Watch April 16 telecon on MESSENGER’s crash into Mercury

After more than 10 years in space, the spacecraft will collide with Mercury, ending its mission, around late April. NASA telecon scheduled for April 16 at 1 p.m. EDT (17:00 UTC).

Falcon 9 hit target, but tipped over

"Looks like Falcon landed fine, but excess lateral velocity caused it to tip over post landing." - SpaceX founder Elon Musk

Liftoff!

SpaceX Dragon capsule now on its way to International Space Station after Tuesday's successful liftoff via Falcon 9 rocket. Rendezvous set for Friday morning.

Explaining the great 2011 Saturn storm

A storm on Saturn began in late 2010. Six months later, it wrapped entirely around the planet. Later, it subsided. Two planetary scientists explain.

Saturn storm of 2011: Best images

The head of a storm on Saturn is as big as Earth!

Color map suggests a once-active Ceres

Plus ... what infrared data show about the Ceres bright spots.

Brontosaurus is back!

If you had to name a dinosaur, you might say Brontosaurus. But, since 1903, experts have said that Brontosaurus isn't a separate species. Now Bronto is back!

Mars has belts of glaciers

A thick layer of dust covers the Martian ice. Under the dust, there are glaciers made of frozen water.

Favorite photos of Venus and the Pleiades!

In the coming nights, look west after sunset as brilliant Venus moves past the lovely Pleiades star cluster. Waiting for nightfall? Enjoy these photos!

See a cloud passing our Milky Way’s central black hole

Join astronomers in examining the fate of G2, which has survived its encounter with the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way.