Our circumstances here on the wondrous, life-supporting Earth can give us a false understanding of what the Universe is really like. But our blue-skied, temperate planet is the extreme exception when it comes to other worlds. There's nothing remotely like Earth in our Solar System, and exoplanet studies reinforce that idea. While some exoplanets have hints of habitability, most exoplanets are extremely inhospitable.
Space News & Blog Articles
A Lunar Base Could Start with a Dome over a Crater Made of Regolith
When the first astronauts walked on the Moon as part of the Apollo Program, the concept of lunar habitats ceased being the stuff of science fiction and became a matter of scientific study. With several space agencies planning on sending crewed missions to the Moon in the coming decade, these plans have become the subject of scientific interest again. Structures that will enable a "sustained program of lunar science and development" is the long-term aim of NASA's Artemis Program. China and the ESA have similar plans with the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) and the Moon Village.
Earth Was Born With Water; No Delivery Needed
Alone among known planets, Earth has vast oceans on its surface and its landmasses are marked with lakes and extensive river drainage systems. Water is the biosphere's lifeblood, and without it, Earth would be just another dead world. If Earth life is a reliable indicator, then water is necessary for life, full stop.
Satellite Constellations Are Too Bright, Threatening Astronomy and Our Night Sky
The race to connect the world through satellite internet has created an unexpected casualty: our view of the cosmos. A new study reveals that major satellite constellations, including Starlink, BlueBird, and OneWeb, are significantly brighter than international standards allow, potentially disrupting both professional astronomy and the simple pleasure of stargazing.
China launches new spacesuits, other supplies to Tiangong space station (video)
A Long March 7 rocket lifted off this evening (July 14), sending China's Tianzhou 9 cargo spacecraft toward the Tiangong space station.
Ravenous 'vampire' stars may use cosmic accomplices to help devour stellar victims
Astronomers have discovered that vampire white dwarfs that feast on victim companion stars have assistance in acquiring prey in the form of lurking third stars.
'Foundation' stars Laura Birn & Lee Pace talk heavy burdens and being an intergalactic stoner for Season 3 (exclusive)
Join two of the brightest stars in Apple TV's sci-fi saga based on Isaac Asimov's sci-fi trilogy.
A Solar Gravitational Lens Telescope Is The Only Feasible Way To Get High Resolution Pictures Of A Habitable Exoplanet
Sometimes in order to support an idea, you first have to discredit alternative, competing ideas that could take resources away from the one you care about. In the scientific community, one of the most devastating ways you can do that is by making the other methods appear to be too expensive to be feasible, or, better yep, prove they wouldn’t work at all due to some fundamental limitation. That is what a recent paper by Dr. Slava Turyshev, the world’s most prominent proponent of a Solar Gravitational Lens (SGL) telescope mission, does. He examines how effective alternative telescope technologies would be at creating a 10x10 pixel map of an exoplanet about 32 light years away. Unsurprisingly, there’s only one that is able to do so without giant leaps and bounds in technology development - the SGL telescope.
Scientists Unlock Secrets of Matter Under Extreme Conditions
A team of researchers have made progress in understanding how some of the universe's heaviest particles behave under extreme conditions similar to those that existed just after the Big Bang. A study published in Physics Reports provides new insights into the fundamental forces that shaped our universe and continues to guide its evolution today.
The Milky Way Could be Surrounded by 100 Satellite Galaxies
Whatever dark matter is, cosmologists are busy trying to understand the role it plays in the structure of the Universe. Our standard cosmological model, also called Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM), makes a number of predictions about how galaxies form and evolve, largely focused on dark matter haloes. DM haloes are fundamental building blocks for the cosmological structure. Scientists often describe them as the scaffolding on which the Universe is built.
Happy anniversary, Mariner 4! NASA probe got 1st-ever up-close look at Mars 60 years ago today
Since then, a multitude of spacecraft have rocketed Marsward from a variety of nations.
NASA, SpaceX target July 31 for Crew-11 launch to the ISS
The four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station are pictured inside SpaceX’s Hangar X at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left to right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui. Image: SpaceX
The next four-person crew heading to the International Space Station is less than three weeks away from launch. On Thursday, NASA announced that it and SpaceX were targeting July 31 for the flight of SpaceX’s Crew-11 mission to the orbiting outpost.
NASA just took the closest-ever images of the sun, and they are incredible (video)
NASA has released remarkable video captured during the Parker Solar Probe's record-breaking 2024 flyby, offering the closest views of the sun ever recorded.
Don’t miss the moon pass close to Saturn and Neptune on July 15
The moon, Saturn and Neptune will rise a little before midnight for those in the U.S.
Scientists find Uranus is surprisingly warm, heating up the case for a new planetary mission
Scientists have found that Uranus emits its own internal heat, contradicting data from NASA's Voyager 2 probe nearly four decades ago.
Snow covers the SOAR Telescope in Chile | Space photo of the day for July 14, 2025
An unexpected dusting high in the Andes mountains caused some concern.
Fly DJI FPV drones like a pro with DJI's motion controllers
Learn more about DJI's motion controllers and how they can make FPV drone flight incredibly easy for everyone.
Who is Shalla-Bal, the female Silver Surfer in 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps''?
Here's everything we know about Galactus' shiny new herald, and why she's a lady this time around.
Deals that are even better than Prime Day — hurry before they're gone!
We've scoured the internet to find you deals that are even better than Prime Day — here's our round-up of the best deals left.
Astronomers discover monster exoplanet hiding in 'stellar fog' around young star
A monster exoplanet as big as 10 times the size of Jupiter has emerged from the stellar gas and dust surrounding a young star, thanks to the telescope tag team of Gaia and ALMA.
Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' gives US Space Force $1 billion for secretive X-37B space plane
U.S. President Trump's "One, Big Beautiful Bill Act," H.R. 1 includes $1 billion for the U.S. Space Force (USSF) X-37B military spacecraft program.