The striking hourglass nebulae debunk an old truth
Space
The Mystery of Dark Matter Clarified—a Little
What is dark matter? Well, we know what it’s probably not: black holes.
Window on Infinity: Pictures from Space
From nebulas to the northern lights, our roundup of cosmic views from August 2013.
The Kepler Space Telescope May Be Dead, But Its Planet-Hunting Mission Continues
NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has scouted out thousands of potential new planets. A malfunction may have halted space operations, but new discoveries will keep flowing from the project’s ocean of data
Star Wars: Images of the Perseid Meteor Shower
Every summer about this time of year, the Earth passes through the orbital path of the Swift-Tuttle comet, creating one of the most reliable and spectacular star shows of the year: the Perseid meteor shower.
Twins in Space: An Unlikely Cosmic Experiment
NASA’s Kelly brothers offer science a rare chance to study how space affects the body
Happy Birthday Curiosity! A Year on Mars — and Counting
Twelve months after its white knuckle landing, NASA’s latest Mars rover has done some impressive work
Window on Infinity: Pictures from Space
From Saturn’s rings to the Curiosity rover, our roundup of cosmic views from July 2013.
Revealed: How Mars Lost Its Atmosphere
The Red Planet lost its protective blanket of air billions of years ago. Now astronomers are certain why
National Parks on the Moon? It’s an Excellent Idea
Forty-four years after the first moon walk, a bill before Congress would protect the Apollo landing sites as historical parks — and remind us of what we once were