How the 11-year solar cycle drives flares and eruptions
The 11-year solar cycle shapes sunspots, flares and coronal mass ejections. Here is how the Sun’s magnetism evolves from minimum to maximum and back.
SpaceX rocket part slams into moon, leaves plume and crater
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A SpaceX rocket part struck the moon on Aug. 5, creating a dust plume and crater. Instruments in orbit and on Earth detected the impact and ejecta.
Curiosity rover honeycomb landscape spotted in Valle Grande
NASA’s Curiosity rover has imaged a vast honeycomb-like field of polygonal fractures in Valle Grande, a find that could illuminate Martian geologic and watery past.
Total solar eclipse to sweep Spain, Iceland and Greenland
A rare total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 will cross Spain, Iceland and Greenland, with partial views across Europe, Africa and North America.
Swift Observatory rescue faces delay as LINK spacecraft spins
The Swift Observatory rescue is delayed after Katalyst’s LINK spacecraft began spinning due to power issues. Engineers are racing to stabilize the vehicle.
Curiosity rover poem imagines a postcard from Mars
A Curiosity rover poem casts the Mars explorer as a homesick narrator, meditating on dust, distance, and discovery in a lyrical message to Earth.