Then and Now: Our Earliest Close-Ups of the Planets Compared to Today's Best Shots

Neptune and its Great Dark Spot

To date, Voyager 2 was and remains the only spacecraft to zip past Neptune. This image, taken on August 25, 1989, is one of the best views we have of the ice giant. The Great Dark Spot is a storm similar to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter.

Previous Next

A white, glowing egg-shaped object lies in the centre of the black-and-white image, on a dark, starry background. Glowing streaks spread upwards from the object. In the top left, a yellow arrow marked ‘Sun’ points straight down, and a blue arrow marked ‘Velocity’ points towards the 7 o’clock direction. In the bottom left, an inset shows the same object on a lighter grey starry background, filled with ragged-edged, concentric egg shapes gradiented black-to-white

Jupiter Mission Captures Rare Shot of Interstellar Comet 3I/Atlas on Its Way Out

The JUICE mission snapped photos of Comet 3I/Atlas after surviving its closest approach to the Sun.

Space & Spaceflight Passant Rabie Feb 27

Arrokoth New Horizons Gravitational Collapse

Yes, Gravity Made These Space Snowmen. No, It’s Not That Simple

Astronomers had decent guesses about how these peanut-shaped asteroids formed but couldn’t get the physics to work—until now.

Space & Spaceflight Gayoung Lee Feb 20

Jupiter’s New Measurements: Flatter, Squashed, Still the Biggest Boy

"Textbooks will need to be updated."

Space & Spaceflight Gayoung Lee Feb 3

Jupiter's turbulent moon, Io, captured during a close approach by NASA's Juno spacecraft on Dec. 30, 2023.

NASA Detects Most Powerful Eruption Ever on Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon Io

The volcanic hot spot is larger than Lake Superior, spewing eruptions six times the total energy of all of the world's power plants.

Space & Spaceflight Passant Rabie Jan 28

Gizmodo’s Guide to the Coolest Space Missions of 2026

Mark your calendars.

Space & Spaceflight Ellyn Lapointe Dec 30

Life on Europa Could Feed On This Unexpected Source of Energy

Jupiter's icy Moon is one of the most promising places to search for life in the solar system.

Space & Spaceflight Passant Rabie Dec 29