Track Comet ISON’s Journey Around the Sun with this Paper Model
Planet orbits are so easy to picture - eight nearly concentric hula hoops centered on the sun. Comets are weirder.…
Russia’s Second Shot at Phobos May Return Bits of Mars As Well
After the tragic failure of the first Phobos-Grunt mission to even make it out of low-Earth orbit, the Russian space…
Astronomy Cast 321: Solar Flares
Sometimes the Sun is quiet, and other times the Sun gets downright unruly. During the peak of its 11-year cycle,…
India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) Requires Extra Thruster Firing after Premature Engine Shutdown
India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) probe suffered a surprise hiccup overnight (Nov. 11 IST) when the main engine shut down…
Tracking Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy through November
Tired of comets yet? Right now, northern hemisphere observers have four (!) comets within range of binoculars in the dawn…
Carnival of Space #327
The tent is up! This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Pamela Hoffman at the Everyday Spacer blog. Click…
How Much Science Data Has The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Sent To Earth?
Imagine being able to watch three months' worth of high-definition space video sequentially -- maybe real-time coverage on the International…
Soyuz Spacecraft Landing: ‘The Ultimate Roller-Coaster Ride Back To Earth’
"It's only in the moment that you're in your spacesuit, and that the hatches are closing, that you know that…
How Astronomy Benefits Society and Humankind
With an annual cost of $30.8 million, the Keck Observatory costs $53.7 thousand for a single night’s worth of operation.…
What Would Happen if the Earth Stopped Turning?
This article was originally written in 2010, but we've now updated it and added this spiffy new video. As you…