,000 light-years away from Earth.
Solar 'Tadpoles' May Contribute to Superhot Upper Atmosphere of the Sun By Elizabeth Howell Are those really baby frogs swimming out from the sun? A NASA spacecraft spotted jets shaped like tadpoles in regions of intense solar magnetic activity.
Japanese Spacecraft Successfully Snags Sample of Asteroid Ryugu By Mike Wall The Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully nabbed bits of the 3,000-foot-wide (900 meters) asteroid Ryugu today (Feb. 21), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency officials announced.
Here's Your Chance to Name 5 Jupiter Moons! (No Moony McMoonfaces, Please) By Meghan Bartels Last summer, scientists announced the discovery of a dozen new moons orbiting Jupiter. But now comes the hard part: naming them.
What Really Killed the Dinosaurs? Asteroid and Volcanoes Might Share the Blame By Elizabeth Howell The asteroid or comet that smacked into Earth 66 million years ago might not be the only culprit behind the dinosaurs' demise.
Japan Is Landing on an Asteroid Today and You Can Watch It Live! By Meghan Bartels Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft is touching down on an asteroid called Ryugu to grab a sample — and you can watch the action live.
Bizarre Symmetrical Streaks Spied in Atmosphere of Venus By Elizabeth Howell Surprise! New pictures show two symmetrical streaks hiding in the sulfuric acid clouds close to the surface of Venus.
Want to Make Water on the Moon? The Solar Wind May Help. By Meghan Bartels As humans, we rely on water, and that will be no different during long-term space exploration — which is why scientists are investigating how and where water forms elsewhere in the solar system.
Surprise! Earth's Atmosphere Extends Far Beyond the Moon By Mike Wall Tiny wisps of Earth air stretch way out into deep space, far beyond the moon's orbit, a new study suggests.
We're 'Well On Our Way' to Discovering Alien Life, NASA Chief Says By Mike Wall We may not have to wait much longer to get our first glimpse of E.T., NASA chief Jim Bridenstine said.
A Brilliant Daytime Meteor Exploded Over Cuba This Month. Here's Where It Came From By Mike Wall Astronomers just got the goods on the meteor that flared up over Cuba earlier this month.
Meet Hippocamp! Neptune's Smallest Moon Has a Name (and a Violent Past) By Mike Wall A faint and frigid little moon doesn't have to go by "Neptune XIV" anymore.
'River of Stars' Streaming Through the Milky Way Was Hiding in Plain Sight for 1 Billion Years By Rafi Letzter This cluster of stars has been visible for a long time, but scientists only just now realized they're part of the same cosmic river.
The MAVEN Spacecraft Will Fly Closer to Mars to Help NASA's Next Rover By Doris Elin Salazar The 4-year old MAVEN mission will start making elliptical orbits closer to Mars' surface and prepare for its role as a future data-relay system for NASA's upcoming Mars 2020 rover.
Final Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Bill Secures $21.5 Billion for NASA By Jeff Foust An appropriation bill signed into law Feb. 15 gives NASA $21.5 billion for fiscal year 2019, $1.6 billion above the administration's original request.
