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"Dead" Galaxies Live On
Even in the oldest, deadest galaxies out there, young stars continue to be born. 05.07.2012
Russia's New Super-sensitive Radio Telescope Is a Wee One: 8,000 Pounds; 33-Feet Wide
Only in the Brobdingnagian world of radio telescopes could RadioAstron be considered something of a runt. 11.05.2011
One Giant Leap for Machine Kind
While human explorers remain stubbornly stuck in Earth orbit, robotic space probes are preparing for the next great age of exploration: drilling, rolling, sailing, and prospecting where nobody has gone before. 10.31.2011
Next-Generation, Honking-Big, Recession-Proof Alien Hunting
The Square Kilometre Array should be able to pick up signals coming from aliens living halfway around the galaxy. 10.15.2011
Cosmic Eye Exam Shows Jaw-Dropping Accuracy of Webb Telescope's Optics
The scope's main mirror must hold its shape even down to temperatures near absolute zero. 09.03.2011
NASA's Inspiring, Enlightening, and Successful Search for New Earths
The Kepler space telescope, NASA’s first mission dedicated to the search for planets beyond our solar system, has produced a gusher of strange new worlds. If astronomers are right, many of them will prove to be habitable. 08.29.2011
How to Build a Telescope Even More Powerful Than Hubble
NASA is building the James Webb Space Telescope, which will be humanity's premier eye in the sky when it launches later this decade. Here's a sneak peek at the telescope that will take the universe's baby pictures. 02.15.2011
Is Anybody Out There?
As astronomers uncover a bewildering array of planets orbiting distant stars, four top researchers in the field reveal their plans to study these exotic worlds and search for signs that we are not alone in the universe. 01.27.2011
11 Space Missions That Will Make Headlines in 2011
This year, space exploration will bring news of expeditions to distant planets, the quest for life-friendly star systems, and the bold efforts of commercial space companies. Here's a preview of what to look forward to. 01.06.2011
The Alien Seekers of SETI Are Just Getting Started
For 50 years a devoted group of scientists has been listening for signals from intelligent life. Despite all the dead air, the true believers say the odds of success are now better than ever. 01.03.2011
The 100 Top Science Stories of 2010
Every year DISCOVER sorts through the scientific accomplishments of the past 12 months, and assembles a list of the coolest experiments, most brilliant discoveries, and most world-changing events. As you page through the countdown to the #1 science story, we think you'll come to the same conclusion we did: 2010 was quite a year. 12.16.2010
The Tricked-Out 747 That Peers High Into the Heavens
The SOFIA flying observatory soars above 99.8 percent of the water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere, allowing extremely crisp images of distant objects. 10.22.2010
The Mystery of the Rocketing Particles That Shouldn't Exist
From deep space, cosmic rays come fast and pack a heck of a punch. They may also carry clues to the most vexing mysteries in the universe. 09.23.2010
Scientists Are Ready to Build Some Galaxies
Thanks to recent observations and telescopes that will come online soon, a detailed account of the 13.7-billion-year history of the cosmos is finally within reach. 08.04.2010
10 Science Hotspots—Where Mother Nature Reveals Her Secrets
From glaciers to undersea vents to tornado-wracked plains, these are the locations that draw boatloads of scientists from all over the world. 06.30.2010
Field Notes: The Revolution of the Moons
When Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter, he gave evidence for what Copernicus had merely intuited: Not all heavenly bodies circle Earth. 04.26.2010
Happy Birthday, Hubble: The Telescope's Most Underrated Images
Of the vast library of amazing Hubble images, a few hog all the glory. So for the telescope's 20th anniversary, we bring you 10 pictures that deserve more love. 03.30.2010
Astronomers Discover 2 Shortcuts for Locating Earth-Like Planets
Stars orbited by planets are a little bit different than other stars, and scientists can use that to quickly home in on new planets. 03.23.2010
The Coolest Science Experiments in Antarctica
Researchers go neutrino-hunting and penguin-watching at the South Pole. 02.25.2010
Are Black Holes the Architects of the Universe?
Long known for their obliterating power, black holes may also have been a creative force: New evidence suggests that they gave order to the chaotic mess produced by the Big Bang. 01.04.2010
#59: Amazing Images of the Heart of the Milky Way
Earth's placement on one of the outer arms of the galaxy gives us a view of what's happening in the center. 12.29.2009
#100: Hubble's New Mind-Blowing 'Scopes
The Hubble Space Telescope's new equipment, including the Wide Field Camera 3, provide even better images of the heavens. 12.16.2009
A Yardstick for the Universe
The Hubble Space Telescope is helping to improve our understanding of the expansion of space, dark energy, and the fate of the cosmos. 11.10.2009
The NASA School of Art
For 50 years, artists have had up-close, insider access to the space program. Here are the results. 10.16.2009
Staring at the Sun, Just as Galileo Did
Astronomers at the Mount Wilson Observatory sketch sunspots every day, continuing a tradition started by Galileo. 05.27.2009
Russia's Dark Horse Plan to Get to Mars
The Fobos-Grunt mission might pave the way for humanity's first permanent space base—on Phobos, Mars' bizarre moon. 05.21.2009
The Frontiers of Astronomy
DISCOVER's panel of top astronomers and astrophysicists discuss some of the biggest questions in the universe. 05.10.2009
The Inspiring Boom in "Super-Earths"
At last we are finding rocky planets like our own. But some are pretty weird: The smallest may have a mineral-vapor atmosphere that condenses as lava rain or rock snow. 05.08.2009
Our Quest to Explore—and Photograph—the Solar System
Each stab outward into space gives us a chance to image some new part of our cosmic neighborhood, from Earth to water on Mars to the strange moons of Jupiter and Saturn. 04.21.2009
Forget Megapixels: Here Comes the Gigapixel Sky Camera
The Pan-Starrs-1 telescope will scan the skies for asteroids and comets that could wipe out life on Earth. 04.03.2009
He Charted the Moon Before Galileo, But You've Probably Never Heard of Him
Did Thomas Harriot keep his great discovery a secret to avoid decapitation? 03.31.2009
The Man Who Made Stars and Planets
Alan Boss has spent a career predicting how stars and planets form—and has often been right. 01.12.2009
Visual Science: A (Dormant) Volcano Is a Great Place to Look at the Sky
Hawaii's Mauna Kea houses the world’s largest astronomical observatory. 01.09.2009
Beyond the Nine Planets
We are only beginning to discover how vast and strange our solar system truly is. 01.06.2009
The Father of Dark Matter Still Gets No Respect
Little-acknowledged Fritz Zwicky got there first on dark matter, neutron stars, and supernovas. 12.31.2008
#27: Astronomers Spy the Youngest Planet Ever Found
The latest, newest protoplanet is a "dusty, rocky, gaseous lump." 12.17.2008
#99: Jupiter Grows (and Loses) a New Spot
The massive planet passed behind the sun and arrived with a brand new decoration. 12.04.2008
How Long Until We Find a Second Earth?
Researchers are racing to find the first planet that might support life as we know it. 10.10.2008
The Solar System Looks Way Better Than It Used To
A comparison of landmark space pictures shows our imaging tech has improved in 40 years. A lot. 10.07.2008
Searching Heaven and Earth for the Real Johannes Kepler
Galileo may be science's most famous martyr, but it was Kepler who solved the mystery of the planets. 10.05.2008
Robert Lanza
08.31.2008
The Race to Save the Hubble Telescope
An inside look at what may be the toughest space mission ever attempted. 08.28.2008
20 Things You Didn't Know About... Telescopes
From Galileo to the Hubble, viewing space has come a long way. 08.27.2008
Is the Universe's Energy Smothered in Dust?
A good dusting of 10,000 galaxies reveals tons of hidden energy. 08.23.2008
Movie Camera to the Stars
The Earth's fastest telescope aims to make the best sky map ever created. 05.13.2008
Battleground Galactica
New tools and techniques reveal space oddities that eclipse everything we've seen. 05.07.2008
The Space Race For the New Millennium
Despite funding concerns, NASA has big plans for moon exploration. 04.23.2008
98. Twin Probes Watch Sun’s Fury in 3-D
01.15.2008
94. Saturn Seen In New Light
01.15.2008
Inside the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
It starts with water and ends with intelligent aliens—hopefully. 12.25.2007
Good Astronomy at Bad Astronomy
A blog that takes no prisoners in its search for cosmic truth 12.11.2007
Scientist of the Year: David Charbonneau
His research heats up the search for alien life—and finds some amazing planets along the way. 12.06.2007
The Great Leap Forward in Space Imaging
From snapshots developed chemically—in space—to hi-tech digital masterpieces 11.30.2007
Fat times for Planet Hunters
New-found worlds are becoming bigger, hotter, and stranger. 11.27.2007
The Ice-Cream Scoop Taken Out of the Universe
A patch of the heavens that contains far more nothingness than the rest of space 11.21.2007
Quasars Say Earth Is 1/2 a Pinkie Smaller
We now know the planet is quite mushy—but at least we know. 10.12.2007
Map: Alien Weather Report
A planet with supersonic winds, where a day lasts a year 07.16.2007
20 Things You Didn't Know About... Galileo
Einstein's favorite scientist died an ardent Catholic. 07.02.2007
One Spectacular Stellar Death
The biggest recent supernova revealed how stars live and die. 05.22.2007
The Birth of Dark Energy
A dark force that is pulling the cosmos apart 04.16.2007
The Hunt for Other Earths Heats Up
We could hit the jackpot by 2010. 04.10.2007
Sunset over Mars
Requiem for the Mars Global Surveyor 03.14.2007
Cosmic Katrina
NASA's Cassini spacecraft eyes stormy weather at Saturn's south pole. 02.25.2007
World's Biggest Binoculars
Astronomers open a new window onto the universe. 12.10.2006
Map: X-Ray Vision Shows How a Galaxy Cluster Grows
New X-ray data unveils the dynamics of galaxy cluster Abell 3266. 09.01.2006
Map: Earth's Fourth Dimension
A gravitational rainbow points to our planet's invisible topography. 08.14.2006
Life's a Beach on Saturn's Moon
Saturn's biggest moon has giant sand-dune deserts. 08.01.2006
How To Make Anything Look Like a Toy
It's a small world after all that frame tilting. 07.01.2006
The Dark Side of the Sun
Scientists spot solar storms before they spin this way. 06.25.2006
NASA Turns Away From The Final Frontier
Budget cuts rein in explorers. 06.01.2006
Skylights
The cosmos brims with color, but our eyes aren't engineered to see it 04.02.2006
Sky Lights
Scientists celebrate 100 years of understanding cosmic speed limits 12.01.2005
Sky Lights
Stargazers can't fight summer's high humidity, but they can learn to love it 07.24.2005
How Nature Builds a Planet
A new space telescope tells us we really had no idea what was going on out there. 07.24.2005
Eyeing the Impact
07.19.2005
On Top of Kitt Peak
Seven thousand feet above Arizona's saguaro forests, a unique gathering of observatories probe the universe's darkest secrets 05.01.2005
Sky Lights
Even in the darkest depths of space, there's no escaping light pollution 04.28.2005
More Trouble for the Hubble
03.02.2005
X-Ray Vision
A completely different view of ravenous black holes, exploding stars, colliding galaxies, and other wonders of the universe a human eye can't see 02.05.2005
Observer
12.03.2004
A Brilliant Future Without the Hubble
07.25.2004
Hubble Goes to the Limit
06.27.2004
New Eye on the Sky
03.28.2004
A Field Guide to the Invisible Universe
At least 96 percent of the cosmos cannot be seen through any telescope, but what we cannot detect may hold the secret of our fate 12.23.2003
Letter fro? Discover
12.03.2003
Burnout
New images from Hubble preview the death of our sun: swift, colorful, and surprisingly tempestuous 11.09.2003
Aerospace: Ed Weiler
The Hubble Telescope's Best Friend 11.09.2003
Space Scientist: Geoff Marcy and Paul Butler
The Astronomers Who Proved Carl Sagan Correct 11.09.2003
Sky Lights
The sky turns cloudy this month. But even on overcast days, there is still plenty of spectacle to see up above 11.08.2003
The Biggest Chill
05.01.2003
Astronomy
01.01.2003
The Optical Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
The Optical Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence 11.01.2002
The Very Best Telescope
A powerful, new, and rather bizarre collection of six small telescopes atop Mount Wilson is about to change our view of the stars forever 10.01.2002
Science Travel
The narrow road up Mauna Kea leads to the deep sky 08.01.2002
Imagining Saturn Without Its Rings
06.01.2002
Black Beauty
05.01.2002
Sky Lights
4 banishes blurry pictures from astronomers' photo albums 03.01.2002
Can We Find Another Earth?
NASA is betting that we can, and a team of Princeton astronomers has a clever design for a telescope that could do it within 20 years 03.01.2002
A Really Big Eye in the Sky
01.01.2002
Sky Lights
Nature's blackest creations slowly reveal their true identities 10.01.2001
Sky Lights
Artists boldly go where no telescope has gone before 05.01.2001
Flying Pumpkins
09.01.2000
Let There Be Microwaves
08.01.2000
Sky Lights
Subaru Telescope/NAOJ 07.01.2000
Tuning In To Deep Space
Tuning In To Deep 2 12.01.1999
Tuning into Deep Space
12.01.1999
Planetary Superstars
Time to dust off those forgotten telescopes: There's finally a real spectacle up there 10.01.1999
Sky Lights
Time to dust off those forgotten telescopes: There's finally a real spectacle up there 10.01.1999
Sky Lights
Sorry, the real universe isn't that dramatic 09.01.1999
Sky Lights
Check out dusk's dazzling display of the evening star 06.01.1999
Cosmic Light Show
06.01.1999
From Here to Eternity
Get ready for a new generation of telescopes that can see forever 05.01.1999
Big City Stars
Snow and city lights can make February a sky watcher's washout. Not this year. 02.01.1999
Galaxies in Hiding
11.01.1998
New Scope
10.01.1998
Young Star
Hubble shows the violent birth of a massive star. 10.01.1998
Solar Portrait
09.01.1998
Beyond Hubble
Though our orbiting 2 Telescope is stillgiving us an unprecedented view of the heavens, within a decade or so, accumulated glitches will finally make THE HUBBLE go dark. But don't worry: NASA has a fleet of new telescopes aimed at a universe we can now only imagine. 02.01.1998
The Year in Science: Astronomy 1997
It turns out gama ray bursts are truly titanic. 01.01.1998
The Year in Science: Astronomy 1997
The Pistol Star makes our own sun lookd downright puny. 01.01.1998
The Year in Science: Astronomy 1997
Hubble's New Prism 01.01.1998
Beyond the Soapsuds Universe
The universe is full of patterns, but how did it get that way? 08.01.1997
Star Bright
Hubble catches sight of stars so dim it's like seeing the glow of a single cigarette on the moon. 06.01.1997
Giving Birth to Galaxies
Peering out to the edge of the universe, astronomers catch glimpses of galaxies in the making. 02.01.1997
Secrets of the Deep
01.01.1997
Staring at the Sun
01.01.1997
The Plane That Could
01.01.1996
The Quasars' New Clothes
The more we learn, the less we seem to know about quasars. 01.01.1996
1993 Discover Awards: Sight: Mirror Makers
10.01.1993
Redemption
04.01.1993
Liquid Eyes
02.01.1993
Island of Stars
10.01.1992
Galileo's Sugar Bowl
08.01.1992
The Young and the Globular
06.01.1992
Watery Eyes
03.01.1992
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