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New Horizons

Learn more about NASA's New Horizons mission, which performed history's first flyby of the Pluto system on July 14, 2015.

Related Topics: Interstellar Travel, NASA, Alien Planets

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This is the last photo that the Israeli moon lander named "Beresheet" took before it crashed into the surface of the moon in a failed landing attempt last week. At the time, the spacecraft was about 9 miles (15 kilometers) above the lunar surface, just a few moments before mission control lost contact with the spacecraft.

Image of the Day

By Hanneke Weitering

This is the last photo that the Israeli moon lander named "Beresheet" took before it crashed into the surface of the moon in a failed landing attempt last week.

Mars will spend April in the western evening sky, moving eastward among the stars of Taurus. It will remain a target for early evening observing while the planet slowly descends towards the western twilight. Meanwhile, Earth's orbital motion will continue to increase our distance from the Red Planet, causing Mars to dim from visual magnitude 1.45 to 1.63. Mars' apparent disk diameter will decrease slightly in size at the same time. The planet will spend the first days of April sitting several degrees to the left (south) of the bright open star cluster known as the Pleiades (or Messier 45). On April 9, the waxing crescent moon will land 7 degrees below (southwest of) Mars. On the following evening, the moon's orbital motion will take it 9 degrees to Mars' upper left.

The Brightest Planets in April's Night Sky: How to See them (and When)

By Joe Rao

Here's how to see three naked-eye planets visible in April's night sky.

Zooming in to Ultima Thule while riding along with NASA's New Horizons probe.

Queen Guitarist Brian May Scores Ultima Thule Flyby Time-Lapse Video

By Sarah Lewin

An ethereal track by Queen lead guitarist Brian May accompanies the awe-inspiring time-lapse view from NASA's New Horizons flyby of a distant solar system object.

A new map produced by the New Horizons team appears to show the many different lumps of rock that converged to form the object nicknamed Ultima Thule.

NASA's New Horizons Reveals Geologic 'Frankenstein' That Formed Ultima Thule

By Meghan Bartels

To make this image appear in 3D, stare "through" the computer screen and then focus on the ghostly image that should pop up between the two halves of this picture.

Ultima Thule Pops in 3D in This Incredible New Horizons View

By Meghan Bartels

The New Horizons spacecraft is speeding away from its recent flyby target, a distant icy space rock nicknamed Ultima Thule, but the view from Earth is only getting better.

Craters on the Pluto moon Charon's Vulcan Planitia, as seen by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015.

In Pluto's Realm, Small Objects Are Rare

By Mike Wall

Researchers have noted a distinct dearth of small craters on Pluto and its largest moon, Charon.

A giant planet similar to Uranus or Neptune may orbit the sun in the solar system's outer reaches. Planet Nine is shown here in an artist's impression that includes hypothetical lightning on the planet's surface. The bright star to the right is the sun.

Newfound 'FarFarOut' Is Most Distant Solar System Body Ever Seen

By Mike Wall

Best-ever image of Ultima Thule made it back to Earth.

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.

Crescent View of Ultima Thule

Ultima Thule Beyond Pluto Is Flat Like a Pancake (and Not a Space Snowman After All)

By Mike Wall

The final photos that NASA's New Horizons spacecraft snapped of Ultima Thule during the probe's epic Jan. 1 flyby reveal the distant object to be much flatter than scientists had thought.

Asteroid 2019 AQ3 diagram

Found! Fastest-Orbiting Asteroid Zips Around Sun in Just 165 Days

By Mike Wall

Astronomers just found an asteroid that zips around the sun every 165 Earth days — the shortest year for any known asteroid.

Uranus and Netpune

Hubble Telescope Watches the Weather on Uranus and Neptune

By Meghan Bartels

If you don't like your local weather, perhaps you would prefer the atmosphere on Uranus or Neptune — and the Hubble Space Telescope has an update on each planet's current conditions.

Mars Hubble Photo

Mars: What We Know About the Red Planet

By Charles Q. Choi

Learn about planet Mars’ atmosphere, water supply and the possibility to support life, plus, findings from the Mars exploration rover mission.

'Oumuamua

Interstellar Object 'Oumuamua Could Be a 'Monstrous' Corpse of Comet Dust

By Meghan Bartels

'Oumuamua is long gone, but it's still leaving scientists guessing. A new explanation proposes that the strange object was a "monstrous fluffy dust aggregate" produced by a busted-up comet.

Moon Occults Venus

Disappearing Act: Venus Hides Behind the Moon Before Dawn on Thursday

By Doris Elin Salazar

When the moon's in the sky, and Venus goes "goodbye," that's an occultation.

voyager 2

What Spacecraft Will Enter Interstellar Space Next?

By Nola Taylor Redd

Pioneers 10 and 11, Voyagers 1 and 2, and New Horizons are the only spacecraft currently capable of leaving the solar system. Which one will be the next to go?

Parker Solar Probe

Once Around the Sun! NASA's Parker Solar Probe Aces 1st Trip Around Our Star

By Sarah Lewin

NASA's Parker Solar Probe has completed its first loop around the sun and entered the second of 24 planned orbits.

Ultima Thule

2014 MU69: New Horizons' 'Snowman' in the Kuiper Belt

By Nola Taylor Redd

New Horizons' historic flyby of the KBO 2014 MU69, or Ultima Thule, is revealing incredible insights about the birth of the solar system.

New Kuiper belt object

Newfound Distant Space Rock May Be Missing Link of Planet Formation

By Mike Wall

The far outer solar system is teeming with mountain-size space rocks left over from the long-ago planet-formation period, a new study suggests.

Soyuz MS-11

Space Image of the Day Gallery (December 2018)

By SPACE.com Staff

See amazing images of the night sky and cosmos in Space.com's gallery of cosmic images posted in December 2018.

Soyuz View of the International Space Station

Space Image of the Day Gallery (November 2018)

By SPACE.com Staff

See amazing images of the night sky and cosmos in Space.com's gallery of cosmic images posted in November 2018.