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The zombie star that wouldn’t die
Supernovae like this one - designated iPTF14hls - usually remain bright for about 100 days. This one stayed bright for 600 days. Then, astronomers found a 1954 explosion in the same spot in the sky.
November 8, 2017
Nickname New Horizons’ next target
The craft that flew by Pluto in 2015 is heading for the Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69. NASA and the New Horizons spacecraft team want you to help nickname it.
November 7, 2017
Next Mars rover will have 23 eyes
Cameras have come a long way since the first Mars rover in 1997. The newest Mars rover from NASA - on the Mars 2020 mission - will have a wider field of view, plus more color and 3-D imaging.
November 5, 2017
Astronomers complete 1st global asteroid tracking drill
This is only a test. Astronomers report on the TC4 Observation Campaign, which, in October, used a real Near-Earth Asteroid to practice our global response to a potential asteroid threat.
November 4, 2017
A rare chance to scrutinize a comet’s jet
On July 3, 2016 - as Comet 67P erupted with a plume of dust - the orbiting Rosetta spacecraft happened to pass right through the dust cloud.
November 1, 2017
What is dark matter?
Cosmologists are heading back to their chalkboards, as experiments designed to figure out the nature of dark matter come up empty.
October 30, 2017
Small object visits from beyond solar system
This small asteroid (or comet) passed under Earth's orbit on October 14 at about 60 times the moon's distance. Now it appears to be heading toward interstellar space again.
October 29, 2017
How do human genes act in space?
"Looking at gene expression ... we really see an explosion, like fireworks taking off, as soon as the human body gets into space."
October 29, 2017
Did Ceres once have an ocean?
Two recent studies explore the possibility of an ancient ocean on dwarf planet Ceres, largest world in the asteroid belt. If it existed, what happened to it? And could Ceres still have liquid water today?
October 28, 2017
A potential human habitat on the moon?
A new study says a hole in the moon’s Marius Hills region is the skylight of an underground lava tube large enough to house a city.
October 27, 2017
