Orbit

Earth’s Unusual Rapid Spin Could Prompt First-Ever ‘Negative Leap Second’

Since 2020, Earth has been rotating unusually fast on its axis, leading scientists to consider whether we should correct for the shorter days.

Space & Spaceflight Gayoung Lee Jul 25

Neptune Dances in Sync With a Rare Distant Object, Astronomers Find

Named 2020 VN40, this tiny body completes one orbit around the Sun for every ten Neptune makes.

Space & Spaceflight Gayoung Lee Jul 22

An artist's concept of the Dragonfly mission on Titan.

These 7 Wild Concepts Are in the Running For NASA’s Next Big Mission

The document builds on the academies' decadal survey, outlining recommended missions for NASA's next New Frontiers program.

Space & Spaceflight Isaac Schultz Feb 26

An artist's impression of the exoplanet orbit Barnard's star.

Astronomers Discover Planet Orbiting Nearest Single Star to the Sun

There's an exoplanet whipping around Barnard's star, and there may be up to three others yet to be detected.

Space & Spaceflight Isaac Schultz Oct 1

Missing Satellite Found After 25 Years of Being Lost in Space

As it turns out, it's quite difficult to keep track of 27,000 objects flying around Earth orbit.

Space & Spaceflight Passant Rabie May 1

China’s Spaceplane Just Released Six Mysterious Objects in Orbit

Launched five days ago, the reusable spaceplane has deployed several objects, some of which appear to be transmitting signals.

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky Dec 19

Orbit Is Curating a Series of Free Craft Talks With Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writers

The "How to Write Your First SFF Novel" series features authors like Fonda Lee, Ann Leckie, C.L. Clark, P. Djèlí Clark, and more.

Books & Comics Linda Codega Sep 29

Scientists Call for a Global Treaty to Address Space Junk

Millions of pieces of debris orbit the Earth, prompting scientists to call for a legally binding treaty to address our planet's mounting orbital trash problem.

Space & Spaceflight Kevin Hurler Mar 10

Image: Gizmodo/Jason Wang/Northwestern University

Watch Four Planets Spin Around a Star 130 Light-Years Away

An animated time-lapse reveals orbiting exoplanets in a distant star system.

Space & Spaceflight Kevin Hurler Feb 1

The Vernal Equinox Isn’t What You Think It is

Tomorrow is the vernal equinox! You might think that it’s simply the mid-point between each solstice, but that’s not exactly correct. Joe Hanson, host of It’s Okay to be Smart, explains. The equinoxes aren’t in the middle of the solstices, and it doesn’t mean that day and night are exactly equal. It’s the point in…

io9 Andrew Liptak Mar 19

Orbit Books Will Publish An Astonishing 90 Books A Year Starting In 2016

Who says that science fiction publishing is dead? Not Orbit Books. The Hachette company announced yesterday that they were expanding their SF/F line by 50% next year to publish a whopping 90 books starting in 2016. Tim Holman, Orbit Publisher and Hachette Book Group SVP, said: “There is a huge and diverse audience for SF…

io9 Andrew Liptak Nov 14

Stunning video of Mars from orbit

What a hypnotizing look at the red planet. We get to see the view that ESA’s Mars Express see as it explores Mars, specifically a stunning look from orbit. I just love seeing it spin and twirl and then zoom in and then repeat the beautiful process all over again. I can see this in…

Sploid Casey Chan Aug 7

Satspotting Adventures: Why Are Different Orbits Needed for Satellites?

Congratulations: perhaps you’re a new space-faring nation, looking to place a shiny new payload around the planet Earth. You’ve assembled the technical know-how, and seek to break the surly bonds and join an exclusive club that thus far, only contains 14 nations capable of indigenous spaceflight. Now for the big question: which orbit should you…

io9 David Dickinson - Universe Today Apr 4

Why This Astronaut Thinks NASA Can Save Humanity From Extinction

Astronaut Daniel T. Barry thinks NASA’s mission to Mars is humanity’s most important endeavor yet, for reasons including the birth of Captain Kirk. We talked to him about what it’s like to explore the Final Frontier. I met Daniel T. Barry through Elliott Jessup, head of the California Academy of Sciences‘ “twilight zone” dive team…

Space & Spaceflight Laurel C. Allen Mar 23

Runtastic Orbit Hands-On: A Fitness Tracker With a Few New Tricks

Since it seems like every company and its mother-company has a fitness tracker these days, it’s refreshing when we see one that actually brings something unique to the table. Runtastic (the company behind my current favorite running app) has a new tracker called the Orbit. It’s different! Like some other trackers, the Orbit is basically…

Tech News Brent Rose Jul 31

Gum-Packing Coffee Cup Sleeves Prevent Burns and Bad Breath

If you think a fancy new lid is the only way you can upgrade a disposable coffee cup, you clearly haven’t seen what ad agency DDB came up with for a South African chain called the Seattle Coffee Co. For a limited time its paper sleeves that prevent burns (and lawsuits) were upgraded with a…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Jul 21

Russia to NASA: “Try Jumping To ISS On A Trampoline.”

After NASA imposed sanctions on cooperating with Russia, a Russian official joked that these sanctions would strand astronauts on the International Space Station. The taunts escalated to instructing NASA to teach its astronauts to use a trampoline to reach orbit. Could it work? Things are getting sticky between the United States and Russia, and its…

Tech News Mika McKinnon May 1

Soyuz Thruster Malfunction Has ISS Crew Running Two Days Late

Yesterday afternoon’s Soyuz launch has hit a snag. A thruster misfire means the planned six-hour flight, delivering U.S. astronaut Steven Swanson and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev to the International Space Station, will now take two days. Talk about a terrifying flight delay. https://gizmodo.com/what-a-hellish-mess-a-rocket-launch-can-be-1551860086 The intended 24-second engine burn would have adjusted the…

Space & Spaceflight Bob Sorokanich Mar 26

This Oil and Vinegar Dispenser Stores One Inside of the Other

Why waste counter space with separate bottles of both olive oil and balsamic vinegar when the talented folks at XD Design have come up with a better all-in-one solution? Their Orbit features a pair of mouth blown glass globes sitting inside each other, keeping the two liquids separate—while also playing up the fact that oil…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Nov 12

Falling Soon Through a Sky Near You

It’s what the New York Times calls “the latest in a parade of spacecraft falling from the sky”: the imminent crash of the European Space Agency’s Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer satellite (or GOCE). Somewhat unbelievably, no one has any real idea where it will land—due to its orbit, “almost all places on…

Tech News Geoff Manaugh Nov 6

Orbit

Earth’s Unusual Rapid Spin Could Prompt First-Ever ‘Negative Leap Second’

Neptune Dances in Sync With a Rare Distant Object, Astronomers Find

These 7 Wild Concepts Are in the Running For NASA’s Next Big Mission

Astronomers Discover Planet Orbiting Nearest Single Star to the Sun

Missing Satellite Found After 25 Years of Being Lost in Space

China’s Spaceplane Just Released Six Mysterious Objects in Orbit

Orbit Is Curating a Series of Free Craft Talks With Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writers

Scientists Call for a Global Treaty to Address Space Junk

Watch Four Planets Spin Around a Star 130 Light-Years Away

The Vernal Equinox Isn’t What You Think It is

Orbit Books Will Publish An Astonishing 90 Books A Year Starting In 2016

Stunning video of Mars from orbit

Satspotting Adventures: Why Are Different Orbits Needed for Satellites?

Why This Astronaut Thinks NASA Can Save Humanity From Extinction

Runtastic Orbit Hands-On: A Fitness Tracker With a Few New Tricks

Gum-Packing Coffee Cup Sleeves Prevent Burns and Bad Breath

Russia to NASA: “Try Jumping To ISS On A Trampoline.”

Soyuz Thruster Malfunction Has ISS Crew Running Two Days Late

This Oil and Vinegar Dispenser Stores One Inside of the Other

Falling Soon Through a Sky Near You

ICE Reportedly Acknowledges Its Use of Notorious Graphite Spyware

Intel Jumps On Board Elon Musk’s Terafab Chipmaking Project

Anthropic’s New Model Is So Scarily Powerful It Won’t Be Released, Anthropic Says

Musk Asks Court to Give Potential Winnings in OpenAI Suit to OpenAI’s Nonprofit

Pro-Iran Hackers Target Critical U.S. Energy and Water Infrastructure

‘She-Hulk’ Was Apparently One of Marvel’s Most Successful Shows

The World’s First Eye-Tracking Smart Glasses Are Intriguing and Unpolished

Noah Hawley Is Remaking ‘Terrified,’ Which Shouldn’t Happen

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

Let us help find what you are looking for...