A billion years from now, as the sun heats up, the warmer atmosphere will break down carbon dioxide, killing off plant life, which in turn will shut off Earth's source of oxygen.
On March 3, 2021, the red planet Mars and Pleiades star cluster in Taurus will appear close together on the sky's dome. The two won't get this close again until 2038! See photos of the big event.
Scientists examined rock cores taken from the Chicxulub crater in Mexico, site of the asteroid impact that triggered dinosaur extinction, and found iridium, a telltale sign of asteroids.
A mammoth tooth uncovered from the Siberian permafrost yields the oldest DNA yet discovered and provides insight into the evolution of the giant beasts.
A new study suggests that our Milky Way galaxy is filled with planets like Earth, containing continents and oceans. If so, life might be common in the Milky Way.
Yves Adams took this photo of a rare yellow penguin on South Georgia Island in December 2019. It went viral this month. "It seems we are in desperate need for some mellow yellow news!" Adams said.
New research suggests that the famous black hole Cygnus X-1 - first black hole ever detected and one of the closest to Earth - is farther away and much more massive than previously believed.
Kelly Kizer Whitt writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She's been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children's picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.