Stories by Phil Plait

Exorbitant launch costs and daunting engineering challenges make the dream of space-
based solar power look dicey for the space agency

The scale of the cosmos exceeds the bounds of human comprehension. But that doesn’t mean the universe is beyond our understanding

Maps of stellar motions can show whether the Milky Way will someday merge with the Andromeda galaxy—and a whole lot more

Without adding an extra day to February every four years, our calendar would get increasingly out of sync with the cosmos

Despite being some six billion kilometers away, the sun from Pluto would be a dazzling sight to behold—carefully, that is

Images of possible planets around white dwarf stars suggest that some gas-giant worlds survive the deaths of their stellar host

We’re looking for another Earth. But how likely is it that we’ll find a duplicate of home?

The popular limit of a 100-kilometer altitude for the edge of space should probably be adjusted down to 80 km

The edge of the world is closer than you think, and simple geometry proves it

Glowing methane on a brown dwarf dozens of light-years from Earth may signal the presence of a large lunar companion

Our planet’s precession is scarcely noticeable during anyone’s lifetime, but across history, it has had enormous effects

Here’s a calendar of cosmic events to keep your eyes on in the coming year

This year’s most interesting space images include infrared views of galactic “bones,” an asteroid’s double moon, Jupiter’s giant polar vortex, and more

How can the December solstice have the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere but neither the earliest sunset nor the latest sunrise? Earth’s orbital quirks offer answers

Ice crystals suspended in the air put on a gorgeous show if you know when and where to look

No one has ever seen a newborn star feeding on its natal disk anywhere outside our galaxy—that is, until now

Where can you find the best sites for stargazing—and why is a dark sky important?

This beginner’s guide to telescope basics will help make holiday shopping a little more heavenly

Money, engineering and sheer geometry may mark an end of the line for building ever larger astronomical telescopes

Two unusual annual meteor showers come at the end of the year, and each can spark astonishing celestial fireworks

The James Webb Space Telescope’s studies of the Crab nebula may shed new light on the supernova remnant’s origins

The James Webb Space Telescope is gazing across the universe to find galaxies close to the “cosmic dawn”—and you can explore them from the palm of your hand

Increasing NASA’s budget would ease pressure and allow it to dream even bigger

As space agencies turn their gaze to the moon, we need to consider what werewolves might mean for lunar exploration—and vice versa