Space

Are We About to See the Rare Green Comet Nishimura Light Up the Sky?

This is an image of the comet known as C/2023 P1 (Nishimura).

Comet Nishimura is swinging past Earth on its first visit in more than 400 years. (Image: SomeAstroStuff via Wikipedia)

Signs of Life? Why Astronomers Are Excited About Carbon Dioxide and Methane in the Atmosphere of an Alien World

Exoplanet K2-18b.

Are we alone? This question is nearly as old as humanity itself. (Image: J. Olmsted (STScI) / Science: N. Madhusudhan (Cambridge University) via NASA / CSA / ESA)

Astronomers Have Discovered a Rare ‘Polar Ring Galaxy’ Wrapped in a Huge Ribbon of Hydrogen

A polar ring galaxy.

Galaxies come in many shapes and sizes, from giant, slowly rotating ovals and fast-whirling spiral disks to faint ball-shaped blobs and dwarf irregulars. (Image: Jayanne English (U. Manitoba) / N. Deg (Queen’s U.) via The WALLABY team / CSIRO / ASKAP / NAOJ / Subaru Telescope)

4.5 Billion-Year-Old Sahara Space Rock Upends Assumptions About the Early Solar System

The Erg Chech 002 space rock.

In May 2020, some unusual rocks containing distinctive greenish crystals were found in the Erg Chech sand sea, a dune-filled region of the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria. (Image: Steve Jurvetson via Wikimedia)

A New Theory Suggests the Universe Has Been Around Twice as Long as Believed

Galaxy NGC 6822.

Galaxy NGC 6822, neighboring the Milky Way galaxy, being studied to learn more about stars and dust in the early universe. (Image: NASA / James Webb Space Telescope)

Russia Has Declared a New Space Race, Hoping to Join Forces With China

Russian rocket blasting off with the Luna-25 lander.

Russian space agency Roscosmos had hoped to return to the Moon after an absence of nearly 50 years. Instead, on Saturday, it lost control of its Luna-25 lander. (Image: russianspaceweb)

Almost Half of Moon Missions Fail. Why Is Space Still So Hard?

A Moon landing.

Space missions are a risky business. Just over 50% of lunar missions succeed. (Image: stux via Pixabay)

This Solar Cycle, the Sun’s Activity Is More Powerful and Surprising Than Predicted

A coronal mass ejection on the solar surface.

A coronal mass ejection on the solar surface. (Image: via NASA / GSFC / SDO)

A Spectacular Fireball Just Streaked Across Melbourne, but Astronomers Didn’t See It Coming

Space junk burning up in the atmosphere over Australia.

The first hours after a fireball sighting are like a detective mystery. (Image: Mark Davidson via Twitter)

Voyager 2 Has Lost Track of Earth. Only One Antenna in the World Can Help It ‘Phone Home’

An artist concept depicting one of NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft.

In 1977, five years before ET asked to 'phone home,' two robotic spacecraft began their own journey into space space — Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. (Image: NASA via JPL-Caltech)