Venus is one of the weirdest planets in the solar system. We explore the scorching planet in more detail with 20 interesting facts about Venus.
Space News & Blog Articles
Good Mars weather lets NASA's power-starved InSight lander live a little longer
Scientists expected that the lander would run out of power by the end of the summer, but InSight is still eking out science data and may for several months to come — potentially even into January.
NASA's Juno probe will peer beneath the icy crust of Jupiter's moon Europa
NASA's Juno probe will come closer to Europa than any spacecraft has in 20 years. Here's what Juno will investigate at the icy moon.
Autumnal equinox brings fall to the northern hemisphere today (Sept. 22)
Autumn arrives on Thursday (Sept. 22) with the Autumnal equinox, but only in the northern hemisphere.
Why did NASA pick Didymos for its asteroid-crash mission?
DART's asteroid target is actually a space rock pair, which makes it ideal for planetary defense practice — but that's not all that attracted NASA and its partners.
Quantum encryption to boost European autonomy
Cyberattacks and geopolitics threaten today’s increasingly digital world, leading to the disruption of essential supplies such as power and water. ESA, the European Commission and space companies in Europe are teaming up to work towards a highly secure, satellite-enabled connectivity system for the EU – based on the unbreakable laws of physics.
Save 23% on a Gysker telescope: ideal for beginners and kids
You can save $30 on a telescope that's best suited for kids and beginners and the saving means it's now under $100.
Habitable Planets Will Most Likely be Cold, Dry “Pale Yellow Dots”
Remember all the habitable planets we’ve seen in science fiction movies? There’s wintry Hoth, for example, and overwhelmingly hot Dune. The folks in Interstellar visited an ocean world and a desolate rocky world. For all their differences, these places were still what they call on Star Trek M-class habitable worlds. Sure they weren’t all like Earth, but that made them excitingly alien for the lifeforms they did support. In the real universe, it seems that alien worlds not quite like ours could be the norm. Earth could be the real alien world.
NASA's Artemis 1 moon rocket passes crucial fueling test
NASA's Artemis 1 moon rocket passed a critical fueling test Wednesday (Sept. 21), potentially keeping it on track for a planned Sept. 27 liftoff.
NASA completes cryogenic tanking test on Artemis 1 moon rocket
Vapors stream away from NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket during a cryogenic tanking test Wednesday. Credit: NASA
Engineers filled up the Artemis 1 moon rocket with more than 750,000 gallons of super-cold propellants in a tanking test Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center after troubleshooting a persistent hydrogen leak. NASA’s launch director said she was “extremely encouraged” by the test, but officials have not yet committed to another attempt to launch the uncrewed test flight to the moon at the next opportunity Sept. 27.
NASA astronaut launches to space station aboard Russian rocket
A Soyuz rocket lifts off Sept. 21 with a crew of three heading for the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Despite severely strained U.S.-Russian foreign relations, an American astronaut joined two Russian cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz spacecraft in Kazakhstan and rocketed into orbit Wednesday on a two-orbit flight to the International Space Station.
Webb Turns its Infrared Gaze on Mars
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the most complex and sophisticated observatory ever deployed. Using its advanced suite of infrared instruments, coronographs, and spectrometers – contributed by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) – this observatory will spend the next ten to twenty years building on the achievements of its predecessor, the venerable Hubble. This includes exoplanet characterization, star and planet formation, and the formation and evolution of the earliest galaxies in the Universe.
Neptune and Its Rings Glow in Webb Telescope’s Portrait
The first picture of Neptune to be taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals the latest, greatest details of the ice giant’s atmosphere, moons and rings in infrared wavelengths.
Canada eyes new astronaut flights with Axiom Space
The Canadian Space Agency is expanding its spaceflight options through an agreement with Axiom Space, which has already organized a crewed mission with SpaceX.
Marvel's 'Fantastic Four' visits an alien universe in new Alex Ross graphic novel (exclusive)
Abrams ComicArts releases a deluxe "Fantastic Four" graphic novel from acclaimed artist Alex Ross.
Soyuz astronaut launch spotted from International Space Station (photos)
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station saw a Russian Soyuz rocket launch their newest set of crewmates into orbit today (Sept. 21).
NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts ready for historic mission
SpaceX's next astronaut launch for NASA will bring a Russian and the first Native American woman in space to the International Space Station no earlier than Oct. 3.
China launches Yunhai-1 03 Earth-observing satellite into orbit
China launched the Yunhai-1 03 Earth-observing satellite from the Gobi Desert on Tuesday (Sept. 20). The spacecraft's predecessor was hit by a piece of space junk.
An asteroid and volcano 'double punch' doomed the dinosaurs, study suggests
Massive volcanic eruptions may have played an important role in mass extinctions throughout history, including the one that killed the dinosaurs.
SpaceX Starship orbital flight 'highly likely' in November, Elon Musk says
SpaceX is gearing up for the first-ever orbital test flight of Starship, the giant vehicle it's building to take cargo and people to the moon and Mars. And that landmark try may be just around the corner.
Best eyepieces for telescopes: maximize your telescope's viewing potential
Enhance your telescope's optical potential with one of the best eyepieces available.