Space

Australia as seen from a satellite image shot by Japan Meteorological Agency.

Australia Says It Is Launching Its Own Space Agency

1:44pm September 26, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

Scientists and opposition politicians say Australia is lagging behind in the space industry. The country has been involved in the field for decades and was one of the first to launch a satellite.

An artist's depiction of Planet Nine. The object is thought to be gaseous, similar to Uranus and Neptune. Hypothetical lightning lights up the night side.

Science

Astronomers Search For Giant Planet On Outer Edges Of Solar System

11:12am September 26, 2017

by Joe Palca

Astronomers are continuing their search for a giant planet they believe is lurking at the outer reaches of the solar system.

Queue Listen Now

Until it was surpassed recently by a similar instrument in China, the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico, completed in 1963, was the world's single largest.

Science

Puerto Rico's Arecibo Radio Telescope Suffers Hurricane Damage

7:28pm September 25, 2017

by Scott Neuman

Early reports that a secondary dish at the observatory was destroyed by Maria turn out not to be correct, according to a group that helps run the facility.

An annual space law moot court competition imagines a future legal case set in space, where issues of liability and sovereignty can get extra complicated.

An Accident On The Moon, Young Lawyers To The Rescue

5:23pm September 22, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

Each year, law students argue hypothetical, futuristic case that takes place in space. This year, it's about who pays when two machines collide on the moon.

A jet emanating from galaxy M87 can be seen in this July 6, 2000, photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Are We About To See A Black Hole?

12:14pm September 21, 2017

by Adam Frank

A project called the Event Horizon Telescope is analyzing data taken earlier this year using interferometry — and we may be remarkably close to "seeing" a black hole, says astrophysicist Adam Frank.

An artist's rendition of the future Europa Clipper probing Jupiter's moon Europa for potential life.

Cassini's Spectacular Legacy — And Nod To The Future

3:12pm September 20, 2017

by Marcelo Gleiser

Following on Cassini's discoveries, NASA aims to probe Jupiter's Europa for potential life. With every new world we discover, we should look back at our own planet with awe, says Marcelo Gleiser.

Science

Scientists Work To Grow Food In Space

7:59am September 17, 2017

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Gene Giacomelli of the University of Arizona about working with NASA to develop a kind of greenhouse where astronauts can grow crops while in space.

Cassini Spacecraft Burns Up Like A Meteor In Dramatic End To Saturn Mission

4:35pm September 15, 2017

The Cassini spacecraft, which launched almost 20 years ago, ended its mission early Friday morning when it dove directly into Saturn's atmosphere, burning up like a meteor.

A wave structure known as the Janus 2:1 spiral density wave in Saturn's B ring returned earlier this month.

Science

Cassini's Saturn Mission Goes Out In A Blaze Of Glory

10:54am September 15, 2017

by Scott Neuman

The NASA probe that has spent the past 13 years making countless discoveries about the ringed planet and its moons was taken out of orbit and sent plunging into Saturn's atmosphere.

Science

Cassini Plunges To Saturn

5:06am September 15, 2017

by Joe Palca

The Cassini mission to Saturn ends on Friday. Scientists will steer the spacecraft into Saturn's atmosphere and watch it burn up.