New swarms of sunspots are so gigantic they could devour Earth whole

The comet won't come near us, but will present a rare chance to closely observe an Oort Cloud comet that carries clues to our origins.

A PREHISTORIC Megalodon shark has been declared the world's 'ultimate predator of predators' by scientists. In a new study, researchers from Princeton University ranked predators from the past and revealed that Megalodon sharks reigned supreme. Megalodons are an extinct species of mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million...

We finally have hints of what the first operational images will be from NASA's brand-new deep-space observatory.

It's springtime on Mars and the mysterious polygons are in bloom, a new image from the orbiting High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HIRISE) camera shows. Recorded on March 30, the image reveals a patchwork of white zig-zags cracking across the Mars soil at high latitudes, with occasional sprays of black and blue mist fanning out between them. The zig-zags and colorful sprays are signature features of Martian spring, when hidden reservoirs of subterranean ice butt up against the dry Martian surface, researchers at the University of Arizona — which manages the HIRISE mission — wrote in a statement (opens in new tab) on Monday (June 20).

We know that the Earth has had at least five major ice ages. Could humans survive one?

You can watch the five naked-eye planets align for free on a livestream that will be running Sunday (June 26).

NASA revisits a spectacular Hubble Space Telescope shot of the dwarf galaxy ESO 318-13 in this stunning photo.

Researchers have found a new way to detect some of the most cataclysmic mergers in the universe before they happen. Neutron stars, the extremely dense cores of massive dead stars, spiraling toward each other or into a black hole can raise tidal waves in the oceans of heavy charged particles surrounding the neutron stars. Those tidal waves reveal themselves through regular flashes of electromagnetic radiation, which can serve as an early warning system for impending mergers, the researchers found.

Martian rock samples collected by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover show signs of key ingredients for life as we know it on Earth. The venerable Curiosity Rover drilled samples from Gale crater, the site of an ancient lake on Mars. Using these samples, scientists were able, for the first time, to measure the total amount of organic carbon in Martian rocks, according to a statement from NASA (opens in new tab).

A sungazing spacecraft captured the moon passing in front of the face of the sun Wednesday (June 29). NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the solar eclipse in action from its unique vantage point in space, the only spot where this eclipse was visible. "At the peak of the eclipse, the...

He's flown more than 400 days in space and is a BFF with Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, among other achievements. At 468 days in space, Buzz Lightyear has spent the longest time ever in space on a single mission. The catch is, as Lightyear's friend Woody would remind us in a hot minute, he is a toy!

Northop Grumman's robotic Cygnus freighter is scheduled to undock from the orbiting lab at 6:05 a.m. EDT (1005) Tuesday. Watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA.

Venus Aerospace has recently released design images of its new Mach 9 aircraft concept.

The microwave-sized CAPSTONE will test a new orbit for NASA's Gateway space station around the moon. Update for 12 pm ET: NASA, Rocket Lab and Advanced Space announced at 11 am ET that they've postponed the launch of CAPSTONE due to final systems checks on the Rocket Lab booster. The next opportunity is on June 28, pending those checks and weather conditions.

Neptune will enter retrograde on Tuesday (June 28) and will appear to 'reverse its course' as it moves across the sky. Here's how to see it.

The moon will pass close to Mercury in the predawn sky on Monday (June 27). Find out how and where to see this skywatching event.

A Chinese solid rocket returned to flight, and another booster sent spy satellites to orbit. China is continuing its quest to carry out more than 50 orbital launches this year with a pair of missions lifting off within just over 24 hours of each other. Commercial launch service provider Expace...

On June 29, 1971, a Soviet space mission ended in tragedy when three Russian cosmonauts were found dead inside their spacecraft after returning to Earth.

A gorgeous photo opportunity will greet skywatchers on Sunday (June 26) when the slim crescent moon meets Venus in the early morning sky.

A "peculiar" cloud over the Caspian Sea offers an interesting case study of how satellites can detect such phenomena in Earth's atmosphere.