Martian Moons and Jovian Jaunts
A close-up look at the universe’s many wonders, from nearby planets to faraway galaxies.
- Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech01This close-up photo of Jupiter’s temperate belts was taken by the Juno spacecraft as it skimmed by the giant planet. Jupiter is known for these stripes, which are actually atmospheric separations caused by weather patterns and variations in chemical composition.
- Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech02This image is a stitched-together portrait of some of the last Saturn photographs taken by the Cassini spacecraft—which, after 13 years in orbit, flung itself into the planet and vaporized. The white circle marks the spacecraft’s final resting place.
- Photo: ESA/Hubble & NASA03Congratulations, you’re now a time traveler. This image shows the galaxy cluster PLCK G004.5-19.5 as it looked five billion years ago—which is how long it took the light to travel the vast distance to reach our telescopes.
- Photo: ESO04The four laser beams shooting out from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope allow the telescope to create an artificial guide star, allowing the optics to stay tuned while scientists track real astronomical objects.
- Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech05These two floating space objects are actually the two moons of Mars: Phobos and Deimos. Scientists hope to someday land robotic spacecraft (or even humans) on these moons, but for now they’re just studying them from a distance.
- Photo: NASA/ESA06Scientists thought they had nailed down the universe’s rate of expansion, but a new study—which used the stars circled in yellow to measure brightness and distance—revealed that it might be expanding faster than they thought.
TopicsAMP Stories
New Horizons Breaks a Record for Long-Distance Photography
The spacecraft was 3.79 billion miles from Earth when it snapped this photo of a Kuiper Belt object.
Shannon Stirone
Even Geriatric Mars Rovers Know How to Snap Selfies
The Opportunity rover has been exploring Mars for 14 years. But that doesn't mean it can't put Curiosity's social media skills to shame.
Shannon Stirone
Cosmic Dust Gives Milky Way a Fiery Mane
The Planck space telescope, which is surveying the entire sky in four massive sweeps, has nearly finished its first scan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k19ZtdIxNOY Rotating in orbit, Planck takes data of the sky in strips, almost the reverse of a chef peeling an apple in one long, thin strip. This image, taken from the scan, shows the structure […]
Alexis Madrigal
You Just Try to Snap a Photo at 100,000 MPH
When NASA's Juno spacecraft whizzes by Jupiter's poles, it manages to snap clear photos at astounding speeds.
Shannon Stirone
Where NASA Posts Its Best Space Photos, and How to Find Them
Explore decades of incredible images and videos of stars, planets, moons, and galaxies—most of which are free to use and share.
David Nield
British Space Startup Launches Longevity Lab Into Orbit
The lab will beam back data to train AI models to predict how proteins behind age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and certain cancers behave.
Isabella Ward
Space Lasers Show How Venezuela’s Earthquakes Reshaped the Earth’s Crust
New satellite imagery reveals how much terrain has shifted in the wake of the twin quakes.
Jorge Garay
Real-Life Disclosure Day Will Look Nothing Like Steven Spielberg’s New Movie
Previous landmark scientific discoveries like the Higgs boson provide a better template for what it will take to confirm whether aliens have made contact with Earth.
Nathaniel Janowitz
Satellite Images Show the Destruction Caused by Venezuela's Twin Earthquakes
The maps and images show the extent of destruction and give rescue operations a tool to find any remaining survivors.
Fernanda González
Rivian’s CEO on Tesla’s Cybertruck, Ferrari’s Luce, and What Happens If the R2 Fails
RJ Scaringe, the CEO of Rivian Automotive, joined us for a wide-ranging interview about how his company’s new electric SUV fits into the current EV industry, and what comes next.
Jeremy White
This Is the Most Detailed Image Yet of the Milky Way's Center
The Euclid space telescope's stunning photo of our galaxy's “crowded heart” captures more than 60 million stars.
Marta Musso
How to See the Giant Asteroid That Will Pass by Earth This Weekend
The asteroid will be visible for several nights from different parts of the world. We’ll tell you when and where to look, and what equipment you’ll need to spot it.
Jorge Garay