Solar System

Asteroids Give Earth VERY Close Shave

Posted 05.29.2012

By: SPACE.com Staff Published: 05/29/2012 01:02 PM EDT on SPACE.com Two small asteroids zipped close by Earth in back-to-back flybys of the plan...

Planet's Strange Landscape Gets Surprising New Explanation

Posted 05.28.2012

By: Mike Wall Published: 05/26/2012 06:24 AM EDT on SPACE.com One of the Red Planet's most mysterious landforms is probably 2 billion years olde...

WOW: Mars Rover Sees Own Shadow In Dramatic Photo

Posted 05.24.2012

By: SPACE.com Staff Published: 05/24/2012 07:04 AM EDT on SPACE.com The late-afternoon sun lights up a huge Martian crater in a spectacular new ...

Unseen Object Lurks At Solar System's Edge, Scientist Conjectures

Posted 05.25.2012

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...

Skygazers Gear Up For Next Big Celestial Event

Posted 05.21.2012

By: Mike Wall Published: 05/21/2012 11:36 AM EDT on SPACE.com Sunday's "ring of fire" solar eclipse may be history, but skywatchers ha...

14 Fascinating Facts About Solar Eclipses

Posted 05.18.2012

How savvy are you about solar eclipses? You already know that eclipses like the one that will be visible in the U.S. on Sunday occur when the moon...

Solar Flares Nothing Much Compared To Other Stars' Outbursts

Posted 05.17.2012

By: Charles Q. Choi Published: 05/16/2012 01:22 PM EDT on SPACE.com Stars like our sun can release "superflares," explosions of up to ...

NEXT MONTH: Rare Celestial Event May Kickstart Search For Alien Planets

Posted 05.16.2012

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...

WATCH: Zoom Over Amazing Asteroid During Surreal Sunrise

Posted 05.15.2012

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...

Rare Celestial Event Has Skywatchers Heading North

Posted 05.15.2012

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...

Tiny Cosmic Blip Sparks Big Discovery By Astronomy 'Detectives'

Posted 05.11.2012

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...

Mars Rover Moving Again After Five-Month Winter

AP | Posted 05.09.2012

PASADENA, Calif. -- The Mars rover Opportunity is on the go again. After spending nearly five months conducting experiments in one spot, the NASA rov...

Space Agency Announces Major Mission To Planet's Icy Moons

Posted 05.04.2012

By: SPACE.com Staff Published: 05/03/2012 12:57 PM EDT on SPACE.com The European Space Agency will launch a deep-space mission to explore the icy ...

Life Could Lurk Beneath Planet's Rugged Rocks, Scientists Say

Posted 05.04.2012

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...

Think of Your Neighbor on Earth First Before You Reach Neptune

Asif Iqbal | Posted 05.02.2012

Asif Iqbal

Studying our solar system can take a human being into an awesome realization that science today completely dominates new horizons of development.

THIS WEEK: See Venus At Its Most Brilliant

Posted 04.27.2012

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...

Sun-Like Star May Break Astronomical Record

Posted 04.27.2012

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...

TONIGHT: Venus Meets Up With Crescent Moon

Posted 04.24.2012

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...

Earth Woefully Unprepared For Massive Solar Storms, Scientists Warn

Posted 04.19.2012

By: Mike Wall Published: 04/18/2012 01:07 PM EDT on SPACE.com Humanity needs to be much better prepared for massive solar storms, which can wrea...

LOOK: Massive Stars Look Marvelous In Space Telescope Mosaic

Posted 04.17.2012

By: SPACE.com Staff Published: 04/17/2012 10:03 AM EDT on SPACE.com A stunning new photo from the Hubble Space Telescope has captured an unprece...

Thinking in Three Dimensions

Zoe P. Strassfield | Posted 04.16.2012

Zoe P. Strassfield

It turned out that the time Dr. Nicholas Patrick had actually spent flying in space had accounted for only .6 percent of his total time as an astronaut! However, the way he spent 1/3rd of his time was something he found just as satisfying -- engineering.

WATCH: Mind-Blowing App Puts Solar System In Palm Of Your Hand

The Huffington Post | Posted 04.16.2012

Imagine a solar system that fits into the palm of your hand. About 10 months ago, video game designer Christopher Albeluhn did, and now he's taken tha...

TONIGHT: Prime Time For Viewing Venus In Evening Sky

Posted 04.14.2012

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...

LOOK: First Photo Of Auroras On Uranus

| Sid Perkins | Posted 04.14.2012

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

THIS WEEKEND: Best Time To See Saturn

Posted 04.13.2012

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...