Space

Astronomers have discovered a star, shown in an artist's rendition, that appears to be orbiting an invisible black hole with about four times the mass of the sun.

Science

Black Holes: Where Reality Beats Fiction

5:52pm January 17, 2018

by Marcelo Gleiser

We know that at the heart of pretty much every galaxy, there is a giant black hole. There is a lot that we know about black holes — and a lot that we don't know, says astrophysicist Marcelo Gleiser.

Night Became Day In Detroit As Meteor Lit Up Sky

4:44pm January 17, 2018

A meteor streaked over southeast Michigan Tuesday night, creating a sonic boom so loud it shook houses. After seeing the spectacle in the night sky, thousands of people took to social media to share what they witnessed.

A car dashcam captures a view of a meteor near Bloomfield Hills, Mich., on Tuesday in this still image from video obtained from social media.

Science

Bright Light, Sonic Boom As Meteor Streaks Across Southern Michigan

10:01am January 17, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The space rock punched through the clouds near Detroit just after 8 p.m. with a boom that shook houses and registered magnitude 2.0 on U.S. Geological Survey instruments.

Image of galaxy SDSS J1354+1327 (lower center) and its companion galaxy SDSS J1354+1328 (upper right). The inset panel to the right is a four-color image that combines Hubble exposures with Chandra X-ray observations.

Science

Researchers Spot Massive Black Hole In Double 'Burp'

9:19am January 12, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The cosmic sinkhole is at the center of a galaxy 800 million light-years from Earth and supports the theory that such objects can switch their power output on and off in relatively short time-scales.

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.

A SpaceX Falcon9 rocket blasts off the launch pad in February 2015, carrying the NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft. The same type of rocket attempted to place a U.S. spy satellite in orbit on Sunday.

U.S. Spy Satellite Reportedly 'Write Off' After Failing To Reach Orbit

9:00am January 09, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The multi-billion dollar satellite, launched by SpaceX, was initially thought to have made a successful low-Earth orbit, but there have been several unconfirmed reports since indicating it is lost.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft await liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A in Cape Canaveral, Fla., in August.

Science

SpaceX Rocket Launches Secret Government Payload Into Orbit

10:39am January 08, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The launch of the top-secret Zuma satellite into an undisclosed orbit ended with yet another pinpoint landing for the Falcon's first-stage booster, which will be reused.

On the moon in 1972, Apollo 16 astronaut John Young jumps off of the lunar surface to salute the U.S. flag.

National

Astronaut John Young, Who Flew In Space 6 Times, Dies At 87

10:26pm January 06, 2018

by Russell Lewis

One of NASA's most accomplished astronauts died Friday. He flew in space six times, including a moon landing, and later headed the office that chose crews for space shuttle missions.

Queue Listen Now

Star 'Treknology': Imagining The Future Into Being

4:47pm January 06, 2018

by Adam Frank

From its first appearance, Star Trek has always been hopeful about the relationship between society and technology. Ethan Siegel doesn't lose sight of this in his book, Treknology, says Adam Frank.

Science

Astronomers Find Huge Stars More Common Than Previously Thought

5:58pm January 04, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A survey of a neighboring galaxy turned up 30 percent more super-heavy stars than expected. The discovery has implications for how stars form.