Discovery and Location

The Kuiper Belt, sometimes referred to as the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt, is a circumsolar disk in the outer Solar System, extending from the orbit of Neptune at approximately 30 astronomical units (AU) out to about 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt but is much larger—20 times wider and 20 to 200 times more massive. Like the asteroid belt, it primarily consists of small bodies, but unlike the asteroid belt's rocky and metallic composition, Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) are primarily composed of frozen volatiles, often referred to as "ices," such as methane, ammonia, and water.

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is unusually rich in alcohol — a chemical clue that could reveal how planets and icy bodies form around other stars.

An artist’s impression of an Apollo-era lunar module (left) and moon landers being built by Blue Origin (center) and SpaceX (right). Graphic: NASA Office of Inspector General

NASA is working to reduce the risks of upcoming Artemis moon missions, but there are “gaps” in the agency’s approach, including in planned tests of some critical lander systems, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said in a report released Tuesday.

Never-before-seen temperature and ion density measurements reveal that the effect of Jupiter's moons on its aurora are more complicated than scientists thought.

Dozens on amateur astronomers helped measure the minuscule difference in Didymos’s trajectory around the Sun, after NASA’s DART mission impacted its moon.

'I just wanted to make a film that was completely non-stop from start to end.'

A spot of early morning astronomy anyone?

A newly discovered comet is rapidly brightening and could become visible from Earth — if it survives an extreme close encounter with the sun on April 4.

NASA has wasted no time in selecting the vehicle that will replace the upper stage on its new plans for a standardized Space Launch System rocket.

The Hubble and Euclid space telescopes caught a stunning portrait of a dying star at the heart of the Cat's Eye Nebula.

Here are five ways to capture the night sky.

The Colorado company Lux Aeterna wants to help open up the space economy with a fleet of fully reusable satellites, and it just raised to some money to help make that happen.

SpaceX is gearing up for the 12th test launch of its Starship rocket, which could liftoff in about 4 weeks, according to Elon Musk. It will be the first mission of the bigger, more powerful Starship "V3."

The mission without a doubt proves that we could deflect a hazardous asteroid away from Earth — so long as we discover it in the nick of time.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the 15,000-pound EchoStar XXV TV satellite to orbit from Florida's Space Coast just after midnight on Tuesday (March 10).

NASA's Van Allen Probe A will crash to Earth on Tuesday (March 10) after nearly 14 years in orbit, according to the Space Force's current best estimate. But don't panic; you'll probably be fine.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to begin the EchoStar-25 mission on March 9, 2026. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now

Update March 10, 1:21 a.m. EDT (0531 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of the EchoStar-25 satellite.

The change is subtle and happens over many nights.

'Don't get too hung up on the jewelry, junior, you're just a f***ing substitute teacher.'