There's Water Ice on the Moon—but Less Than Expected
A team of researchers has spotted the signature of water ice in permanently cold traps near the Moon’s poles, a new paper reports.
Here's What Earth's Shadow Actually Looks Like
The 21st century’s longest lunar eclipse has passed, eclipse doomsday fever has subsided, and all that’s left are the memories and pictures, which you can find everywhere online. But one image really stood out to us—not because of the way the Moon looked, but because of how it made the Earth look.
Here's a Live Feed of the Century's Longest Lunar Eclipse
The longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century will start today at 3:30 p.m. and last until 5:15 p.m. EST (12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. PST). The moon won’t rise in North America until after the eclipse is over, so no one in North America will be able to see it, except for some folks in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico included)…
Moon Could Have Been Habitable Once, Scientists Speculate
The Moon today is not habitable. It’s covered in potentially killer dust and seemingly dry as a bone. But though it seems wild to think, a new perspective wonders: What if the Moon used to be friendly to life?
North America Will Not Be Able to See the Longest Lunar Eclipse of the Century, Sorry
The Moon is incredible, and you should look at it. Our view of it is always in flux, but sometimes, the Moon’s visage changes in a particularly dramatic way—like when it sneaks behind the Earth’s shadow and turns red. An especially long lunar eclipse will occur at the end of next month (July 27), which is exciting…
Astronaut Alan Bean, the Fourth Man to Walk on the Moon, Has Died at 86
Alan Bean, the fourth of just 12 people to walk on the moon and one of the first Americans to spend an extended period living on a space station, died Saturday at Houston Methodist Hospital. He was 86.
China to Launch Mission to Moon's Far Side on Monday
China’s mission to explore the Moon’s far side is set to launch in part on Monday (Sunday in the US). As the Guardian reports:
Grab Your Telescope: Jupiter Will Shine Its Brightest Tonight
This weekend I got to experience the dark skies over a nameless lake somewhere between Grand Forks, North Dakota and Bemidji, Minnesota. It was my first time seeing the faint band of our own Milky Way. But we had our telescope pointed on something we could have seen just as easily from a Brooklyn stoop: Jupiter, the…
Simulated Moon Dust Kills Cells and Alters DNA, Signaling Trouble for Future Lunar Colonists
Astronauts hoping stay on the moon for long-term missions have another reason to worry about moon dust: It could be quite harmful if inhaled, as demonstrated in a new study.
The Most Intriguing Theories About 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick’s influential classic 2001: A Space Odyssey turns 50 this week. One of its most enduring qualities is how open to interpretation it is—over the years, the enigmatic film has inspired some fascinating (and/or delightfully batshit crazy) theories about what it all means. This is exactly what the director…
This Charming Video of Moonstruck Pedestrians Is a Good Reminder to Check Out Our Cool Moon
Remember when we told you to look at the Moon? Some folks really looked, and they were blown away. Rightfully so.
We Don't Even Live There Yet, But Humans Have Already Left Over 400,000 Pounds of Trash on the Moon
It’s inevitable that one day humanity is going to need to live somewhere other than Earth, and our first step towards intergalactic colonization will probably be the moon. The only problem? We’ve only visited it 12 times, and already there’s over 400,000 pounds of garbage up there.
Moon to Be Slightly More Moon-y for Some People Tomorrow
At my last job, we used to talk about how the only way to avoid disappointment was by setting clear expectations. In the case of the “Super Blue Blood Moon,” the rest of the internet has set the expectations: that you’ll see it. But for many, that’s not the reality.
NASA Runs Successful First Tests of Compact Nuclear Reactor for Mars Base
If humans have any hope of sticking around on Mars for longer than a few days, they’ll need some form of power to sustain themselves. A successful test in Nevada has demonstrated that that power could be nuclear.
What Would Happen If We Blew Up the Moon?
The Moon is the Tango to Earth’s Cash, the Hall to our Oates, the Lennon to our McCartney before they hated each other. Simply put, our planet and the Moon are soul mates: except, of course, if something were to happen to one of them. Like, I don’t know, what if we just blew up the Moon?
Trust Me, Living on the Moon Will Be Hell
Humans (not you, you’ll be dead) are going to have to live somewhere other than Earth eventually. There might be some options for new homes on Mars, the planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, or even one of the planets in the Trappist-1 system. But what about the Moon for starters? It’s round like our Earth, it’s close,…
What a Nuclear Explosion Can Tell Us About the Formation of the Moon
There are so many conflicting studies about the Moon’s origins that at times, it feels impossible to keep up. For something so close to us, it’s astonishing how little concrete information we have about how the Moon was formed. But a new study could clear up some confusion around the Moon’s infancy by searching for…
The Earth Is Farting on the Moon
The man in the Moon knows a lot more about us than we think. For instance, it’s keeping tabs on the air we breath by collecting samples of it.
We Were Wrong About the Moon's Age
Earth’s very clingy friend, the Moon, has long been an object of human fascination. It makes sense, considering we’re just a hop, skip and a 238,855-mile jump from our celestial pal.
Violent Volcanoes Knocked the Moon Off Its Axis Three Billion Years Ago
A bunch of lunar volcanoes heated the Moon up so much, they changed its density, causing it to wander off its original axis aeons ago.
