The giant planet is a world of extremes
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
On February 7, 1984, astronaut Bruce McCandless ventured out into space and away from shuttle Challenger using only a nitrogen-propelled, hand-controlled backpack
Only two robotic missions have made it to the Swift Planet, but they were crucial for upending many false assumptions of that sun-scorched world
Nature enthusiasts work with researchers to figure out how creatures respond to the celestial phenomenon
Two perspectives on the astronomical phenomenon that has fascinated humans for as long as we’ve been watching the skies
Communities may have thought the celestial events were messages from the gods, a reason to abandon a settlement or a cue to end a war
:focal(1392x974:1393x975)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/bc/33/bc330d30-0d48-485d-89f9-e4f4d8867508/m51-and-companion_0-jpg.webp)
The "Messier marathon" prompts space hobbyists to spot 110 celestial objects in one night, and the best time to try it is in March
Our sister planet’s cloudy exterior gave it an aura of mystery—until humanity developed the technology to probe past the veil
The surprisingly long-serving Ingenuity ended its historic service after breaking a rotor
The innovative Habitable Worlds Observatory will offer ways to detect signs of life on other planets
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
Skywatchers can expect spectacular meteor showers, a comet soaring past Earth and a long-anticipated total solar eclipse
From stories on the depths of the ocean to the stars in the sky, these are the works that moved us the most this year
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
Scientists have learned a lot since they started sending crafts and rovers to our red neighbor
Astronomers have long debated what kind of chemistry might serve as a bona fide alien biosignature
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
And why do they even call it a "blue moon" when it won't actually be that color?
Page 1 of 37
