NASA spacecraft buzzes Jupiter moon Europa, closest in years
September 29, 2022 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s Juno spacecraft has made the closest approach to Jupiter’s tantalizing, icy moon Europa in more than 20 years.
Juno on Thursday zipped within approximately 219 miles (352 kilometers) of Europa, thought to have an ocean flowing beneath its thick frozen crust, raising the possibility of underwater life.
New space telescope shows Jupiter’s auroras, tiny moons
August 22, 2022 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The world’s newest and biggest space telescope is showing Jupiter as never before, auroras and all.
Scientists released the shots Monday of the solar system's biggest planet.
Joy Harjo picture book ‘Remember’ to come out next year
July 13, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Joy Harjo, who recently completed a three-year run as the country's poet laureate, will have a picture book out next spring.
Random House Children’s Books announced Wednesday that Harjo's “Remember,” adapted from her celebrated poem of the same name, is scheduled for March 21, 2023.
NASA’s asteroid hunter Lucy soars into sky with diamonds
October 16, 2021 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA spacecraft named Lucy rocketed into the sky with diamonds Saturday morning on a 12-year quest to explore eight asteroids.
Seven of the mysterious space rocks are among swarms of asteroids sharing Jupiter's orbit, thought to be the pristine leftovers of planetary formation.
UAE to launch probe targeting asteroid between Mars, Jupiter
October 5, 2021 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday announced plans to send a probe to land on an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter to collect data on the origins of the universe, the latest project in the oil-rich federation's ambitious space program.
Spacecraft buzzes Jupiter’s mega moon, 1st close-up in years
June 8, 2021 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s Juno spacecraft has provided the first close-ups of Jupiter’s largest moon in two decades.
Juno zoomed past icy Ganymede on Monday, passing within 645 miles (1,038 kilometers).
Q&A: Clooney on ‘Midnight Sky’ and his twilight as an actor
December 23, 2020 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — How has George Clooney been handling isolation? Aside from spending time with his wife, Amal Clooney, and their 3-year-old twins, and editing his new film “The Midnight Sky,” he's relied on, like many others, a text chain with pals and Zoom...
Jupiter, Saturn merging in night sky, closest in centuries
December 21, 2020 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky Monday, appearing closer to one another than they have since Galileo’s time in the 17th century...
Moon rocks in hand, China prepares for future moon missions
December 17, 2020 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Following the successful return of moon rocks by its Chang’e 5 robotic probe, China is preparing for future missions that could set the stage for an eventual lunar base to host human explorers, a top space program official said Thursday...
Jupiter, enticing moon Europa star in new Hubble photo
September 17, 2020 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Jupiter and its enticing moon Europa shine in a new photo by the Hubble Space Telescope...
Stuck home? Planets, moon providing predawn entertainment
March 16, 2020 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Stuck at home this week? The planets and our moon are providing some early morning entertainment...
Discovery of 20 new moons puts Saturn ahead of Jupiter
October 7, 2019 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The solar system has a new winner in the moon department.
Twenty new moons have been found around Saturn, giving the ringed planet a total of 82, scientists said Monday...
Big world around tiny star puts new spin on planet formation
September 26, 2019 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A giant world discovered around a tiny star is putting a new spin on how planets form...
Trip to Chile illustrates astronomical discovery
August 9, 2018 GMTAs promised, I’ll use a portion of this column this month to continue the highlights of my recent Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program trip to Chile to learn about the astronomy being conducted in U.S.-funded observatories.
Jupiter’s moon count reaches 79, including tiny ‘oddball’
July 17, 2018 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Astronomers are still finding moons at Jupiter, 400 years after Galileo used his spyglass to spot the first ones...
NASA’s Bradford Smith, tour guide for Voyager missions, dies
July 7, 2018 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Bradford Smith, a NASA astronomer who acted as planetary tour guide to the public with his interpretations of stunning images beamed back from Voyager missions, has died.
Smith's wife, Diane McGregor, said he died Tuesday at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, of complications from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder...
Jupiter’s backward-flying asteroid from another star system
May 21, 2018 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Just months after the discovery of our first known interstellar visitor, it turns out there's another asteroid from yet another star system residing in our cosmic club in plain view...
Geometric clusters of cyclones churn over Jupiter’s poles
March 7, 2018 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Jupiter's poles are blanketed by geometric clusters of cyclones and its atmosphere is deeper than scientists suspected...
Spacecraft reveals beauty of solar system’s biggest storm
July 13, 2017 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA spacecraft circling Jupiter is revealing the up-close beauty of our solar system's biggest planetary storm...
Monstrous cyclones churning over Jupiter’s poles
May 26, 2017 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Monstrous cyclones are churning over Jupiter's poles, until now a largely unexplored region that is more turbulent than scientists expected...
Juno spooks NASA, sends back wild images from Jupiter
March 1, 2017 GMTNASA’s Jupiter-circling spacecraft stuck making long laps
February 23, 2017 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA's Jupiter-circling spacecraft is stuck making long laps around the gas giant because of sticky valves...
Why it matters that Jupiter’s Europa is spewing water into space
September 27, 2016 GMTNASA spots possible water vapors shooting off Jupiter’s moon Europa
September 26, 2016 GMTNASA spacecraft beams back close-up views of Jupiter’s poles
September 2, 2016 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A NASA spacecraft has captured the best views of Jupiter yet, revealing turbulent storms in the north pole...
Inactive volcano spotted on largest object in asteroid belt
September 1, 2016 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A NASA spacecraft has spied what appears to be an inactive volcano on the surface of Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter...