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Top Astronomy News Stories of 2016
From the discovery of gravitational waves to the building evidence that a massive planet could exist beyond Pluto, it has been a thrilling year for astronomy news. We recap. When two black holes twirl...
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Looking Ahead: Space Exploration in 2017
An exciting year lies ahead for science and planetary spaceflight — by NASA and by other spacefaring nations. An artist's conception of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). NASA What...
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1,000 Black Holes in Deepest-Ever X-ray Image
The Chandra X-ray Observatory has gazed at a small patch of sky for almost 12 weeks, revealing 1,008 X-ray-emitting sources — most of them supermassive black holes. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory...
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NASA’s Lucy & Psyche Asteroid Missions
Two new asteroid missions, named Lucy and Psyche, will visit eight new worlds in the coming decade. An artist's conception of the Lucy and Psyche missions exploring their targets. NASA/SwRI/SSL/Peter...
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Voyagers Flying Through Galactic Clouds
Astronomers have combined data from the Voyager spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope to probe the stuff between the stars. Astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to study stars lying behind...
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NASA Narrows Down Mars 2020 Rover Landing Sites
Three possible landing sites are now in the running for NASA's Mars 2020 rover. A huge inactive shield volcano in NE Syrtis Major. NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona And then there were three....
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Scientists Find Organics on Ceres
The Dawn spacecraft has detected organic compounds on the dwarf planet Ceres. These Dawn spacecraft data show a region around the crater Ernutet on Ceres where scientists have discovered concentrations...
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SpaceX Announces 2018 Moonshot Mission
A surprise announcement by SpaceX on Monday envisions humans traveling beyond low Earth orbit by late 2018. An artist's conception of the crewed Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX On November 12, 1968, NASA,...
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Bright Mound on Ceres Due to Briny Eruptions?
The strange bright deposits inside Occator crater on Ceres are probably from cryovolcanic eruptions that are much younger than the crater itself. White spots dot the floor of Occator, a crater on Ceres...
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Mars Lost Atmosphere to Space
NASA’s MAVEN mission has confirmed that the solar wind stripped the Red Planet of its atmosphere. This image shows an artist concept of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft,...
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Sun Triggers Ceres’ Fleeting Atmosphere
Planetary scientists think the Sun may inadvertently create a transitory, tenuous atmosphere around the dwarf planet Ceres — and in an unexpected way. Observations with both the International...
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LISA Pathfinder: From Gravitational Waves to Space Dust
LISA Pathfinder, the technology testbed mission for a future gravitational-wave detector, turns out to be a surprisingly good micrometeoroid hunter. An artist's conception of LISA Pathfinder in space....
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Cassini Survives First “Grand Finale” Dive
Cassini's Grand Finale has begun, as the spacecraft threaded the needle between Saturn and its rings, following several fantastic moon passes and a final glance back at Earth. An artist's conception of...
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Cassini Traverses “Big Empty” on First Grand Finale Pass
As NASA's Cassini spacecraft sails through a clear gap between Saturn and its rings as part of its Grand Finale orbits, it found less than expected. Grand Finale: Cassini threads the gap between Saturn...
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Meet Valkyrie, NASA’s Space Robot
In just a month, teams will guide this 300-pound, 6-foot-tall humanoid robot in a series of simulated trials as part of NASA’s Space Robotics Challenge. Valkyrie, NASA's humanoid space robot. She...
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Juno: Surprises in First Science Results
From its dynamic atmosphere to its hidden depths, Juno reveals Jupiter as never before. An artist's conception of Juno in orbit around Jupiter. NASA Forget what you thought you knew about Jupiter. The...
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Mission to Asteroid Psyche to Launch Earlier Than Anticipated
The mission to asteroid 16 Psyche just had its launch date pushed up — and will now arrive well before originally planned. Artist's concept of the Psyche spacecraft, which will conduct a direct...
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New Clues on Fate of Schiaparelli Mars Lander
The European Space Agency has released its investigation into the crash of the Schiaparelli Mars lander in October 2016. An artist's conception of Schiaparelli under its chute. ESA / ATG MediaLab...
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NASA’s Lunar Orbiter Takes a Hit
A Moon-orbiting camera briefly shuddered — then got back to work — when it was hit by a tiny bit of space rock no bigger than a pinhead. On October 13, 2014, as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera...
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Observers Track New Horizons’ Next Target
On June 3rd, two dozen teams of observers in South America and South Africa tried to learn something about distant 2014 MU69, which New Horizons will visit in early 2019. An artist's conception of New...
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