Follow the action as asteroid scientists, space agencies and civil protection organizations participate in a drill - simulating an asteroid impact about to happen - during this week's virtual Planetary Defense Conference.

Dust shed from comets and asteroids constantly rains down on our planet. How much of this extraterrestrial material lands on Earth’s surface?

NASA's Parker Solar Probe, currently studying the sun, has observed the entire dust ring that encircles the sun along Venus' orbit. It is the first complete view of this dust band from any spacecraft.

Astronomers saw Proxima Centauri - the star nearest our sun - emit a flare, or burst of radiation, 100 times more powerful than flares from our sun. They said Proxima's flare ranks as one of the most violent seen on a solitary star anywhere in the galaxy.

The launch of Crew-2, the 2nd flight of this particular Crew Dragon, went off without a hitch Friday morning, after being postponed due to weather.

On April 17, 2021, the New Horizons spacecraft passed 50 astronomical units - 50 times Earth's distance from the sun - while speeding toward interstellar space. It also captured an image of another earthly spacecraft, even farther out.

The Mars helicopter - named Ingenuity - successfully flew in the thin air of Mars early in the day on Monday, April 19. Images here.

Northrop Grumman said last week that its Mission Extension Vehicle 2 - a robot spacecraft designed to help prolong the life of satellites in space - successfully docked to a commercial communications satellite. "We are now the only provider of life extension services for satellites," a company spokesperson said.

During its final flyby this month, the spacecraft OSIRIS-REx took an image of the location where it collected a sample from asteroid Bennu's surface. It'll return to Earth 2 years from now, providing scientists with clues to the creation of our solar system.

Jupiter's large size and cool core make it an excellent target in the search for dark matter. A team of scientists is analyzing gamma-ray data from the Fermi Telescope looking for signs of the elusive substance.