Space and Astronomy News Headlines

An asteroid wider than nine ocean liners sailed safely past Earth today (May 31), making its closest flyby of our planet for at least the next 200 years.

One of the largest astronomy meetings of the year will open to the public for the first time in its history.

The pickup truck that helped to tow a retired space shuttle to its museum display last year is now part of an interactive exhibit designed to demonstrate how to pick up large things.

Humans aren't the luckiest creatures in "After Earth," a new science fiction movie that hit theaters around the United States today (May 31).

Space Camp — the dream summer vacation of science-minded kids everywhere — is the star of a new movie from the Hallmark Channel.

Supermassive black holes are thought to lie at the center of nearly every galaxy, sucking up dust and gas and other material that allows them to grow to enormous sizes. A stunning composite image of a galaxy 850 million light-years from Earth shows the power of one of these cosmic monsters spewing out humongous jets.

Although it is one of the largest constellations in the sky, Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer, is one of the least well-known. While large in area and prominent in the summer sky, it contains no bright stars, so it is rarely seen.

To keep astronauts safe and healthy during future missions to Mars, superfast new propulsion technologies will likely be necessary, experts say.

A huge asteroid is set to cruise by Earth Friday afternoon (May 31), making its closest approach to our planet for at least the next two centuries.

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Radiation levels measured by NASA's Mars Curiosity rover show astronauts likely would exceed current U.S. exposure limits during a roundtrip mission to Mars, scientists said on Thursday. The rover landed on Mars in August to search for habitats that could have supported …

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Astronauts traveling to and from Mars would be bombarded with as much radiation as they'd get from a full-body CT scan about once a week for a year, researchers reported Thursday.

A huge asteroid set to sail past Earth on Friday has its own moon, NASA scientists have just discovered.

A comet that could become one of the brightest ever seen when it flys by the sun this November is already remarkably bright and active, a new set of photos shows.

Astronauts who travel to Mars one day could be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation during their trip, even if shielding techniques are used, a new study shows.

A pair of spacecraft that meticulously mapped the moon's gravitational field has helped astronomers solve the long-standing mystery of why the moon is so gravitationally lumpy.

Smooth, round pebbles found by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity provide more evidence that water once flowed on the Red Planet, according to a new study.

If a dangerous asteroid appears to be on a collision course for Earth, one option is to send a spacecraft to destroy it with a nuclear warhead. Such a mission, which would cost about $1 billion, could be developed from work NASA is already funding, a prominent asteroid defense expert says.

A unique "roverscape" has been created to help assess the blending of human and robotic skills in deploying a low-radio frequency array on the moon’s farside. The series of tests will tap the talents of astronauts on the International Space Station to command an Earth-based robot to conduct simulated lunar tasks.