While most kids his age were learning how to drive a car, 15-year-old Tom Wagg set his sights on something much bigger. Wagg spotted a Jupiter-sized planet , the school announced on its website. The planet, which has yet to receive a name but is labeled WASP-142b, is some 1,000 light-years from Earth and orbits its star every two days, the report added. This is an artist's rendition of how the planet might look. (David A. Hardy) "I'm hugely excited...

After seven months of silence, the Philae spacecraft that landed on a comet last fall has sent signals back to Earth. when its spacecraft Philae became the first spacecraft to settle on a comet when it touched down on icy 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in November. But the solar-powered probe came down with a bounce and ended up in the shadow of a cliff instead of in direct sunlight. As a result, Philae managed to conduct experiments and send data to Earth for...

Graphic from NOAA shows auroras may be visible over parts of the U.K. as well as North America early this week. (Space Weather Prediction Center/NOAA) A geomagnetic storm hit Earth Monday as energy from a series of solar explosions reached Earth’s magnetic field — and space weather forecasters say it could be a multi-day event. NOAA map shows radio disturbances on Earth from the geomagnetic storm. (NOAA) NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) said the magnetic storm, which is forecast...

Space weather forecasters say Earth should prepare for the second geomagnetic storm in 48 hours to hit Wednesday. The first storm slammed Earth Monday and earned a "severe" G4 rating, the , according toNOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center's forecast model expected energy from another CME to arrive Wednesday evening, triggering a new geomagnetic storm. (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center) Scientists explain the solar activity was the result of the sun releasing a series of...

Just months after NASA’s Dawn spacecraft captured images of on the dwarf planet Ceres, the probe has sent back a stunning photo of a pyramid-shaped structure. The mountain disrupts the dwarf planet’s mostly flat surface and stretches about, NASA says. Ceres' surface is full of surprises and hints to past activity of, according to scientists. (MORE: ) This animation shows a sequence of images taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 4, 2015, from a distance of 8,400 miles (13,600...

A SpaceX rocket launch ended abruptly in a fiery explosion Sunday morning in the skies above Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket was carrying supplies, but no astronauts, to the International Space Station. NASA said the accident occurred a few minutes into the flight, and pieces of the ship were seen falling into the Atlantic Ocean. “We are disappointed in the loss of the latest SpaceX cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station," NASA said in a statement. "However, the...

Stargazers and astronomers have been delighting this month in what may be one of the year’s most amazing celestial shows. But starting Tuesday night, Jupiter and Venus will be so close in the night sky they'll look like a double star, and they'll be easy to see. While the planets may appear to be colliding, they're actually far apart. Venus is 56 million miles from Earth, and Jupiter is 10 times farther out, at just over 550 million miles. Venus,...

It's a fear that has hung over humans for hundreds of years: what would happen to life on Earth if a large asteroid collided with our planet? Tuesday marked Asteroid Day– a day when scientists hope to raise awareness that we don't know all there is to know in the cosmos. June 30 is a big day in asteroid history because it was on that date in 1908 that the largest impact event in modern history happened, the Guardian said....

, and now possibly-toxic rocket debris. It's not an easy time to be a beachgoer. After the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded Sunday morning during an attempted launch to the International Space Station, the debris fell into the ocean , according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft breaks apart shortly after liftoff at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (AP Photo/John Raoux)) The Coast Guard is working with SpaceX to track the debris,...

Researchers gathering information via the Rosetta Probe as it explores Comet 67P have learned a lot about the celestial body, but even they were stunned by a recent discovery. This Dec. 21, 2014 photo made by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft and provided by researchers led by Jean-Baptiste Vincent shows the most active pit, known as Seth_01, which scientists believe is one of several sinkholes on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Vincent et al., Nature Publishing Group, ESA via AP) New...

This week brings the biggest planetary unveiling in a quarter-century, as NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft sweeps past Pluto — and NASA scientists promises it’s a can’t miss show. New Horizons has traveled 3 billion miles over 9½ years to get to this historic point. The fastest spacecraft ever launched, it carries the most powerful suite of science instruments ever sent on a scouting and reconnaissance mission of a new, unfamiliar world. Guarantees principal scientist Alan Stern, "We're going to knock...

An artist rendering of a black hole feasting on its surroundings. The central black hole is hidden from direct view by a thick layer of encircling gas and dust. (NASA/ESA) Black holes — supermassive or otherwise — sound like the stuff of science fiction. They’re without question real, and scientists have now discovered five supermassive ones hidden previously from view by dust and gas. Other researchers found a black hole that grew faster and bigger than they expected it to,...

Just a day after the NASA made its closest ever approach to Pluto, new pictures and data were already streaming in. The latest, released Friday, July 17, shows evidence of carbon monoxide ice in the heart region — being called the Tombaugh Regio after Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto — signified in green on the first image in the slideshow below. (A close-up appears in the second image.) “This is just a first at Pluto’s plasma environment,” said New Horizons...