Planets

News like this -- that the galaxy is bristling with potential broadcast platforms -- will only embolden these go-go pioneers. Hand them 160 billion planets and what will they say? What they've been saying all along: They just have to be out there -- meaning them.

By: Clara Moskowitz Published: 05/29/2012 02:03 PM EDT on SPACE.com Scientists are gearing up for the upcoming transit of Venus, an extremely ra...

By: Natalie Wolchover Published: 05/22/2012 12:54 PM EDT on Lifes Little Mysteries A planet four times the size of Earth may be skirting the edges...

By: Joe Rao Published: 05/21/2012 05:29 PM EDT on SPACE.com We all know how, after a great theatrical show has concluded the actors come out fo...

By: Mike Wall Published: 05/16/2012 01:04 PM EDT on SPACE.com Observations of next month's historic Venus transit may eventually help astronomer...

Even though NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has been orbiting the asteroid Vesta since mid-2011, the rocky world still yields surprises--from its complex geo...

By: Mike Wall Published: 05/15/2012 07:42 AM EDT on SPACE.com A NASA sun-watching spacecraft will have an unbeatable view of June's historic Ven...

By: Clara Moskowitz Published: 05/10/2012 02:09 PM EDT on SPACE.com Detective astronomers have discovered at least one unseen alien planet, and po...

By: SPACE.com Staff Published: 05/09/2012 06:45 PM EDT on SPACE.com A new look at an ancient volcanic blast on Mars suggests that the Red Planet...

By: SPACE.com Staff Published: 05/07/2012 06:26 AM EDT on SPACE.com Astronomers have caught four dying stars in the act of chowing down on rocky...

By: Nola Taylor Redd Published: 05/03/2012 02:06 PM EDT on SPACE.com Beneath their rugged exterior, some Martian rocks could be hiding life, sci...

By: Geoff Gaherty Published: 04/27/2012 01:59 PM EDT on SPACE.com Step outside any night this week about an hour after sunset and have a look at...

By: Denise Chow Published: 04/26/2012 05:29 PM EDT on SPACE.com A star already known to host five alien planets may actually be home to a whopping...

By: Joe Rao Published: 04/23/2012 05:59 PM EDT on SPACE.com On Tuesday evening (April 24), skywatchers will be treated to yet another eye-catchi...

By: Joe Rao Published: 04/20/2012 06:22 PM EDT on SPACE.com Jupiter will end its brilliant year-long show on Sunday evening (April 22) by making...

By: Joe Rao Published: 04/13/2012 08:36 PM EDT on SPACE.com The planet Venus is now at its peak of visibility in the evening sky this weekend, mak...

WASHINGTON – For the first time, scientists have captured images of auroras above the giant ice planet Uranus, finding further evidence of just how ...

By: Geoff Gaherty Published: 04/11/2012 05:04 PM EDT on SPACE.com When amateur astronomers reflect on the most memorable sights of their lifetim...

It looks as if scientists have finally caught a glimpse of life on Mars—well, at least something that looks like life. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Or...

By: Geoff Gaherty Published: 04/04/2012 04:06 PM EDT on SPACE.com This month the evening skies are ablaze with planets: Venus, Mars, and Saturn ...

By: Denise Chow Published: 03/23/2012 03:55 PM EDT on SPACE.com Planets in tight orbits around stars that get ejected from our galaxy may actual...

By: Mike Wall Published: 03/12/2012 09:39 AM EDT on SPACE.com Venus and Jupiter have been dancing toward each other in the night sky for months,...

By: Mike Wall Published: 03/02/2012 09:52 AM EST on SPACE.com UPDATE: See our latest skywatching tips to see Mars at opposition here: Mars Visi...

By: Tariq Malik Published: 02/25/2012 12:28 PM EST on SPACE.com A cosmic team-up of planets and the thin crescent moon is dazzling skywatchers ...