Mercury is the closest planet to our Sun, ranging from 46 million km (28.58 million mi) at perihelion to 69.82 million km (43.38 million mi) at aphelion. Because of its proximity, Mercury is strongly influenced by the steam of plasma constantly flowing from the Sun to the edge of the Solar System (aka. solar wind). Beginning with the Mariner 10 mission in 1974, robotic explorers have been sent to Mercury to measure how solar wind interacts with Mercury’s magnetic field to produce whistler-mode chorus waves – natural radio emissions that play a key role in electron acceleration in planetary magnetospheres.
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Live coverage: SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch 23 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket sends up 22 Starlink satellites on the Starlink Group 6-23 mission. Image: Adam Bernstein
SpaceX is hoping to ace its second launch of the day with another Falcon 9 rocket, this time launching from the East Coast. The Starlink Group 6-24 mission is targeting liftoff at 10:17 p.m. EDT (0217 UTC).
In 1952, A Group of Three “Stars” Vanished. Astronomers Still Can’t Find Them
On July 19, 1952, Palomar Observatory was undertaking a photographic survey of the night sky. Part of the project was to take multiple images of the same region of sky, to help identify things such as asteroids. At around 8:52 that evening a photographic plate captured the light of three stars clustered together. At a magnitude of 15, they were reasonably bright in the image. At 9:45 pm the same region of sky was captured again, but this time the three stars were nowhere to be seen. In less than an hour they had completely vanished.
SpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites tonight on 2nd leg of spaceflight doubleheader
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch 23 Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Florida tonight (Oct. 21) on the company's second mission of the day.
NASA Ames, UC Berkeley to build $2 billion space center in Silicon Valley
The University of California, Berkeley, and NASA's Ames Research Center just unveiled plans for a new $2 billion space research center in Silicon Valley.
Scientists propose 'missing' law for the evolution of everything in the universe
The "law of increasing functional information" says that complex systems in nature evolve to become more complex.
It's 'International Observe the Moon Night' tonight. Here's how to participate
There are a wide variety of ways you can get involved on "International Observe the Moon Night" — no matter where you live.
Why is space so dark even though the universe is filled with stars?
Astronomers estimate that there are about 200 billion trillion stars in the observable universe. And many of those stars are as bright or even brighter than our sun. So, why isn’t space filled with dazzling light?
SpaceX fires up Starship prototype in deorbit burn test (video)
SpaceX fired one of the six Raptor engines on its Ship 26 Starship prototype on Friday (Oct. 20) in a deorbit burn test in South Texas.
A New Weather Feature was Hiding in JWST’s Picture of Jupiter
In July 2022, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) used its NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) to capture stunning infrared images of the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter. Within these striking images, scientists recently discovered a jet stream in the northern latitudes just over Jupiter’s equator and 20-35 kilometers (12-21 miles) above Jupiter’s cloud tops. This jet stream stretches approximately 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) with speeds of 515 kilometers per hour (320 miles per hour), more than double the speed of a Category 5 hurricane on Earth.
Live coverage: SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch 21 Starlink satellites from California
File photo of a SpaceX’s Falcon 9 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Credit: SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch 21 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:47 a.m. PDT (3:47 a.m. EDT, 0747 UTC). It is the first of two Starlink delivery missions planned for Saturday.
SpaceX set to launch 21 Starlink satellites from California early Oct. 21
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch 21 Starlink internet satellites to orbit from California early Saturday morning (Oct. 21).
'The Right Stuff' at 40: Director Philip Kaufman on chasing demons in the sky to make a true American classic (exclusive)
Space.com has an exclusive interview with director Philip Kaufman for the 40th anniversary of "The Right Stuff," a legendary film chronicling the birth of NASA's crewed space program.
NASA's Lucy probe will fly by a 'dinky' asteroid on Nov. 1. Here's what to expect (video)
A new NASA video explains what will happen when the space agency's Lucy probe flies by the space rock Dinkinesh on Nov. 1, in a test ahead of its trek to the Trojan asteroids in Jupiter's orbit.
Dark energy may allow black holes to live in 'perfect pair' binaries
Binary black holes are believed to inevitably spiral together, but dark energy and the expanding universe could help them maintain a safe distance and mimic a single black hole.
Home of the world's most powerful telescopes joins the fight against light pollution
Improved lighting standards coming into force across the whole of Chile will protect astronomy observations, public health and wildlife.
Watch NASA's VIPER moon rover conquer a lunar 'obstacle course' (video)
NASA engineers created a simulated lunar environment, including large rocks, steep slopes and deep craters, to test the mobility of a new moon rover prototype called VIPER.
Radio Burst Breaks Distance Record, Challenges Theories
A highly energetic fast radio burst, which broke the distance record, provides a crucial test for theories of these events' origins.
Do Red Dwarfs or Sunlike Stars Have More Earth-Sized Worlds?
Earth is our only example of a habitable planet, so it makes sense to search for Earth-size worlds when we’re hunting for potentially-habitable exoplanets. When astronomers found seven of them orbiting a red dwarf star in the TRAPPIST-1 system, people wondered if Earth-size planets are more common around red dwarfs than Sun-like stars.
Astronomers have learned lots about the universe − but how do they study astronomical objects too distant to visit?
What astronomers can measure using telescopes is not what we really want to know – instead, we calculate the properties we're interested in studying by observing and interpreting apparent properties from afar.
Join Chewbacca in the forests of Kashyyyk in 'Star Wars: The Secrets of the Wookiees'
A sneak peek at Insight Editions' "Star Wars: The Secrets of the Wookiees," a new all-ages book from Insight Editions available on Nov. 28.
