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Space & the Sky

106 curious, true stories.

A bright blue sky with a few white clouds over a meadow of wildflowersSpace & the SkySunlight Is White, So Why Is the Sky Blue? It Took Scientists Centuries to Work It OutIllustration of the planet Venus glowing brightly in a dark night skySpace & the SkyOn Venus, One Spin Takes Longer Than a Trip Around the Sun, and the Sun Rises in the WestIllustration of a full moon over a quiet lakeSpace & the SkyThe Moon Is Spinning, Yet It Always Shows Us the Same Face. Earth Is WhyIllustration of an astronaut's bootprint pressed into gray moon dustSpace & the SkyMoon Footprints Are Famous for Lasting Forever. Scientists Found a Slow Eraser
Illustration of a starry night sky glittering over a red country barn and a quiet fieldSpace & the SkyThere's an Easy Way to Tell a Star From a Planet Just by Looking Up TonightIllustration of a soft blue sunset glowing over a rocky red Martian landscapeSpace & the SkyOn the Red Planet, the Sky Plays a Trick at Sunset. It's the Opposite of What We See
Illustration of a bathroom scale floating in space among the planetsSpace & the SkyStep on a Scale on Jupiter and the Number Jumps. On Pluto, It Nearly DisappearsAn astronaut floating quietly beside a space station above EarthSpace & the SkySpace Is Silent to Human Ears. Yet Astronomers Found a Note Deep in a Galaxy Cluster
Illustration of an astronaut measuring their height against a wall inside a spacecraftSpace & the SkyAstronauts Come Home a Little Taller Than They Left. The Growth Spurt Doesn't LastIllustration of a sparkling, crystal-like planet glowing against the darkness of deep spaceSpace & the SkyHeadlines Promised a Planet Made of Diamond. The Real Science Is Stranger Than ThatIllustration of green northern lights glowing over a snowy cabin at nightSpace & the SkyThe Northern Lights Start Out as a Gust From the Sun. The Colors Hold a ClueIllustration of the Big Dipper over a farmhouse at nightSpace & the SkyMost Stars Rise and Set, but the Big Dipper Never Leaves the Sky Over Much of America
A small, intensely glowing neutron star with beams of light shooting from its poles in dark spaceSpace & the SkyA Single Teaspoon of This Star Would Outweigh the Great Pyramid Hundreds of Times OverIllustration of the Sun with solar flares in spaceSpace & the SkyThe Sun's Surface Is About 10,000°F. Its Outer Atmosphere Is Somehow Far HotterIllustration of a huge orange full moon rising over a quiet fieldSpace & the SkyThat Giant Moon Rising Over the Trees Isn't Any Bigger. A Pebble Can Prove ItIllustration of the International Space Station orbiting above Earth with the blue planet belowSpace & the SkyThe Space Station Circles Earth So Fast Its Crew Sees 16 Sunrises Every Single Day
Illustration of sunbeams breaking through clouds over a calm oceanSpace & the SkyThe Sunshine on Your Face Left the Sun a While Ago. Its Trip Started Even EarlierIllustration of small icy Pluto with its pale heart-shaped plainSpace & the SkyPluto Was the Ninth Planet for 76 Years. Then Astronomers Found a Heavier RivalIllustration of the deep blue planet Neptune glowing against the blackness of spaceSpace & the SkyDeep Inside Neptune, Scientists Think It May Be Raining Something PreciousIllustration of an astronaut looking out a spacecraft window at EarthSpace & the SkyAstronauts Can Cry in Space, but Their Tears Never Fall. Here's Where They Go
A bright shooting star streaking across a dark, star-filled night skySpace & the SkyThat Shooting Star You Wished On Was Probably No Bigger Than a Grain of SandIllustration of the Sun setting over rolling green hillsSpace & the SkyOur Sun Has Hit Middle Age, and Its Golden Years Will Be Truly SpectacularIllustration of the Moon above the ocean at nightSpace & the SkyThe Moon Drifts About an Inch and a Half Farther Away Every Year. Our Oceans Are WhyIllustration of tiny Earth floating beside the giant glowing SunSpace & the SkyTry to Picture How Many Earths Would Fit Inside the Sun. The Real Number Is Staggering
Illustration of the ringed planet Saturn floating in a giant old-fashioned bathtub among the starsSpace & the SkySaturn Is 95 Times Heavier Than Earth. In Water, It Would Still Bob Like a CorkIllustration of a shiny gold record floating in deep space beside a distant spacecraftSpace & the SkyIn 1977, NASA Sent a Record Into Space for Aliens to Find. Chuck Berry Made the CutIllustration of an astronaut asleep in a sleeping bag strapped to a wall on a space stationSpace & the SkyAstronauts Sleep Strapped to a Wall, and a Fan Is the Most Important Thing in the RoomA colorful starfield with red, orange, white, and blue starsSpace & the SkyStars Come in Red, Orange, White, and Blue. Green Almost Never Makes the List
Illustration of the small gray planet Mercury glowing close to the blazing SunSpace & the SkyOn Mercury, a Year Flies By in 88 Days. A Single Day Takes Twice as LongIllustration of a tilted Earth beside the Sun, with one hemisphere in summer light and the other in winter shadowSpace & the SkyEarth Is Closest to the Sun in January. So Why Is It Winter in America?Illustration of the enormous volcano Olympus Mons towering over the red plains of MarsSpace & the SkyThis Mars Volcano Is 2.5 Times as Tall as Everest. You Could Stand on It and Not KnowIllustration of the Milky Way over a desert at nightSpace & the SkyThat Hazy River of Light Across the Night Sky Is Hiding Billions of Stars
A total solar eclipse with a glowing white corona above a crowd of people looking upSpace & the SkyTotal Solar Eclipses Only Work Because of One Lucky Number in the SkyIllustration of an astronaut taking off a helmet inside a stationSpace & the SkyYou Can't Sniff Space Directly. But Moon Dust and a Distant Cloud Offer Some Odd CluesIllustration of a close-up view of the cratered surface of the MoonSpace & the SkyEarth Gets Hit by Space Rocks Too. So Where Did All of Our Craters Go?Illustration of Earth rotating in space with a clear line between day and nightSpace & the SkyYou're Moving Hundreds of Miles an Hour Right Now, and Your Address Decides How Fast
Illustration of two stars, one large and bright and one small, orbiting each other in spaceSpace & the SkyThe Brightest Star in the Night Sky Has a Hidden Partner Your Eyes Can't SeeIllustration of Jupiter with its swirling bands and the red-orange Great Red SpotSpace & the SkyJupiter's Giant Storm Was Once Three Times Wider Than Earth. Now It's ShrinkingIllustration of a black hole surrounded by a glowing orange ring of light against a starry skySpace & the SkyFall Into a Black Hole and Your Friends Would See Something Very Different Than YouIllustration of astronauts eating floating food aboard a space stationSpace & the SkyNASA Once Faced a Congressional Hearing Over a Sandwich Smuggled Into Space
A small mixed-breed dog sitting beside a vintage 1950s spacecraftSpace & the SkyShe Was a Stray Dog From the Streets of Moscow. In 1957, She Circled the EarthIllustration of star trails circling around the North Star in a night skySpace & the SkyEvery Star in the Northern Sky Circles One Point. The North Star Sits Almost on ItIllustration of a starry sky over mountainsSpace & the SkyWhen You Look at the North Star, You're Seeing Light That Left Before Colonial TimesIllustration of a rocky lunar surface with dust rising into the airSpace & the SkyApollo Crews Left Instruments on the Moon. They Picked Up Something No One Expected
Illustration of a rusty red Martian desert with rocks, dunes, and a dusty orange skySpace & the SkyMars Gets Its Famous Red Color From Something Sitting in Your Garage Right NowIllustration of planet Earth surrounded by a swarm of tiny satellites and debrisSpace & the SkyMillions of Bits of Junk Are Circling Earth. One of Them Is an Astronaut's Lost GloveIllustration of a faint glowing hourglass-shaped nebula in deep spaceSpace & the SkyThe Coldest Natural Place Known Is Colder Than Space. An Even Colder Spot Is on EarthA glowing orange sun setting over a calm lakeSpace & the SkyThe Sun Isn't Really Orange at Sunset. The Sky Is Filtering Out the Other Colors
Illustration of a bright comet with a long glowing tail stretching across a starry skySpace & the SkyA Comet's Tail Doesn't Trail Behind It. Sometimes It Leads the Way InsteadIllustration of deep, shadowed craters near the Moon's pole with sunlit crater rimsSpace & the SkySome Craters on the Moon Haven't Seen Sunlight in Ages. Scientists Found Ice InsideIllustration of the blue-green planet Uranus tilted on its side with faint ringsSpace & the SkyUranus Rolls Around the Sun on Its Side. Its Poles Get 42-Year Days and 42-Year NightsIllustration of planets lined up with clocksSpace & the SkyOn One Planet, a Single Day Lasts Longer Than Its Entire Year
The Voyager spacecraft with its large white dish antenna drifting through dark, starry spaceSpace & the SkyLaunched in 1977, This Spacecraft Is So Far Away Its Messages Take Almost a Day to ArriveIllustration of ocean waves under a full moonSpace & the SkyThe Moon Raises a High Tide on the Side of Earth Facing Away From It, TooIllustration of an astronaut floating inside a space station washing with a clothSpace & the SkyNASA Once Built a Shower in Space. One Wash Took About Two and a Half HoursIllustration of a deep blue gas giant planet with swirling storms near a bright starSpace & the SkyFrom Afar This Planet Looks Like a Calm Blue Marble. Up Close, the Weather Is a Nightmare
Illustration of an old paper calendar with February 29 circled in redSpace & the SkyFebruary 29 Exists Because Earth Runs a Little Late Every Year. The Fix Took CenturiesIllustration of a damaged Apollo spacecraft drifting through space near the MoonSpace & the SkyAn Explosion Crippled Their Spaceship Near the Moon. Duct Tape Helped Get Them HomeIllustration of an astronaut in a cramped 1960s space capsule holding a small harmonicaSpace & the SkyTwo Astronauts Reported a Strange Object in Orbit. Then Mission Control Heard MusicIllustration of the Sun glowing calmly in spaceSpace & the SkyThe Sun Will Never Become a Black Hole. Its Real Ending Is Quieter but Still Wild
A vast field of countless colorful galaxies scattered across deep spaceSpace & the SkyThe Universe Is 13.8 Billion Years Old. So Why Can We See 46 Billion Light-Years Away?Illustration of a pale half moon in a clear blue daytime skySpace & the SkyThe Moon Isn't a Night Owl. It Spends About as Much Time in the Daytime SkyIllustration of a cosmonaut floating in a space stationSpace & the SkyOne Doctor Spent 437 Days in Orbit, Then Did Something Surprising When He LandedIllustration of the planet Saturn surrounded by bright icy ringsSpace & the SkySaturn's Famous Rings Are Vanishing, Now and Then and Also for Good
Illustration of a deep red moon during a total lunar eclipse rising over a dark pine forestSpace & the SkyDuring a Blood Moon, You're Seeing Every Sunrise and Sunset on Earth at OnceIllustration of meteors streaking across a starry sky above a mountain campsiteSpace & the SkyThe Perseids Show Up Every August Right on Schedule. The Reason Is a Comet's Old TrailIllustration of astronauts in spacesuits working on a large telescope in orbit above EarthSpace & the SkyHubble Launched With a Flaw Thinner Than a Hair. Astronauts Fixed It in OrbitAn icy, cracked moon hanging in space in front of a giant striped gas planetSpace & the SkyOne of Jupiter's Moons Is Covered in Ice. Scientists Think There's an Ocean Underneath
Illustration of astronauts floating weightlessly inside a space station moduleSpace & the SkyAstronauts Float in Orbit, but Not Because There's No Gravity Up ThereIllustration of GPS satellites orbiting Earth with glowing signal lines reaching the groundSpace & the SkyThe Clocks on Navigation Satellites Run Fast. Einstein Explained Why Decades Before LaunchIllustration of two satellites orbiting high above the curve of the EarthSpace & the SkyIn 2009, Two Satellites Collided at 26,000 MPH Above Siberia. Pieces Are Still Up ThereIllustration of the far side of the Moon in sunlightSpace & the SkyThe So-Called Dark Side of the Moon Gets Just as Much Sunshine as the Side We See
A field of young green sunflowers with their buds all turned toward the bright morning sunSpace & the SkyYoung Sunflowers Chase the Sun All Day. Grown-Up Ones Quietly Stop and Face One WayIllustration of the Sun's glowing surfaceSpace & the SkyEvery Second, the Sun Turns About 4 Million Tons of Itself Into Pure EnergyIllustration of planet Earth in space with a slight bulge around the equatorSpace & the SkyMount Everest Isn't the Spot Farthest From Earth's Center. A Volcano in Ecuador IsIllustration of a beam of starlight passing through a prism and splitting into a rainbowSpace & the SkyA Famous Thinker Said We'd Never Know What Stars Are Made Of. Within Decades, We Did
Illustration of a fiery asteroid streaking toward ancient EarthSpace & the SkyThe Asteroid That Ended the Dinosaurs Left a Clue in Italy. The Crater Hid in MexicoIllustration of an astronaut with a shiny gold visor standing on the gray lunar surfaceSpace & the SkyThe Sky on the Moon Is Pitch Black, Yet Astronauts Still Needed SunglassesIllustration of a teardrop-shaped clear cup of coffee aboard a space station with tiny coffee droplets floating nearbySpace & the SkyAn Astronaut Missed Sipping Coffee From a Cup, So He Invented One That Works in OrbitIllustration of a colorful glowing nebula in spaceSpace & the SkyEvery Star Starts as a Cold, Dark Cloud. Then Gravity Takes Over
A bright full Moon shining over a northern pine forest on one side and an Australian desert on the otherSpace & the SkyTravel to Australia and the Moon Looks Strangely Different. It's the Same MoonIllustration of Earth in space with the Moon and a tiny rocky second moon nearbySpace & the SkyHeadlines Said Earth Got a Second Moon. The Real Story Is Smaller and Far StrangerIllustration of the Sun seen from orbit above EarthSpace & the SkyEvery Child Colors the Sun Yellow. Seen From Space, It's a Different ColorIllustration of a blue Earth rising over the gray horizon of the MoonSpace & the SkyThe Most Famous Photo of Earth Wasn't the First. It Was Almost Taken Without Color
Illustration of a small space probe with a heat shield flying close to the blazing surface of the SunSpace & the SkyThis Space Probe Could Fly From New York to Tokyo in About a MinuteIllustration of the planet Venus wrapped in thick swirling yellow cloudsSpace & the SkyMercury Is Closest to the Sun, but Venus Is Hotter. Its Thick Air Holds the SecretIllustration of an astronaut holding a tablet while floating inside a space stationSpace & the SkyAstronauts Can Cast Ballots From Orbit. It Took a Texas Law to Make It PossibleA silver ballpoint pen floating weightlessly inside a spacecraft cabinSpace & the SkyThe Story Says NASA Spent Millions on a Pen While Russia Used a Pencil. It's Not True
Illustration of a vintage car driving along a road that stretches up toward a full MoonSpace & the SkyIf You Could Drive to the Moon at Highway Speed, Here's How Long the Trip Would TakeIllustration of a towering wall of reddish dust sweeping across the Martian landscapeSpace & the SkyOn Mars, a Dust Storm Can Swallow the Entire Planet. The Thin Air Is Part of the ReasonIllustration of Halley's Comet with a glowing tail over an old town at nightSpace & the SkyEdmond Halley Predicted This Comet Would Return in 1758. He Didn't Live to See ItIllustration of an old sailing ship under starsSpace & the SkySailors Crossed Oceans by Starlight. The Twinkle Wasn't What Guided Them
An old-fashioned clock face shown beside a large, glowing full MoonSpace & the SkyYour Day Is a Tiny Bit Longer Than Your Ancestors' Was. Blame the MoonIllustration of a city glow hiding the starsSpace & the SkyAbout 80 Percent of Americans Can't See the Milky Way From Home AnymoreIllustration of the Apollo lunar module descending toward the gray surface of the MoonSpace & the SkyHalf a Second Separated Neil Armstrong From Disaster a Year Before the Moon LandingIllustration of a vintage star chart with constellation figures drawn among the starsSpace & the SkyThe Night Sky Has Exactly 88 Constellations, Because Astronomers Once Had to Settle a Mess
Illustration of a planet circling its star with arrows showing a reverse orbitSpace & the SkyEvery Planet Around Our Sun Goes the Same Way. Astronomers Found One That Doesn'tIllustration of the Moon's shadow passing across a map-like view of the United StatesSpace & the SkyMissed the 2024 Eclipse? The Next Total Eclipse in the Lower 48 Is a Long WaitIllustration of a planet-sized body colliding with the early Earth in spaceSpace & the SkyThe Moon May Be the Leftover Debris of a Planet-Sized Crash Into the Young EarthIllustration of red and blue stars in a clusterSpace & the SkyOrion Has a Red Star and a Blue Star. Their Colors Work Like Cosmic Thermometers
Illustration of a spacecraft traveling through space toward the red planet MarsSpace & the SkyA Trip to Mars Takes Months, and You Can't Just Leave Whenever You WantIllustration of a smiling astronaut inside a space station with long hair floating out in all directionsSpace & the SkyAstronauts' Hair Floats in Space, but Not for the Reason Most of Us ThinkIllustration of a full Moon shining over a calm sea at nightSpace & the SkyThe Moon Glows Silver in the Night Sky. Up Close, It's About as Dark as AsphaltIllustration of a small bright satellite crossing a dark starry sky above treetopsSpace & the SkyLook Up for 15 Minutes on a Clear Night and You'll Probably Spot a Satellite Gliding By
Illustration of a summer meteor shower streaking over a calm lake under a starry night skySpace & the SkyAugust Nights Seem Full of Shooting Stars. The Real Champion Arrives in WinterIllustration of an astronaut running on a treadmill inside a space stationSpace & the SkyAstronauts Work Out About Two Hours a Day in Orbit. One Machine Is Named After a Comedian