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...

How to catch the Quadrantids, the first meteor shower of 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — When the Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on Friday, it will be the year's first chance to see fireballs in the sky. A waning crescent moon means good visibility under clear and dark conditions. Most meteor showers are named for the constellations...

Northern lights could be visible in upper fringes of the US this New Year's Eve
NEW YORK (AP) — There's a chance solar storms may bring northern lights to several northern U.S states just in time for the new year. The sun expelled two bursts of plasma that are hurtling toward Earth and are expected to arrive early this week, according to the U.S. National...

Thousands greet the winter solstice at the ancient Stonehenge monument
LONDON (AP) — Thousands of tourists, pagans, druids and people simply yearning for the promise of spring marked the dawn of the shortest day of the year Saturday at the ancient Stonehenge monument. Revelers cheered and beat drums as the sun rose at 8:09 a.m. (0809 GMT) over the...

The last meteor shower of the year peaks a few days before Christmas
The last meteor shower of the year — the Ursids — peaks Sunday, a few days before Christmas. While usually not as bright as the Geminids, the Ursid meteor shower can yield surprises. “The Ursids are generally a sparse meteor shower," producing about 5 to 10...
