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Best Telescopes for Hobbyists
*Editor’s Note: Start saving on your entire gift list . Get up to 15% cash back and exclusive deals on gadgets, gear, electronics, computers and more through Purch, Space.com’s parent company. And check out our picks for the Best Space Gifts and Best Kids’ Space Gifts and Toys for more ideas.* Editors’ Choice (Best All-Around) Celestron Advanced VX 8″ SCT […]
Bizarre Blue 'Flashes and Glows' May Reveal Thunderstorm Secrets
Bright, blue flashes stretch from the tops of powerful thunderstorms toward the edge of space, providing a fascinating celestial show for astronauts on the International Space Station, and now, scientists are learning more about these showstopping displays. In 2015, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen captured a video of the strange blue flashes dancing above […]
NASA Moon Probe Celebrates 100th Lunar Day
October means baseball playoffs, Halloween and, for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter , 100 lunar days on the moon. A lunar day is a lot longer than a day on Earth, according to a new NASA video . We measure days from noon to noon or sunset to sunset. On Earth, a day takes 24 hours, […]
Supermoon 2018: When and How to See January's Two Full Moons
Update for Jan. 31: For full coverage and live views of the Super Blue Blood Moon eclipse of 2018, visit our main guide here: Super Blue Blood Moon 2018: Complete Lunar Eclipse Coverage! When the “Full Wolf Moon” rises on Monday, Jan. 1, it will also be the first of two “supermoons” in 2018, both of them […]
Solar Wind Creates Electric Charge on Martian Moon Phobos
NASA has set its sights on the Martian moon Phobos as a potential initial base for human exploration of the Red Planet — but powerful solar eruptions could throw a wrench in this plan. A new NASA study shows that solar wind — the stream of electrically charged particles that the sun blows out into […]
NASA Satellites Captured Rapid Intensification of 4 Recent Hurricanes
NASA satellites captured views of Hurricane Maria, Irma, Harvey and Jose as they rapidly intensified and barreled toward the Caribbean islands and the United States. Rapid intensification occurs when hurricanes strengthen in a short period of time, making it the “hardest aspect of a storm to forecast,” according to a statement from NASA’s Goddard Space […]
Martian Missive: 'Others Will Follow' Film Explores Last Message from Mars
[embedded content] A new sci-fi short explores the message that the (fictional) last human to survive a Mars mission sends back to Earth. As shown in a short sci-fi video, “Others Will Follow” (uploaded to Vimeo ), a spacecraft arriving at the Red Planet catastrophically breaks apart. Viewers don’t see what happens to the rest […]
Blue Origin Conducts First Test of BE-4 Engine
A Blue Origin BE-4 engine during its first hotfire test. ATLANTA — Blue Origin announced Oct. 19 that it conducted the first successful test of its BE-4 engine, a major milestone for both the company’s launch vehicle plans as well as for United Launch Alliance. Blue Origin, in a tweet, said its first hotfire test […]
City-Size Lunar Lava Tube Could House Future Astronaut Residents
A giant hole in the moon, which opens at the Marius Hills skylight (pictured here), was formed by an ancient lava tube. A city-size lava tube has been discovered on the moon, and researchers say it could serve as a shelter for lunar astronauts. This lava tube could protect lunar-living astronauts from hazardous conditions on […]
What is a Wormhole?
A model of ‘folded’ space-time illustrates how a wormhole bridge might form with at least two mouths that are connected to a single throat or tube. A wormhole is a theoretical passage through space-time that could create shortcuts for long journeys across the universe. Wormholes are predicted by the theory of general relativity. But be […]
How Long Does It Take to Get to Mars?
In 2003, Mars made its closest approach to Earth in almost 60,000 years. The Hubble Space Telescope took the opportunity to observe the red planet while it was only 34,647,420 miles (55,757,930 km) from Earth. If you wanted to pay a visit to the red planet, how long would it take? The answer depends on […]
2017 Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend: What to Expect
An Orionid meteor streaks overhead with the Orion constellation in the background in this NASA all-sky image during in 2015. The 2017 Orionid meteor shower peaks on Oct. 20 and 21. Over the next several days, you may get a chance to glimpse a “shooting star” in the predawn hours, as the Orionid meteor shower […]