A year of Earth from a million miles

Watch a full year of Earth's sunlit side, seen from a million miles away by the DSCOVR spacecraft.

The X at the center of the Milky Way

Computer models, and observations of our galaxy and others, suggested a Milky Way X, made of stars. An analysis of data from the WISE space telescope reveals it.

Protoplanet blasted out Mare Imbrium

Mare Imbrium basin on the moon - the Man in the Moon's right eye - might have been made by a protoplanet-sized impact, 3.8 billion years ago.

Today in science: 1st Mars landing

40th anniversary of the first fully successful soft landing on Mars' surface, by the Viking 1 spacecraft. First images from Mars' surface, here.

Astronomers see a star’s water snow line

First distinct (resolved) observation of a water snow line - aka a frost line - the distance from a star where temperatures drop so low that water turns to ice.

Video takes you to Pluto’s surface

New video released on 1-year anniversary of New Horizons' visit to Pluto. It lets you ride aboard a Pluto spacecraft and then plunge toward its surface!

Wow! Another 104 confirmed exoplanets

That's from 197 new exoplanet candidates. In its extended (K2) mission, the Kepler space telescope has been looking toward cool, small, red dwarf-type stars.

Why galaxies stop making stars

Nature and nurture in the evolution of galaxies, and what those factors mean with respect to whether galaxies continue forming stars, or not.

Watch Mercury and Venus set

What are the odds? Peter Lowenstein caught Venus and Mercury on the evening of their conjunction - July 16, 2016 - setting through a thin break in the clouds.

Gamma ray bursts and pencil-thin jets

Stellar mergers that cause gamma ray bursts might make pencil-thin jets. If true, since most jets won't be pointed our way, we'll see no sign of most mergers.

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