The not so 'wicked' path from 'The Wizard of Oz' to the moon landing
"The Wizard of Oz" and space exploration are two topics that by all rights should have nothing in common. But as it turns out, if you follow the Yellow Brick Road long enough you reach the moon....
NASA’s Chandra, Hubble Tune Into ‘Flame-Throwing’ Guitar Nebula
Normally found only in heavy metal bands or certain post-apocalyptic films, a “flame-throwing guitar” has now been spotted moving through space. Astronomers have captured movies of this extreme cosmic object using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory...
Discovery Alert: A Rare Glimpse of a Newborn Planet
The discovery A huge planet with a long name – IRAS 04125+2902 b – is really just a baby: only 3 million years old. And because such infant worlds are usually hidden inside obscuring disks of debris, it is the youngest planet so far discovered...
Black Friday Bargain: The best Sony camera for astrophotography is over $930 cheaper
Hurry, stocks are low! 25% off this versatile Sony camera that is also perfect for astrophotography, there's not a lot we don't love about this early Black Friday deal....
Protected: 2024 Blue Marble Awards
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'There are lots of mysteries in our backyard': Revised solar system chemistry explains long-standing puzzles
Pluto and other large bodies in the Kuiper Belt are surprisingly rich in rock rather than ice. It may be because the early solar system consisted of much more carbon than previously thought, a new study suggests....
Did NASA's Perseverance rover really find organics on Mars? These scientists aren't so sure
Could Mars have once hosted life? NASA's Perseverance rover has uncovered a tantalizing clue, but scientists remain divided on what it truly means for the search for extraterrestrial life....
What is BioSentinel?
Editor’s Note: This article was updated Nov. 20, 2024 shortly after BioSentinel’s mission marked two years of operation in deep space. Astronauts live in a pretty extreme environment aboard the International Space Station. Orbiting...
5 Surprising NASA Heliophysics Discoveries Not Related to the Sun
With NASA’s fleet of heliophysics spacecraft, scientists monitor our Sun and investigate its influences throughout the solar system. However, the fleet’s constant watch and often-unique perspectives sometimes create opportunities to make...
NASA’s Brad Doorn Brings Farm Belt Wisdom to Space-Age Agriculture
From his South Dakota roots to leading NASA’s agricultural program, Brad Doorn’s mission has remained the same: help farmers feed the world.
ISS fires thrusters to dodge hunk of space junk
A Russian cargo ship docked to the International Space Station fired its thrusters on Tuesday (Nov. 19) to ensure that the orbiting complex dodged a piece of space debris....
Shooting for the Stars: NASA Lights Up the Court at Toyota Center
On Nov. 6, 2024, NASA Night brought cosmic excitement to the Toyota Center, where Johnson Space Center employees joined 16,208 fans who interacted with NASA as they watched the Houston Rockets claim victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Energy...
NASA Ocean World Explorers Have to Swim Before They Can Fly
In a competition swimming pool, engineers tested prototypes for a futuristic mission concept: a swarm of underwater robots that could look for signs of life on ocean worlds. When NASA’s Europa Clipper reaches its destination in 2030, the...
Somewhere in the multiverse, dark energy is helping stars and life form
The strength of dark energy in our universe is not optimized for forming stars, which means other universes might have a greater likelihood of producing life....
Making Mars’ Moons: Supercomputers Offer ‘Disruptive’ New Explanation
A NASA study using a series of supercomputer simulations reveals a potential new solution to a longstanding Martian mystery: How did Mars get its moons? The first step, the findings say, may have involved the destruction of an...
Scientists find extremely young exoplanet orbiting star with a wonky disk
NASA's TESS exoplanet-hunting spacecraft found the youngest transiting world yet, and the exoplanet's star has a wonky planetary disk....
NASA’s Swift Reaches 20th Anniversary in Improved Pointing Mode
After two decades in space, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is performing better than ever thanks to a new operational strategy implemented earlier this year. The spacecraft has made great scientific strides in the years since scientists...
Solar Orbiter spacecraft captures sharpest views yet of sun's surface (images)
The Solar Orbiter spacecraft has sent home the highest resolution views of the sun's surface to date, providing fresh views of our well-studied star....
Gateway Tops Off
Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element is now equipped with its xenon and liquid fuel tanks.
'Superhighways' connecting the cosmic web could unlock secrets about dark matter
Giant filaments crisscross the universe, connecting galaxy clusters like superhighways between cities. But due to their complex shapes, they are stubbornly difficult to measure....