A harmless asteroid will whiz past Earth Saturday. Here's how to spot it

An asteroid will whiz harmlessly past Earth this weekend. With the right equipment and timing, you just might spot it. Called 2024 MK, the space rock will make its closest approach to Earth Saturday morning, passing by at about three-quarters the distance from Earth to the moon. It...

China calls on scientists of all nations to study lunar samples, but notes obstacle with the US

BANGKOK (AP) — China's space officials said Thursday they welcomed scientists from around the world to apply to study the lunar rock samples that the Chang'e 6 probe brought back to Earth in a historic mission, but noted there were limits to that cooperation, specifically with the United States....

A Chinese lunar probe returns to Earth with the world's first samples from the far side of the moon

BANGKOK (AP) — China's Chang'e 6 probe returned on Earth with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first. The probe landed in the Inner Mongolian region in northern China on Tuesday afternoon. “I now declare that the...

China's Chang'e 6 probe lands back on Earth, with first ever samples from the less explored far side of the moon

It's summer solstice time. What does that mean?

DALLAS (AP) — It's time for the start of summer — with a full moon to boot. Here’s what to know about the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere on Thursday. What is the summer solstice? The Earth spins on a tilt as it revolves around the sun....

NASA's Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, is doing science again after problem

DALLAS (AP) — NASA's Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, is sending science data again. Voyager 1's four instruments are back in business after a computer problem in November, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory said this week. The team first received meaningful...

China says a spacecraft carrying rocks from the far side of the moon leaves the lunar surface for journey back to Earth

China says it has landed a sample collector on the far side of the moon to bring back soil and rocks to Earth

What you will and won't see from June's planetary parade

DALLAS (AP) — Six planets will link up before dawn on June 3 in what’s known as a planetary parade. But the spectacle won’t be as eye-catching as expected: Only two planets will be visible to the naked eye. Here’s what to know about this fairly common celestial event. ...

Massive cradle of baby stars revealed in new space telescope images

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A massive cradle of baby stars has been observed in new detail by a European space telescope, adding to its celestial collection of images. The European Space Agency released the photos from the Euclid observatory on Thursday. They were taken following...