This view from NASA's Cassini mission is the highest-resolution view of the unique six-sided jet stream at Saturn's north pole known as 'the hexagon.' (NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Hampton) NASA is no stranger to brilliant space images, but the space agency's latest may redefine the way we view Saturn. NASA'sCassini spacecraft of Saturn's hexagon—the 20,000 mile wide jet stream swirling around Saturn's north pole that sports a massive hurricane-like storm at its core. "The hexagon is just a current of air, and weather features...

This image is an artist's depiction of Mars One astronauts and their habitat on the Red Planet. Mars One is a not-for-profit organization that will establish a human settlement on Mars. (Bryan Versteeg/Mars One) LONDON — It's a one-way ticket, but don't worry: You'll live there longer than back home on Earth, says Bas Lansdorp. After all, on Mars you can't get hit by a car. And everything you'll eat will be organic — no pesticides, just fertilizer made from,...

This photo, taken from the International Space Station, shows Cape Town, South Africa from space. NASA paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela by sharing the photo across its social media platforms. (Chris Hadfield) NASA joined in on a chorus of tributes to the late Nelson Mandela Thursday, by sharing an image of Cape Town, South Africa taken from the International Space Station across its social media platforms. "In honor of the anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, who passed away today...

(Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering) Less than five days after leaving Earth atop a blazing Long March launcher, China's Chang'e 3 spacecraft reached lunar orbit Friday to prepare for an historic rocket-assisted touchdown in the moon's Bay of Rainbows later this month. Outfitted with a six-wheeled robotic rover and smarts to avoid hazards in the landing zone, Chang'e 3 is China's boldest unmanned space mission to date, extending feats achieved by a pair of lunar orbiters launched in 2007...

An enormous alien planet — one that is 11 times more massive than Jupiter — was discovered in the most distant orbit yet found around a single parent star. The newfound , dubbed HD 106906 b, dwarfs any planetary body in the solar system, and circles its star at a distance that is 650 times the average . The existence of such a massive and distantly orbiting planet raises new questions about how these bizarre worlds are formed, the researchers...

(NASA/JPL-Caltech) A planet-hunting NASA spacecraft has detected no sign of moon-size black holes yet in the Milky Way galaxy, limiting the chances that such objects could make up most of the "dark matter" that has mystified scientists for decades. is one of the greatest scientific mysteries known — an invisible substance thought to constitute up five-sixths of all matter in the universe. It remains so mysterious that scientists are still uncertain as to whether dark matter is made of microscopic...

(AP/NASA) WASHINGTON -- Comet ISON, once optimistically called the comet of the century, is dead, the victim of a way-too-close brush with the sun. It was barely a year old. The comet, which excited astronomers and the media as it zipped within 730,000 miles of the sun on Thanksgiving Day, was pronounced dead at a scientific conference Tuesday. Astronomers who had followed the ice ball mourned the loss of the sky show that once promised to light up during December....

This week marks the peak of what is usually considered the most satisfying of all annual meteor displays: the Geminid meteor shower. As was the case with last month’s, however, prospective skywatchers should be aware that once again, observers will face a major obstacle in their attempt to see this year’s Geminid performance, namely, the moon. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, the moon will turn full on Dec. 17, and as such, will seriously hamper viewing the peak of...

BEIJING — China hailed its lunar probe mission a success after the country's first moon rover and the landing vehicle that carried it there took photos of each other on the surface, state media reported. The six-wheeled rover moved to a spot about 9 meters (10 yards) north of the landing vehicle on Sunday night China time and the pair took photos for about a minute, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The color images transmitted back to Earth showed...

This image taken by the on-board camera of the (AP Photo/Xinhua, Ding Lin) BEIJING -- China said Monday it was on track to launch a fifth lunar probe with the aim of bringing back lunar soil and rock samples following the successful moon landing of a space probe. The new mission planned for 2017 would mark the third and final phase of China's robotic lunar exploration program and pave the way for possibly landing an astronaut on the moon after...

Which Company Will Launch You Into Space? Deep in the is a futuristic-looking compound that will soon be abuzz with rocketships and first-time astronauts. No, this isn’t a secret NASA training facility or the set to the sequel of Gravity. It’s Spaceport America, the new home of Virgin Galactic, one of many commercial space travel companies striving to open up the final frontier to the public. Space travel has long been the province of government agencies like NASA, but in...

A meteoroid slammed into the moon on March 17, 2013, gouging out a crater 59 feet (18 meters) feet wide on the lunar surface. (NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University) When a space rock slammed into the moon earlier this year, it tore a big new hole in the already pockmarked lunar surface and generated an explosion that would have been visible to the naked eye from Earth, scientists say. from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) show that this hole stretches 59 feet...