NASA’s Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spacecraft is shown here in the clean room, with its solar panels extended. (Lockheed Martin Photo) A new NASA spacecraft is weeks away from launching into orbit to study a region of the sun that will help scientists better understand how the solar atmosphere works, scientists said today (June 4). The (IRIS) probe is slated to launch on June 26 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The satellite will be carried aboard an...

Astrophotographer Srinath Sonar sent in a photo of Mercury and Venus taken just after sunset in Bangalore, India, on June 5, 2013. (Srinath Sonar) Stargazers will get an interesting chance to see a celestial configuration between the moon and two bright planets on Monday (June 10) evening. Looking low toward the west-northwest horizon, you’ll first notice the , just 5 percent illuminated and just a little more than two days past new phase. Next, look about 9 degrees to the...

Ever wonder what a black hole looks like? This artist's illustration gives some insight. (April Hobart, NASA, Chandra X-Ray Observatory) Black holes may have been abundant among the first stars in the universe, helping explain the origin of the supermassive monsters that lurk at the heart of galaxies today, researchers say. An international team of astronomers has found that black holes likely contributed at least 20 percent of the infrared cosmic background, light emitted 400 million to 800 million years...