Planets - Page 85

Number of confirmed alien planets nears 1,000

October 21, 2015

Number of confirmed alien planets nears 1,000

Just two decades after discovering the first world beyond our solar system, astronomers are closing in on alien planet No. 1,000.

Smallest planet yet found outside solar system

October 21, 2015

Smallest planet yet found outside solar system

Astronomers searching for planets outside our solar system have discovered the tiniest one yet -- one that's about the size of our moon.

Good night, exoplanet: baby name book for planets

October 20, 2015

Good night, exoplanet: baby name book for planets

When new planets are discovered beyond the solar system, they often get boring designations such as HD 85512b or Gliese 667Cc.

Distance between Earth and sun redefined

October 20, 2015

Distance between Earth and sun redefined

The International Astronomical Union has voted unanimously to redefine the astronomical unit, the conventional unit of length based on the distance between the Earth and the sun.

Scientists spot a heart, whale on Pluto

October 20, 2015

Scientists spot a heart, whale on Pluto

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is set to pass within 7,750 miles of Pluto on Tuesday, and the probe has now sent us our closest view yet of the dwarf planet.

Pluto just 4 weeks, 20 million miles away for NASA's New Horizons spacecraft; flyby on July 14

October 20, 2015

Pluto just 4 weeks, 20 million miles away for NASA's New Horizons spacecraft; flyby on July 14

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is at Pluto's doorstep, following an incredible journey of nine years and 3 billion miles.

America's first one-year space voyage has astronaut excited

October 20, 2015

America's first one-year space voyage has astronaut excited

A NASA astronaut is getting ready to be the first American to spend a continuous year in space, and he is excited.

Earth's magnetic field could flip in our lifetime

October 20, 2015

Earth's magnetic field could flip in our lifetime

A pilot looking down at her plane controls and realizing magnetic north is hovering somewhere over Antarctica may sound like a scene from a science-fiction movie, but new research suggests the idea isn't so far-fetched in the relatively near future

Sniffing out alien life: Stinky chemicals may be key

October 20, 2015

Sniffing out alien life: Stinky chemicals may be key

If Professor Hubert Farnsworth's "Smell-O-Scope" actually existed, astrobiologists would have pointed it at dozens of alien planets by now.

Pluto-bound spacecraft New Horizons crosses Neptune orbit

October 20, 2015

Pluto-bound spacecraft New Horizons crosses Neptune orbit

On Monday, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft crossed the orbit of Neptune on its way to Pluto. The celestial milestone occurred on the 25th anniversary of Voyager 2's historic flyby of Neptune.