Astronomy
A Mission to Jupiter’s Strange Moons Is Finally on Its Way
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) and Europa Clipper missions will search for signs of habitability on three of Jupiter’s potentially ocean-bearing moons.
Stories by Lee Billings
Astronomy
Science Has New Ideas about ‘Oumuamua’s Weirdness
Our first known interstellar visitor is now long gone, but new research has some ideas about why it moved the way it did while it was in our cosmic neighborhood.
Defense
Space Force Humor, Laser Dazzlers, and the Havoc a War in Space Would Actually Wreak
In the inaugural episode of Cosmos, Quickly, we blast off with Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno of the Space Force, who is charged with protecting our space in space, particularly from Russia and China...
Astronomy
How To Stop a (Potentially Killer) Asteroid
We slammed a $330-million spaceship the size of a dairy cow into an asteroid the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Here’s what we’re learning about how our first step in planetary defense could save us in the future...
Quantum Physics
6 Times Quantum Physics Blew Our Minds in 2022
Quantum telepathy, laser-based time crystals, a glow from empty space and an “unreal” universe—these are the most awesome (and awfully hard to understand) results from the subatomic realm we encountered in 2022...
Quantum Physics
Explorers of Quantum Entanglement Win 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics
Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work using entangled photons to test the quantum foundations of reality
Extraterrestrial Life
SETI Pioneer Frank Drake Leaves a Legacy of Searching for Voices in the Void
Remembering Frank Drake, who led science in listening for an extraterrestrial “whisper we can’t quite hear”
Space Exploration
Don’t Fear China’s Falling Rocket—Fear the Future It Foretells
Long considered trivial, the effects of rocket launches and reentering space debris on global warming and ozone loss could soon become too large to ignore
Astronomy
NASA Triumphantly Unveils Full Set of Webb’s First Images
Breathtaking pictures that include the deepest-ever infrared view of ancient galaxies offer a preview of the spectacular science in store for the most powerful space observatory in history...
Astronomy
See the Oldest View of Our Known Universe, Just Revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope
Decades of work, $10 billion in spending and nearly 14 billion years of cosmic history have brought us to this moment: the first science from the largest and most powerful observatory ever built...
Astronomy
Meet the Woman Who Makes the James Webb Space Telescope Work
Jane Rigby, Webb’s operations project scientist, discusses how NASA plans to wring as much science as possible from the $10-billion observatory
Animals
The Best Fun Science Stories of 2021: Rhythmic Lemurs, a Marscopter and Sex-Obsessed Insect Zombies
Check out the weird and wonderful stories that delighted us this year
Planetary Science
Ancient Martian ‘Lake’ May Have Just Been Ephemeral Puddles
One study suggests the Curiosity rover’s landing site is not as it seems
Astrophysics
Hunt for Alien Life Tops Next-Gen Wish List for U.S. Astronomy
A major report outlining the highest priorities and recommendations for U.S. astronomy has finally been released, revealing the shape of things to come
Planetary Science
Physics Nobel Honors Breakthroughs in Understanding Climate and Other Complex Systems
Half the award goes to Giorgio Parisi for his studies of disorder and chaos. The remainder is shared between Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann for modeling global warming and climate variability...
Astronomy
This Report Could Make or Break the Next 30 Years of U.S. Astronomy
A battle for the future of American stargazing is about to begin—and the stakes are sky high
Space & Physics
See Ingenuity Team’s Joy after the First Mars Helicopter Soars
Scientists and engineers react with elation to the historic interplanetary flight
Space & Physics
This Mars-Studying Scientist May Be the First Woman to Walk on the Moon
Jessica Watkins is excited for humans to get to work on the lunar surface
Planetary Science
Meet the Unsung Heroes behind Humanity’s Improbable Journey to an Alien Ocean
The author of a new book reveals the hidden human history of NASA’s in-development Europa Clipper mission
Space & Physics
Experience Seven Minutes of Terror in New Perseverance Mars Rover Landing Video
Last week’s pinpoint touchdown of NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover in Jezero Crater was historic for many reasons, chief among them the epochal nature of the mission’s task of seeking signs of ancient life—and caching relevant samples for eventual return to Earth...
