2008
Solar Wind Loses Power, Hits 50-year Low
Sept. 23, 2008
In a briefing today at NASA headquarters, solar physicists announced that the solar wind is losing power. This development has repercussions across the solar system.
Phoenix Set to Land on Mars
May 13, 2008
NASA's Phoenix lander is getting ready to touch down on Mars and begin an unprecedented investigation of the Red Planet's arctic realm.
MESSENGER Returns to Mercury
Oct. 1, 2008
NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft is returning to Mercury. On Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, the probe will conduct the second of three planned flybys and photograph most of Mercury's remaining unseen surface.
Polar Crown Prominences
Sept. 17, 2008
Japan's Hinode spacecraft is beaming back must-see movies of a spectacular solar phenomenon known as 'polar crown prominences.'
How Round is the Sun?
Oct. 2, 2008
Scientists using NASA's RHESSI spacecraft have measured the roundness of the sun with unprecedented precision, and they find that it is not a perfect sphere. During years of high solar activity the sun develops a thin "cantaloupe skin" that significantly increases its apparent oblateness.
Planets by the Dozen
May 8, 2008
A NASA-funded survey set to begin in 2008 could dramatically increase the number of known planets outside our solar system.
The Tunguska Impact--100 Years Later
June 30, 2008
One hundred years after the Tunguska event in Siberia, scientists review what they've learned about the mysterious blast from the heavens.
Strange Clouds at the Edge of Space
Aug. 25, 2008
Astronautson board the International Space Stationhave recently photographed strange electric-blue clouds hovering at the edge of space.
NASA to Explore a "Secret Layer" of the Sun
Sept. 5, 2008
NASA researchers are preparing to launch an experimental telescope that can see a layer of the sun thought to be the "birthplace of space weather."
The Incredible Journey of the JWST
Dec. 10, 2008
From humble beginnings in a Utah beryllium mine to the most advanced laboratories in the world, the mirrors of NASA's next great observatory are taking an incredible journey to space.