Some "Goldilocks" Planets May Be Too Hot-Blooded for Life
A new study questions whether “habitable zone” planets can sweat off internal heat
Space6780 articles archived since 1845
This Weird Galaxy Is 99.99 Percent Dark Matter
Astronomers say ultradiffuse or “fluffy” Dragonfly 44 shouldn’t be able to hold itself together with so few stars
An Earth-Like Exoplanet Orbits Our Nearest Neighbor
The red dwarf star Proxima Centauri is home to a newly discovered exoplanet, which may look a lot like Earth.This video was reproduced with permission and was first published on August 24, 2016. It is a Nature Video production.
The Earth Next Door
Astronomers find an exoplanet that could be habitable—and it’s as close to us as it could possibly be
SpaceX Founder Set to Unveil Humans-to-Mars Plan in September
Challenges facing Elon Musk’s project include getting return-trip fuel from Martian resources
Hibernating-Star Explosion Provides First Evidence of Nova Cycle
Evidence of additional mini outbursts leading up to the so-called classical nova provides the first direct evidence for the nova hibernation hypothesis, which suggests a cyclical evolution of such stars
NASA to Launch Asteroid-Sampling Mission in 3 Weeks
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is expected to return a pristine sample of the potentially hazardous space rock Bennu to Earth in September 2023
The Cosmos Might Be Mostly Devoid of Life
We still have no idea how easy it is for life to arise—and it may be incredibly difficult
Astrochemists Detect Chiral Molecules in Interstellar Space for the First Time
Could mirror molecules in space help explain why life prefers molecules with a single-handedness?
A Sixth Success! SpaceX Again Lands Rocket on a Ship at Sea
The private spaceflight company has landed its Falcon 9 rocket for the sixth time in the last eight months
![Voyage to Bennu and Back with OSIRIS-REx [Video]](/National_Library/mp_/https://www.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/CF14AF19-1E4E-44F4-8D846A72C68E9734_small.jpg)
Voyage to Bennu and Back with OSIRIS-REx [Video]
NASA’s first sample-return mission to an asteroid could be vital for understanding life’s origins and shaping its future
Hellish Venus Might Have Been Habitable for Billions of Years
A team of astronomers think the torrid and toxic world was once a cozy home for potential life
Jupiter's Red Spot Is Red Hot
What Jupiter’s spot is not, is tranquil. New infrared images taken by Boston University scientists on a NASA telescope in Hawaii show that whereas Jupiter’s north and south poles are heated by strong magnetic fields, its large, stormy red spot generates its own heat by a different mechanism. Shock waves from turbulent winds in the spot and other storms help explain how the planet's upper atmosphere stays warm so far from the sun. Produced with support from Explore Scientific
Icy Telescope Throws Cold Water on Sterile Neutrino Theory
IceCube observatory reports null result in search for particle
To Bennu and Back
The OSIRIS-REx probe's journey to the asteroid Bennu will answer questions about our deepest past and possible futures
NASA's 2020 Rover Will Carry Microphones to Mars
For the first time, human beings will hear sounds from the Red Planet's surface
Astronomers Watch as Io's Atmosphere Collapses
Jupiter's shadow makes this volcanic moon's atmosphere freeze solid once per day
Private Company Cleared for Moon Landing in 2017
Government approves robot mission for Moon Express, which wants to mine our satellite
Did the Universe Boot Up with a "Big Bounce?"
The cosmos may have rebounded from an earlier contraction and “big crunch” into a “big bang” that started it all over again
Rosetta Mission Confirms Comets' Antiquity
A new study of cometary geology shows the objects are relics from the primordial solar system
