Tag Archives | space.com

Without satellites, modern technologies such as mobiles phones and GPS would not exist. This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. This is an article from Curious Kids , a series for children. The Conversation is asking kids to send in questions they’d […]

The star Betelgeuse varies in brightness. This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Aboriginal Australians have been observing the stars for more than 65,000 years, and many of their oral traditions have been recorded since colonisation. These traditions tell of all kinds […]

Glimmering through a dusty nebula that surrounds the Pleiades star cluster is the faint spiral galaxy UGC 2838, visible in the bottom-right corner of this photo by astrophotographer Miguel Claro. Miguel Claro is a Lisbon, Portugal-based professional photographer, author and science communicator who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory […]

In the southwestern early evening sky on Monday, November 20, the young crescent moon will be visible only 2.5 degrees to the upper right of yellowish Saturn, making a lovely sight in binoculars. It’s almost time to bid a fond farewell to the showpiece of the solar system: the magnificent ringed planet Saturn. For many […]

A NASA camera on the Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite captured its first view of the entire sunlit side of the spherical planet Earth, on July 6, 2015. New research is shedding light on the potential consequences of geoengineering the planet. Among the most prominent technological proposals for cooling Earth’s atmosphere involves spraying aerosols into […]

Mariner 9, the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, arrived at Mars on Nov. 14, 1971, and returned remarkable images of the surface. This shield volcano on the Red Planet’s surface reveals a summit crater and grooves believed to be from subsurface magma flows. Mariner 9, the first spacecraft to orbit a planet other than Earth, […]

A new version of a humanoid disaster robot, called Atlas, can do half-turns in the air and even a backflip. A new video shows a robot performing amazing acrobatic feats, from backflips to half-turn jumps. The eerily humanoid robot, called Atlas, is 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) tall and weighs 165 pounds (75 kilograms), and uses […]

The first in a series of four advanced polar-orbiting satellites launched to space on its third try early Saturday (Nov. 18), turning its watchful eye to improving the accuracy of weather forecasts and Earth observations. The new Joint Polar Satellite System-1 satellite , or JPSS-1, launched into orbit atop a United Launch Alliance-built Delta II rocket […]

The Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1), the first of an advanced new fleet of weather satellites, launched into space on Nov. 18, 2017 to begin its vital mission. See photos from the launch and preparations here in our mission gallery. Read our full launch story . JPSS-1 will orbit the Earth, as seen in this […]

Professor Stephen Hawking speaks about “Why We Should Go into Space” for the NASA Lecture Series, April 21, 2008. Stephen Hawking is regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history. His work on the origins and structure of the universe, from the Big Bang to black holes, has revolutionized the field, while […]

From a galaxy far, far away, we’re bringing you the best Cyber Monday deals on “Star Wars” merchandise. The Force is STRONG with these deals for your little Jedi (or Sith, we don’t want to presume). With the Dec. 15 premiere of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi ” nearly upon us, there are lots of […]

This graphic shows the masses of the black holes involved in the five mergers detected by the LIGO collaboration, as of Nov. 17, 2017. There’s a population of monsters lurking in the dark depths of space that astronomers are trying to get acquainted with.   These monsters are pairs of black holes, each with masses […]

Félicette, the first cat to fly into space in October 1963, is seen her carrier pre-flight. A crowdfunded campaign will erect a memorial to honor the Félicette in her hometown of Paris, France. The first cat to launch into space and live to meow about it is getting her own monument — thanks to the […]