With the discovery of thousands of exoplanets orbiting other stars, the search for life elsewhere has entered an exciting new phase. So far, most of these worlds have been found many light-years away (largely due to the fact that the Kepler Space Telescope, which has …
If you felt a bit apprehensive about this morning’s media teleconference from NASA, you’re not the only one. The very long-lived Opportunity is facing its most dire predicament yet – a raging dust storm that has virtually turned day into night at its current location. …
Read MoreNASA hopeful Opportunity rover will survive raging dust storm on Mars
Many of us dream about being able to go into space and visit different planets in our Solar System or even venture to more distant worlds around other stars. Exoplanets would be particularly exciting, since we haven’t seen any of them close up yet, but …
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has shown Jupiter in ways never seen before, not only sending back incredibly detailed images of the beautifully turbulent atmosphere, but also new data on what the giant planet is really like on the inside and how it formed. The mission has …
Read MoreJuno gets science mission extension and solves electrifying mystery on Jupiter
We all know how common sand dunes are on Earth – just go to practically any desert region to see them in their various shapes and sizes. Thanks to robotic space explorers, we also know they exist elsewhere in the Solar System, including Mars, Venus, …
Is there or has there ever been life on Mars? We still don’t know the answer for sure, but two new findings announced yesterday morning by NASA during a live discussion provide more tantalizing clues. The new results come from the Curiosity rover in Gale …
Read MoreCuriosity rover makes intriguing new discoveries about Martian organics and methane
NASA is about to get its closest-ever look at the dwarf planet Ceres – a world which has already amazed planetary scientists with its intriguing geology including numerous bright spots and an odd, isolated conical mountain. In early June, the Dawn spacecraft will maneuver to …
Read MoreCeres up-close: Dawn prepares for lowest (and last) science orbit around dwarf planet