This composite image shows a view from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (left) and from the NACO system on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (right) of the gas and dust around the young star HD 100546. Image released Feb 28, 2013. (ESO/NASA/ESA/Ardila et al. ) Astronomers have captured what may be the first-ever direct photograph of an alien planet in the process of forming around a nearby star. (MORE: Massive Black Hole Surprises Scientists) The picture, which captured a giant alien...

Mt. Etna erupting in late February 2013. (Cmdr. Chris Hadfield/Twitter) Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are getting a rare view of one of the world's most active volcanoes. (MORE: Mt. Etna Roars to Life) Italy's Mount Etna has been spewing ash in a series of eruptions over the last few weeks. The Canadian Space Agency's Commander Chris Hadfield, currently working aboard the I.S.S., tweeted two photos of the volcano from space. You can clearly see Mt. Etna emitting a...

Two giant swaths of radiation, known as the Van Allen Belts, surrounding Earth were discovered in 1958. In 2012, observations from the Van Allen Probes showed that a third belt can sometimes appear. The radiation is shown here in yellow, with green representing the spaces between the belts. (NASA/Van Allen Probes/Goddard Space Flight Center) A pair of NASA probes has discovered a previously unknown ring of radiation blanketing the Earth, upending a long-standing scientific theory about how charged particles coalesce...

A private Earth-to-orbit delivery service made good on its latest shipment to the International Space Station on Sunday, overcoming mechanical difficulty and delivering a ton of supplies with high-flying finesse. To NASA's relief, the SpaceX company's Dragon capsule pulled up to the orbiting lab with all of its systems in perfect order. Station astronauts used a hefty robot arm to snare the unmanned Dragon, and three hours later, it was bolted into place. The Dragon's arrival couldn't have been sweeter...

An image from ESO shows a candidate protoplanet in the disc of gas and dust around the young star HD100546 in this picture released March 2. (Reuters/ESO) CAPE CANAVERAL – Scientists have found what they believe to be a planet-in-the-making that is still gathering material left over from the formation of its parent star. The object appears as a faint blob nested inside a disk of gas and dust that swirls around a very young star known as HD 100546,...

Mars Rover Curiosity takes a self-portrait. (NASA) PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA says the Curiosity rover is returning to normal after a computer problem limited its activities. The space agency said Monday that the car-size rover exited safe mode over the weekend, meaning it suspends its science activities but is still in contact with Earth. Curiosity is now preparing to resume its science experiments - perhaps by next week. Engineers still don't know what caused Curiosity's memory glitch. The rover was...

This March 2 photo shows Pan-STARRS as seen from Queenstown, New Zealand. (AP Photo/spaceweather.com, Minoru Yoneto) A newly-discovered comet whizzed by earth in its closest approach ever - and you still have a chance to get a good view of it. Comet Pan-STARRS, named for the telescope used to spot it in 2011, passed within 100 million miles of earth Tuesday. By the weekend it will make its closest approach to the sun. Your best chance to see Pan-STARRS will...

Looking due north, this 3-D view of Decorah and the Upper Iowa River shows the impact area of a meteorite that crashed into the area mearly half a billion years ago. (Credit: Adam Kiel graphic/Northeast Iowa RC&D) DES MOINES, Iowa — Federal researchers confirmed Tuesday that the city Decorah sits atop a 3 ½-mile wide hole that formed 470 million years ago when a meteorite hit the area, one of just 180 or so known impact craters on earth. Scientists...

If you think cleaning your kitchen is tricky, imagine trying to clean up a mess in space (without gravity to hold down that spilled milk or bag of cheetos). (PHOTO: Volcanic Eruption Seen from Space) The Canadian Space Agency's Commander Chris Hadfield addressed that very question via a YouTube video (above) he posted Wednesday afternoon. Hadfield is known for sharing tons of photos and videos from his post on the International Space Station. You can check out some of his...

This image provided by NASA shows an image captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory of a blast of plasma streaming from the sun in August 2012. Scientists say a solar eruption was detected on March 5, 2013 and was headed toward Mars. NASA’s Curiosity rover will postpone some activities but other Mars missions will operate normally. (AP Photo/NASA) LOS ANGELES -- Curiosity hunkered down after the sun unleashed a blast that raced toward Mars. While the hardy rover was designed...

The image above shows the Earth-facing surface of the Sun on February 28, 2013, as observed by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. (NASA/SDO) The sun is surprisingly quiet at the moment, but that may be because our star is gearing up for the second phase of a one-two wallop in its 11-year activity cycle, some scientists say. (MORE: ) The sun has slumped to its present lull from a very fiery 2011, seeming to...

New York New York City, posted on April 23, 2013. Cmdr. Chris Hadfield tweets: Incredibly clear, before the trees have filled with leaves. (Chris Hadfield/NASA) Would you recognize your city from 200-plus miles above earth? (MORE: ) The Canadian Space Agency's Commander Chris Hadfield tweeted photos of the United States that he'd taken from his post on the International Space Station. Commander Hadfield has been shooting awesome photos and video during his time at the ISS. His latest subjects include...