Natalie Wolchover

A new statistical analysis finds that the existence of life on Earth says nothing about its likelihood elsewhere in the universe. Extraterrestrials could be extremely rare.

The new sci-fi film discusses topics on the minds of many astronomers today.

A billionaire from Abu Dhabi has had his name carved into the sand on his private island. The word is miles long, and visible from space.

The space shuttle program is ending, changing the day-to-day lives of many NASA employees.

The lead discoverer of Pluto's new moon is leaning toward "Cerberus." The International Astronomical Union will make the official choice.

A famous image that has gone viral in recent days show a father and son pair watching the first and final shuttle launches. A blend of nostalgia, history, and sentimentality has driven its fame.

Conspiracy theorists who believe a rogue planet called Nibiru will soon crash into Earth think that a small comet, Elenin, is the doomsday-bringing planet in disguise.

Astronomers agree that SETI is likely to find alien life within 20 years. They'll be helped by the Kepler mission, which is identifying exoplanets in their stars' habitable zones.

The first flying saucer sighting, that of Kenneth Arnold in 1947, spawned decades more.

Hartley 2, an unusual little comet, is forcing scientists to reevaluate theories about comet formation, behavior, and the nature of the early solar system.

A space enthusiast has found a surface feature on Mars while perusing the Google Mars map that looks somewhat like Mahatma Gandhi.

The distance to the edge of the solar system is 9 billion miles, but how far is that?

In this vast and lonely universe, are Earthlings just desperate for next door neighbors to play with?

Australia's Department of Defense has lost or destroyed all but one of its files related to UFO sightings.

An "armchair astronaut" is claiming to have found a secret space station on Mars, but experts say it's just a cosmic ray artifact.

At a stargazing event held as part of the 2011 World Science Festival, about 500 people gathered in Brooklyn Bridge Park to look at a handful of stars and the planet Saturn.

OSIRIS-REx, a future asteroid-bound spacecraft, takes its name from an Egyptian god who spread agriculture all over Egypt.

Former Apollo astronaut and moonwalker Harrison Schmitt calls for the replacement of NASA with a new National Space Exploration Administration (NSEA).

NASA will cease its efforts to contact Spirit, a Mars rover that explored Mars from 2004 to 2010 before going silent.

The star Gliese 581 in the constellation Libra has a planet in its habitable zone. New research shows the Goldilocks planet could have liquid water on its surface, and an Earth-like atmosphere.

There are many factors that dictate the optimal launch window, including orbital mechanics, lighting, wind and crew sleep cycles.

What would life be like in 1-D?

JFK may have requested top secret UFO information from the CIA just days before his assassination. What does it mean?

Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov did not die in the way the new book "Starman" featured by NPR describes.