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...

Sun's magnetic field may form close to the surface. This finding could improve solar storm forecasts

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — New research indicates the sun’s magnetic field originates much closer to the surface than previously thought, a finding that could help predict periods of extreme solar storms like the ones that slammed Earth earlier this month. The magnetic field...

Webb telescope uncovers merger of two massive black holes from early universe

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The Webb Space Telescope has discovered the earliest known merger of black holes. These two gigantic black holes and their galaxies consolidated just 740 million years after the universe-forming Big Bang. It's the most distant detection ever made of...

Sun shoots out biggest solar flare in almost 2 decades, but Earth should be out of the way this time

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The sun produced its biggest flare in nearly two decades Tuesday, just days after severe solar storms pummeled Earth and created dazzling northern lights in unaccustomed places. “Not done yet!” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...

This giant gas planet is as fluffy and puffy as cotton candy

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have identified a planet that’s bigger than Jupiter yet surprisingly as fluffy and light as cotton candy. The exoplanet has exceedingly low density for its size, an international team reported Tuesday. The gas giants in our solar system...