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ASTRONOMY

ESO, A. Müller et al.

Here's the First Confirmed Image of a Planet Being Born

The baby planet is a few times bigger than Jupiter.

iStock

Saturn and a Strawberry Moon Will Brighten Night Skies This Week

The two bodies will appear close together in the sky on Wednesday.

iStock

NASA Has a Plan to Stop the Next Asteroid That Threatens Life on Earth

Don't panic—the U.S. government has a plan for doomsday.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

7 Giant Machines That Changed the World—And 1 That Might

From a 17-mile-long particle accelerator to a football field–sized space observatory, these machines are marvels.

NASA

NASA's Hubble Telescope Captures the Lagoon Nebula's Explosive Core

At the heart of this nebula lies a star that's larger and brighter than our Sun.

NASA, JPL-Caltech

It's Official: Uranus Smells Like Farts

The planet's putrid atmosphere is a clue to where it first formed.

NASA

New NASA Satellite Called TESS Could Discover Thousands of New Planets

The new satellite follows on the heels of Kepler's discovery of more than 2,300 exoplanets over the last nine years.

Ansel Adams circa 1950

An Astronomer Solves a 70-Year-Old Ansel Adams Mystery

Donald Olson solves mysteries using celestial bodies.

iStock / Chloe Effron

Why Are There Shooting Stars?

Have you ever seen a flash of bright light streaking through the night sky? People around the world have different ways of explaining these so-called shooting stars.

STR/Getty Images

How to Watch the Chinese Space Lab Tiangong-1 Plummet to Earth

The remains could land pretty much anywhere.

Gemini Observatory/NSF/AURA/Keck/Jen Miller

A Newly Discovered Galaxy Has a Shocking Feature—No Dark Matter

"The galaxy is a complete mystery, as everything about it is strange."

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

What Is a Scientific Theory?

A theory in science is very different from a theory in everyday conversation.

ESA/Hubble, NASA

Hubble Telescope Image Shows Two Galaxies Colliding 350 Million Light-Years Away

The process will play out over millions of years.

Wikimedia Commons // CC-BY-SA-3.0

10 Facts About the Dwarf Planet Makemake

The entire planet is only three times as long as the Grand Canyon.

iStock

Look Up! Residents of Maine and Michigan Might Catch a Glimpse of the Northern Lights Tonight

The celestial treat is usually reserved for Arctic audiences.

Kevin Gill, Flickr // CC BY-2.0

10 Facts About the Dwarf Planet Haumea

It's named for a Hawaiian goddess.

iStock

Winter Meteors, Valentine's Day Star, and a Black Moon: A Guide to the February Night Sky

There are a few wonders in the winter sky worth making time for.

YE AUNG THU/AFP/Getty Images

Here’s Where to Watch NASA's Livestream of the Super Blue Blood Moon

The next one won't be until 2037.

iStock

Don’t Miss Next Week’s Incredibly Rare 'Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse'

It's three lunar events rolled into one.

iStock

Mysterious 'Hypatia Stone' Is Like Nothing Else in Our Solar System

"These latest results are opening up even bigger questions about its origins."

NASA

9 Compelling Facts About Neptune

Neptune is like a celestial paint swatch: a stunning royal blue that demands attention.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Space Dust, Not an Alien Megastructure, Is to Blame for Star's Bizarre Behavior

A new study sheds light on the cause of the famous dimming of "Tabby's star."

Mike Hewitt, Getty Images

The Fastest Way to Sync the Biggest Space Events of 2018 to Your Calendar

New year, new celestial events to get excited about.

In a composite photo, the International Space Station passes in front of the Sun during the total eclipse on August 21, 2017.

What We Learned So Far From The Total Solar Eclipse of 2017—And Why There's Much More to Come

"From a NASA perspective, there is no other single event that has informed so many scientific disciplines."