Space, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 28, 2014

NASA HD Moon Map Reveals Lunar North Pole Like Never Before (Photo)

A new high-resolution map of the moon's north pole shows a view of the surface that even the Apollo astronauts would envy. The new lunar mosaic — which was captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) — resolves features as small as 6.5 feet (2 meters), providing information that could...

Feb 28, 2014

Curious Clouds | Space Wallpaper

Astronomers at ESO have captured the best image so far of the curious clouds around the star cluster NGC 3572 as seen in this spectacular space wallpaper. This new image shows how these clouds of gas and dust have been sculpted into whimsical bubbles, arcs and the odd features known...

Feb 28, 2014

It's Time to Extend Routine Space Operations to the Moon (Op-Ed)

John Thornton is CEO of Astrobotic Technology. He contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. When the XPRIZE Foundation announced the Google Lunar XPRIZE in 2007, Astrobotic Technology chairman Red Whittaker declared his intention to compete on the first day. Since then, we have worked methodically on...

Dec 31, 2013

Thirty-year-old Data Offers New View Of Venus

(ISNS) -- In 2010, the European Space Agency’s Venus Express orbiter observed that twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms were escaping from Venus into space. This was the first evidence that Venus might once have harbored puddles, pools and even lakes of liquid water on its surface. Now,...

Sep 30, 2015

Chasing Wormholes: The Hunt for Tunnels in Space-Time

Science fiction literature is full of stories in which tunnels in space-time — known as wormholes — are used for time travel. How much fact lies within the fiction? The answer is, more than you might think. Scientists are looking at ways to use traversable wormholes (if they exist) to...

Sep 30, 2015

'Death Star' Vaporizes Its Own Planet: 1st Evidence

The planet-destroying Death Star from Star Wars may be fictional, but a star at the end of its life and only a bit bigger than Earth could be its real-world twin: The star is currently destroying and disintegrating an orbiting planet bit by bit. The ill-fated planetary body and its...

Aug 31, 2015

Tonight's Dazzling 'Supermoon' Lunar Eclipse: What You’ll See

If you pick just one night this year to go out and look up, make it tonight (Sept. 27). If skies are clear, expect a delightful treat as a total eclipse of the moon occurs in rare circumstances that will render the moon slightly bigger than normal, a so-called supermoon....

Jun 30, 2015

'Surfer's Waves' Found in Space

Surf's up — way, way up. Researchers have discovered a breaking-wave pattern over the magnetosphere, the magnetic field that surrounds Earth. As seen in a new NASA image, these waves look similar to the ocean waves that surfers crave. Their presence, though, might influence the space weather that causes auroras...

Jun 30, 2015

Here's What Pluto's Frozen 'Heart' Looks Like in False Color

The mysterious face of Pluto is beginning to yield some of its secrets in this stunning false-color image from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which scientists can use to detect subtle differences in the dwarf planet's surface, including its icy heart. The new image of Pluto, released on Thursday (July 23),...

May 31, 2015

SpaceX Rocket Fails During Cargo Launch to Space Station

An unmanned SpaceX cargo mission crashed back to Earth today (June 28), marking the third failure of a resupply flight to the International Space Station in the past eight months. SpaceX's robotic Dragon capsule blasted off atop the company's two-stage Falcon 9 rocket as planned today at 10:21 a.m. EDT...

Mar 31, 2015

Hubble at 25: Space Telescope's Views Have Changed How We See Earth

The Hubble Space Telescope, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in space, has become known for capturing stunning and unprecedented views of the cosmos. But while the famed orbiting observatory has provided amazing views of space, it's also given us new perspectives of Earth. Because the telescope can gaze across...

Nov 30, 2016

Are Mars' Dark Streaks Really Evidence of Liquid Water?

SAN FRANCISCO — The intriguing story of Mars' mysterious dark streaks may have a new twist. The streaks, known as recurring slope lineae (RSL), occur seasonally on steep, relatively warm slopes at many locations on the Red Planet. They were discovered in 2011 by scientists studying images captured by NASA's...

Sep 30, 2016

European Mars Lander Separates From Mothership, Takes Aim at Red Planet

A European spacecraft destined to land on Mars detached from its mothership on Sunday (Oct. 16), setting the stage for a daring descent to the Red Planet's surface later this week. The European Space Agency's Mars-bound Schiaparelli module separated from its carrier craft — the Trace Gas Orbiter — at...

Sep 30, 2016

This Is the Best View Yet of Europe's Mars Lander Crash Site

Europe's ExoMars lander gauged out a crater 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) deep and nearly 8 feet (2.4 m) wide when it crashed into the Red Planet's surface last week, a new photo by a NASA Mars orbiter reveals. The lander, known as Schiaparelli, apparently deployed its parachute prematurely and didn't...

Aug 31, 2016

Stephen Hawking Is Still Afraid of Aliens

Humanity should be wary of seeking out contact with alien civilizations, Stephen Hawking has warned once again. In 2010, the famed astrophysicist said that intelligent aliens may be rapacious marauders, roaming the cosmos in search of resources to plunder and planets to conquer and colonize. He reiterates that basic concern...