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SpaceX launch wowed many, scared some, in SoCal
SpaceX Falcon 9 launch created an eerie display in the night sky over southern California on the night of December 22. Photos and video here.
December 23, 2017
Is the star RZ Piscium eating its planets?
Astronomers knew this star was "winking," or dimming erratically. They thought it might be young. Now they think RZ Piscium might be more evolved than our sun, and hungry.
December 22, 2017
Astronomers spy a red giant’s bubbling surface
For the 1st time, astronomers have seen giant bubbles roiling up to the surface of a star beyond our solar system. Each great bubble is so huge it would extend from our sun to Venus.
December 20, 2017
No big planets at Alpha Centauri, but maybe small ones
"Because Alpha Centauri is so close, it's our first stop outside our solar system. There are almost certain to be small, rocky planets around Alpha Centauri A and B."
December 18, 2017
Opportunity rover on Mars still going strong after 14 years
Opportunity has been exploring Mars for 14 years. It and its solar panels recently survived the winter darkness in its location and are now facing a possible planet-wide dust storm in 2018.
December 18, 2017
Astronomers spot primordial galaxies swimming in dark matter
Astronomers thought the 1st galaxies would be small. Now they've spotted 2 giant galaxies from when the universe was only 5% of its current age.
December 16, 2017
IAU approves 86 more star names
"These professional astronomers are claiming the exclusive right to give 'approved' names to the stars. But the stars - and the sky - belong to all of us."
December 15, 2017
Juno probes depths of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
Juno spacecraft data show the Great Red Spot - nearly 1.5 Earths wide - with roots penetrating some 200 miles (300 km) into Jupiter's atmosphere.
December 14, 2017
How to see rock-comet 3200 Phaethon
You can't see 3200 Phaethon - parent of the Geminid meteor shower and a strange asteroid-comet hybrid - with the eye alone. But backyard telescopes can pick it up. Charts and more here.
December 13, 2017
Astronomers chart galaxy orbits in our Local Supercluster
"For the first time, we are not only visualizing the detailed structure of our Local Supercluster of galaxies, but we are also seeing how the structure developed over the history of the universe."
December 12, 2017
