Latest Astronomy News

Are we all aliens? NASA's returned asteroid samples hold the ingredients of life from a watery world
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday. The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the...

Newly spotted asteroid has a tiny chance of hitting Earth in 2032
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A newly discovered asteroid has a tiny chance of smacking Earth in 2032, space agency officials said Wednesday. Scientists put the odds of a strike at slightly more than 1%. “We are not worried at all, because of this 99 percent chance...

How to glimpse a parade of planets in the January night sky
NEW YORK (AP) — Six planets grace the sky this month in what's known as a planetary parade, and most can be seen with the naked eye. These planetary hangouts happen when several planets appear to line up in the night sky at once. “They’re not in a straight line,...

Spacecraft buzzes Mercury's north pole and beams back stunning photos
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A spacecraft has beamed back some of the best close-up photos yet of Mercury’s north pole. The European and Japanese robotic explorer swooped as close as 183 miles (295 kilometers) above Mercury's night side before passing directly over the planet's...

NASA proposes cheaper, quicker way to get Mars rocks and soil to Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is pitching a cheaper and quicker way of getting rocks and soil back from Mars, after seeing its original plan swell to $11 billion. Administrator Bill Nelson presented a revised scenario Tuesday, less than two weeks before stepping down as...

Here's your 2025 guide to the night sky and other celestial wow moments
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The new year will bring a pair of lunar eclipses, but don’t expect any sun-disappearing acts like the one that mesmerized North America last spring. While the world will have to wait until 2026 for the next total solar eclipse, the cosmos promises...
