outer space

A NASA illustration depicts the positions of both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes, now outside the heliosphere. Voyager 1 left the heliosphere in August 2012, while Voyager 2 left at a different location last month.

Science

Voyager 2 Bids Adieu To The Heliosphere, Entering Interstellar Space

5:05pm December 10, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

The milestone makes the 41-year-old NASA probe just the second human-made object, after Voyager 1, to reach such distant regions. Now, Voyager 2 is over 11 billion miles from the sun — and counting.

An artist's rendering shows the Milky Way where a supermassive black hole lies at the center. A dozen smaller black holes have now been detected, and a new study suggests the monster is surrounded by about 10,000.

Science

Center Of The Milky Way Has Thousands Of Black Holes, Study Shows

6:11pm April 04, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The supermassive black hole lurking at the center of our galaxy appears to have a lot of company, according to a new study that suggests the monster is surrounded by about 10,000 other black holes.

Queue Listen Now

Norishige Kanai prior the launch of the Soyuz-FG rocket in Kazakhstan on Dec. 17. As is the norm, the Japanese astronaut grew in outer space, just not by as much as he initially thought.

Science

Astronomical Growth Turns Out To Be 'Fake News,' Says Japanese Astronaut

4:56pm January 10, 2018

by Amy Held

Norishige Kanai said he had grown up to 3 1/2 inches since arriving in space, sparking worry about whether he'd fit in the spacecraft home. Turns out, Kanai did grow, just not that much.