In honor of the Space Shuttle Discovery’s final launch, here are some of io9’s most mind-blowing space stories. You may have noticed that each of these categories are also commonly-used tags on io9, like space porn or space opera. If you ever want to see a tag page on a topic we cover, you can find it just by typing it like this: www.io9.com/space or www.io9.com/spaceporn
Try it! Or just enjoy these tag pages we’ve rounded up for you tonight.
Space Porn
Here’s a collection of beautiful images of galaxies, nebulas, black hole and other majestic phenomena of the universe.
Amazing video shows the relative sizes of all the planets and stars
https://gizmodo.com/amazing-video-shows-the-relative-sizes-of-all-the-plane-5767504
Incredible photo over Switzerland reveals the Milky Way in all its galactic glory
https://gizmodo.com/incredible-photo-over-switzerland-reveals-the-milky-way-5766327
A gorgeous time-lapse video of the universe, recorded from a plateau in Chile
https://gizmodo.com/a-gorgeous-time-lapse-video-of-the-universe-recorded-f-5765022
Is this galaxy too hot for its own good?
https://gizmodo.com/is-this-galaxy-too-hot-for-its-own-good-5763912
Breathtaking look at a solar eclipse in space
https://gizmodo.com/breathtaking-look-at-a-solar-eclipse-in-space-5749002
Space photos reveal the weird optical illusion of the squished Moon
https://gizmodo.com/space-photos-reveal-the-weird-optical-illusion-of-the-s-5740961
Solving the cosmic mystery of the green blob in space
http://io9.com/5732164/solving-the-cosmic-mystery-of-the-green-blob-in-space
Space Opera
Our favorite stories about swashbuckling adventures in deep space.
An American Live-Action Star Blazers? Why not just release the Japanese one here?
https://gizmodo.com/an-american-live-action-star-blazers-why-not-just-rele-5768540
One of the absolute worst space battle sequences we’ve ever seen
What to expect from Battlestar Galactica prequel Blood and Chrome!
http://ca.io9.com/5740148/weve-read-some-script-pages-from-battlestar-galactica-blood-and-chrome
Your First Look at an Intense Dead Space 2 Trailer
Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art for a Star Trek movie in 1976-1977
https://gizmodo.com/ralph-mcquarries-concept-art-for-a-star-trek-movie-in-1-5721854
Glitter Beards, Spangle Leotards and Pew-Pew-Pew: Disco Space Opera at Its Most Hideously Wonderful
Astrophysics
We delve into the mysteries of black holes and impossible stars.
Giant ice caverns lead the hunt for exotic particles
https://gizmodo.com/giant-ice-caverns-lead-the-hunt-for-exotic-particles-5759069
Watch a revealing interview with the astronomer who has led the search for exoplanets
Neutron star observed creating otherwise impossible form of matter
A new model of the universe shows the first stars are still alive
The universe is at least 250 times bigger than it looks
The Milky Way might be surrounded by invisible dark matter galaxies
The biggest black hole in the universe could swallow our entire solar system
Why aren’t galaxies evenly distributed throughout the universe?
What happens when two black holes are smashed together?
https://gizmodo.com/what-happens-when-two-black-holes-are-smashed-together-5718518
Space Exploration
Will we really visit other planets some day? We hope so. Here are some stories about the real-life steps towards stepping out into the cosmos.
Now is the time to start mining helium on the Moon
Laser-powered rockets could be our pipeline to outer space
Watch astronauts land on Mars….in a building in Russia
The NASA spaceship that could take humanity into deep space…if we had the money for it
What happened to all those “Moon trees” whose seeds went into space?
Have we already hopelessly contaminated the search for extraterrestrial life?
Carbon nanotubes will lift us to space
The fastest way to send humans to Mars is to not worry about bringing them back
https://gizmodo.com/the-fastest-way-to-send-humans-to-mars-is-to-not-worry-5690489
