Closest comet in 246 years via radar

Record-breakingly close flybys of two comets earlier this week. Radar images of one, the closest comet in 246 years. Will the other be visible to the eye?

Solar storms ignite Jupiter’s auroras

For the first time, Jupiter’s auroras have been studied in X-ray light when a giant solar storm arrived at the planet.

Moon’s tilt has changed over time

Did the 'man in the moon' look different from ancient Earth? Yes, according to new research showing that the moon has undergone what's called True Polar Wander.

Kepler catches a supernova shockwave

The planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft caught the earliest minutes of 2 exploding stars and, for the first time, the flash of supernova shockwave in visible light.

Dramatic circular outburst from sun

Video of a circular solar outburst observed last week by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Best view yet inside Mars

Scientists have used fluctuations in the orbits of 3 spacecraft to map Mars' gravity. Thanks to this gravity map, it now seems likely that Mars has a molten core.

Getting to know Pluto

After last summer's Pluto flyby, the New Horizons spacecraft started sending data to Earth – at 2 kilobits per second. What scientists have learned so far from that rich, slow cache.

Small asteroid detected 4 days after passing as close as satellites

On March 15, astronomers detected an asteroid that had passed closest to Earth on March 11, sweeping in at about the distance of our geostationary satellites.

Astronomers see black hole raging red

Astronomers have observed violent red flashes, lasting just fractions of a second, during one of the brightest black hole outbursts in recent years.

Unexpected changes in Ceres’ bright spots

Astronomers using a telescope in Chile have seen unexpected daily changes on Ceres' famous bright spots, suggesting they change under the influence of sunlight.

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