Stunning new Spitzer Space Telescope image of the Tarantula Nebula in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud dwarf galaxy. Spitzer ended its 16-year mission on January 30.

The clarity of these images from the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii is thanks to the telescope's 4-meter mirror, the world's largest for a solar telescope. "It's the biggest jump in our ability to study the sun since Galileo's time," a scientist said.

New research shows that "severe" space super-storms occurred in 42 of the last 150 years. "Great" super-storms happened in 6 out of the last 150 years. The new work sheds light on the famous Carrington event of 1859, the largest super-storm in recorded history.

We know our sun is surrounded by a great bubble-like heliosphere, which sets our solar system apart from the rest of interstellar space. ESA's Solar Orbiter - due to launch in February 2020 - will probe how the sun creates and controls this heliosphere.

The interior of Saturn's moon Enceladus is geochemically complex, making its subsurface ocean quite habitable for possible life, according to a new study from Southwest Research Institute.

Observational astronomy and astrophysics work together to further our understanding of the cosmos. Astrophysicists apply the laws of physics and physical theories to interpret the light gathered by observational astronomers.

Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our sun, may have a second planet, according to researchers from the National Institute of Astrophysics. If confirmed, it would be an ideal candidate for direct imaging by new upcoming space telescopes.

Why isn't there an endless variety of planet sizes in the universe? Why are most planets like those in our solar system: small and rocky, or big and gaseous? 

New laboratory studies - simulating conditions on the planet Mars and using salt-loving microbes - suggest that similar organisms could be producing Mars' mysterious methane.

Watch the last of January's 3 International Space Station spacewalks tomorrow.