After years of planning, testing, and assembly, the James Webb Space Telescope, the world's largest infrared, space-based observatory, is taking shape.
Space & Planets
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Cassini Observes First Evidence of Saturn's Ionospheric Outflow
Evidence shows the ionosphere may contribute as much mass as the moon Enceladus.
Posted inNews
Proposed Planet Nine Elicits Cheers, Yawns, Hunt for Proof
Evidence of a large, unseen planet at the solar system's margins prompted a flurry of scientific paper downloads, as well as oodles of skepticism. There's no sighting yet of the purported body.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Satellites Test Theory of Magnetic Reconnection
A quartet of satellites flying through Earth's magnetic field measures its interaction with the Sun's and puts a theory about their reconnection to the test.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Radar Technique Shows Magma Flow in 2014 Cape Verde Eruption
The European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 satellite captures volcanic surface changes that reveal the flow below.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Sun's Magnetic Field Impacts Earth's Thunderstorms
Lightning strikes are more frequent when Earth encounters a polarity switch in the solar magnetic field.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Saturn Alters the Ionosphere of Titan
New research shows that Saturn's powerful magnetic field changes the atmospheric chemistry of its largest moon, Titan.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Scientists Detect Wisps of Wind in Space
In the near vacuum of low-Earth orbit, there are still faint tendrils of air—but measuring them is very tricky. A new study comparing two methods will make it a little easier.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Decoding the Radio Transmissions of Shooting Stars
Spectacular fireball meteors don't just light up the night sky—recent observations show they also emit mysterious high-frequency radio waves. Now scientists think they understand why.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Satellites Reveal the History of the Moon's "Frigid Sea"
The history of aluminum-rich basalts in Mare Frigoris may help scientists better understand the evolution of the lunar mantle.