A team of scientists has confirmed that the nearby star GJ 887 hosts at least four planets, one of which could be a habitable world — the second closest to our own solar system. RELATED: Animal life ...

A total lunar eclipse is the highlight of the month. For planetary action, Jupiter is well placed most of the night and there are many events involving its Galilean moons. Soon after sunset, brilliant ...

The only child of astronomer William Herschel, John Herschel was born March 7, 1792, in England. After studying mathematics at Cambridge University, Herschel began working with his father from 1816 ...

Deep-sky objects are celestial objects that exist outside our solar system. Three major types of deep-sky objects are nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies. The word nebula is Latin and means “cloud.” ...

In less time than it takes to snap your fingers, the universe flashed into existence. Cosmogenesis is the breathtaking story of how this happened. It includes, in its later moments, the creation of ...

Karen Meech doesn’t spend a lot of time digging through Earth’s rocks. An astronomer by trade, she is usually behind the telescope, investigating comets and looking for hints about how Earth got its ...

Upcoming events Learn about upcoming celestial events that you can observe, such as eclipses, meteor showers, comets, aurorae, conjunctions, and more.

The longer nights of August beckon with several treats this month. Saturn and Neptune undergo their second conjunction of the year, appearing together in a low-power telescope eyepiece. Telescopic ...

Mercury, Venus, and Saturn put on an early-evening display in the west, while Jupiter dominates the rest of the night. Jupiter features many events involving its four major moons that are well worth ...

The long nights of December are an astronomical delight. The early evening sky hosts Saturn as the main feature, along with Uranus and Neptune. Jupiter rises later and is visible all night, its four ...

Here is a list to help you keep track of many current and scheduled space missions. We’ve gathered a selected group of high-profiles ones, listed them below, and linked to official sites where you can ...

The theory of general relativity, under which space itself can curve, allows for the universe to take one of three forms: flat like a sheet of paper, closed like a sphere, or open like a saddle. This ...