What Happens To The Body in Orbit?
Scott Kelly has returned from a year in orbit. How has he fared? Turns out space flight really does do a number on the body.
Planet or Not, Pluto is Amazing
Pluto might not be a planet, but the results of the New Horizons mission flyby tell it is still a pretty cool place. And cold!
There May Be a Ninth Planet (And It’s Not Pluto)
Caltech astronomer Michael Brown has proposed the existence of a ninth planet, the existence of which would explain the strange orbits of six KBOs.
The Art of Observing Weather on Distant Planets
Exoplanetary meteorology enables scientists to determine weather patterns on planets too far for direct observation.
The Threat of Solar Flares
Solar flares are highly unpredictable and difficult to anticipate. But their threat is very real.
Protecting Mars From Earthly Contaminates
Now that water has been discovered on Mars, the next step is to ensure we don't contaminate the planet with Earthly microbes and bacteria.
Next stop for the New Horizons Spacecraft: The Kuiper Belt
New Horizons, the NASA probe deployed to visit Pluto, has begun a new mission: visit the Kuiper belt, a region beyond the orbit of Neptune.
The Canals of Mars
We now know there's liquid water on Mars, according to NASA. But at the turn of the 20th century, we believed something else: that Mars had canals.
The Extinct Civilization of Mars
Liquid water has been detected on Mars. We explore the history of the search, and the astronomer, Percival Lowell, who shook the public imagination.
Gardening in Space
Zero-gravity gardening: why growing plants in space isn't the same as here on Earth.