Astronomy

According to an article I read, astronomers are able to detect that star has a planet orbiting it by observing the "wobble" of the star induced by the gravitational pull of one or more planets. At the tremendous distances involved, what is the technology that enables these discoveries?

Can the curvature of the Earth only be seen from outer space? If you didn't know that the Earth is a sphere, there are three common observations you could use to convince yourself that it is.

The Chandler wobble is the change in the spin of Earth on its axis. Think of the wobble you see in a toy top when it first starts spinning or slows down. Its 'poles' do not spin in a perfectly straight line.

After Viking 1 captured images of what looked like a face on Mars, the public began to speculate. Had Martians carved a colossus, or was there another answer?

ByStephanie Watson

Although other planets have rings, none are as spectacular as Saturn's. What makes the planet's stratified rings, and how did they get there in the first place?

ByStephanie Watson

The only thing that's lurking in the shadows during a lunar eclipse is the moon. When Earth's shadow blocks sunlight from directly illuminating a full moon, you're witnessing a lunar eclipse.

ByJessika Toothman

If your idea of photographing the stars has nothing to do with Hollywood, you might be interested in astrophotography -- the sky's literally the limit.

ByJessika Toothman

Until recently, most people assumed that if Mars had liquid water, it no longer did and hadn't for quite some time. But scientists have recently noticed some anomalies in photos of Mars that may suggest there is water. Could there be life, too?

BySarah Dowdey&Robert Lamb

寻找行星九穿,和阿斯特朗omers have yet to get so much as a glimpse of it, researchers are pondering what else the object might be.

ByIan O'Neill, Ph.D.

Polaris, also known as the North Star, is almost exactly over the celestial North Pole, making it extremely useful for navigation (and for making wishes on, as well).

ByPatrick J. Kiger

The Geminid meteor shower is one of the year's stronger displays in terms of number and size of meteors. When's the best time to see it?

ByChristopher Hassiotis

The moon has seen a lot in its 4.5 million years of life, and this detailed geologic map serves as testament.

ByJesslyn Shields&Yara Simón

In 1953, CalTech geochemist Clair Patterson came up with an estimate for Earth's age that still holds today.

ByPatrick J. Kiger

天文学家used Hubble's full range of imaging to dissect wild 'fireworks' happening in two nearby young planetary nebulas.

ByCarrie Whitney, Ph.D.

Watching meteor showers can be a spectacular sight. We talked to some astronomy experts on how to improve your meteor-viewing experience.

ByNathan Chandler

Star-gazers gasped when they saw how much Betelgeuse dimmed in 2019 and the reason wasn't clear. Even though it's back up to full strength, how long will it be before it explodes? We haven't seen a supernova in over 400 years.

ByNathan Chandler

Even if you've never looked through a telescope, you've probably seen Vega, one of the brightest stars in our galaxy. In fact, thousands of years ago, Vega was our North Pole star, and will be again in the future.

ByValerie Stimac

Winter is the perfect time to look for Orion's Belt in the Northern Hemisphere. If you're new to stargazing, we'll show you how to find it.

ByValerie Stimac

You might call it a Christmas miracle. Jupiter and Saturn will align so closely they may look like a double planet. The last time we saw this was in 1226.

ByValerie Stimac&Desiree Bowie

The Quadrantids are a short but powerful meteor shower that shows up in early January. How can you glimpse it?

ByValerie Stimac

A magnetar is a neutron star with a super-strong magnetic field. Astronomers consider them among the scariest objects in the universe, but why?

ByValerie Stimac

Arcturus is 113 times brighter than our sun, even though it's only a little bigger. What else should we know about this red giant?

ByValerie Stimac

Surely you've watched tons of sunsets in your lifetime. But have you ever seen the sunset and the moonrise simultaneously? Is that even possible?

BySharise Cunningham

Everyone's heard of the blue moon and the harvest moon, but every other full moon of the year has a name, too. What are their names, and when do these moons occur?

ByNathan Chandler

But what?

ByIan O'Neill, Ph.D.