Resigning NASA astronaut candidate Robb Kulin is pictured here. (NASA) At a Glance Astronaut candidate Robb Kulin said he is resigning from NASA for personal reasons.The last time a NASA astronaut candidate resigned was in 1968.Kulin was among the more than 18,000 applicants for the 12-member class of 2017. For the first time in 50 years, NASA astronaut candidate has resigned, the space agency said this week. After completing the first year of a two-year training period, 35-year-old astronaut candidateRobb...

At a Glance According to astrophysicist Ethan Siegel, the sun is ever-so-gradually getting lighter and expanding into a red gas giant.Eventually it will burn so hot that it will boil Earth's seas away.That won't happen for at least a billion years, however. Before the sun dies in about 10 billion years, its decreasing mass will make the star hotter and hotter, eventually boiling Earth's seas away, a scientist said. Astrophysicist Ethan Siegel wrote in an article for Forbes this week...

At a Glance Asteroid 2018 RC was first spotted Monday and will make its closest approach to Earth Saturday night.It will come within 136,000 miles of Earth, which is about half the distance to the moon. An asteroid the size of a 17-story high rise will zip past Earth this weekend. Asteroid 2018 RC was first spotted Monday by theUniversity of Hawaii'sAsteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System(ATLAS). It measures up to 233 feet in diameter, which equals the height ofin Los...

Jon Carmichael's eclipse masterpiece, 108. (Jon Carmichael) At a Glance Photographer Jon Carmichael took 1,200 photos in three minutes.His eclipse mosaic is the product of hundreds of hours of work.After a year of work, it was unveiled at Twitter's New York offices. Some are calling this photographer's eclipse photo the best of all time — and he took it from his window seat on a commercial flight. The photograph, called108, is a mosaic, a year-long synthesis of 1,200 photos taken...

At a Glance For the first time, scientists have identified why Earth wobbles as it spins. The decrease in Greenland's ice mass is the main reason for the wobble, NASA says.Changes in the Earth's wobble could impact the accuracy of satellite tools like GPS systems, according to NASA. Climate change is impacting how Earth spins on its axis, NASA says. Over the past century, Earth’saxis –the imaginary line that passes through the North and South Poles –has , and adecrease...

In a new study, researchers found that shockwaves from WWII bombs were felt at the edge of space. ...

At a Glance In a 21-page report, the space agency explains three major phases in the campaign.The Deep Space Gateway, orbiting the moon, is a big part of the plans.Crewed missions to Mars could begin in the 2030s. NASA has unveiled its official strategy for returning astronauts to the moon and eventually sending crewed missions to Mars. The 21-page is NASA's response to President Donald Trump's directive in December 2017 to "lead the return of humans to the Moon for...

October will see two meteor showers, the Draconids and the Orionids. This image is from the Perseid meteor shower over Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado in the early morning hours of August 12, 2018. (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images) At a Glance Both the Draconids and Orionids meteor showers are visible this month.Jupiter, Saturn and Mars are visible near the moon on different nights. October is shaping up as a great month for gazing at the night sky. If the weather...

Astronomers may have discovered the first moon outside our solar system, about 8,000 light years away from Earth. ...

At a Glance The sounds will be sonic booms and the lights will be from the guided re-entry of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.The reentry will occur soon after the Space X Falcon 9 launches Sunday night.The rocket will be carrying the SAOCOM 1Asatellite. Residents in central California may hear some really loud booms Sunday nightaccompanied by odd bright lights,but it's nothing to fear, the Air Force says. The sounds will be sonic booms and the lights will be from...

NASA simulated two supermassive black holes spiraling toward collision. ...

This graphic shows the position of the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes relative to the heliosphere, a protective bubble created by the sun that extends well past the orbit of Pluto. Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause, or the edge of the heliosphere, in 2012. Voyager 2 is still in the heliosheath, or the outermost part of the heliosphere. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) At a Glance Signals indicate the NASA space probe could be nearing the edge of the heliosphere.Voyager 2 and Voyager...