Astronomy, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 11, 2013

Your Help Wanted to Name Two of Pluto's Moons

If you've ever wanted to leave your mark on the heavens, here's your chance. Astronomers are asking for help in naming two newly discovered moons of Pluto, which currently go by the uninspired monikers P4 and P5. The tiny satellites were spotted by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2011 and...

Feb 14, 2013

Let's Name Pluto Moons 'Vulcan' and 'Romulus,' William Shatner Says

Astronomers put out the call this week for cosmic names worthy of the two unnamed moons of Pluto, and Captain James T. Kirk has answered. Famed actor William Shatner, who portrayed the iconic Star Trek starship captain, wants to call them Vulcan and Romulus. Pluto has five moons but only...

Feb 20, 2013

'Vulcan' Warps Into Lead in Pluto Moon Name Contest

For William Shatner, the actor who portrayed Star Trek captain James T. Kirk, naming one of Pluto's moons Vulcan is the only logical choice, and more than 100,000 apparent Trek fans agree. Shatner proposed Vulcan as a potential name for one of Pluto's moons, the recently discovered P4 and P5,...

Feb 25, 2013

'Vulcan' and 'Cerberus' Win Pluto Moon Naming Poll

The votes are in, and it looks like 'Vulcan' could be the new name for one of Pluto's smallest moons. After weeks of online ballot casting by people around the world, the poll asking the public to name two of Pluto's moons — currently called P4 and P5 — ended...

Feb 27, 2013

Will Pluto Ever Hit Neptune?

Jason asks: Since Pluto's orbit intersects Neptune's orbit, will Pluto ever crash into Neptune or become one of Neptune's moons? Answer: No. From 1979 to 1999, Pluto was the eighth planet from the sun. In 1999, it slipped beyond Neptune to become the ninth. But Pluto's 248-year orbit around the...

Apr 24, 2013

Tiny Pluto Moons Should Be Named Vulcan and Cerberus, Discoverers Say

The discoverers of two newfound Pluto moons will officially propose the people's-choice names Vulcan and Cerberus for the tiny objects, according to media reports. Those monikers were the top two vote-getters in the unofficial Pluto Rocks naming contest, which sought out more memorable names for the minuscule Pluto moons P4...

Jul 3, 2013

'Star Trek' on Pluto? It Could Really Happen, Scientists Say

While the naming gods have swatted away an attempt to christen one of Pluto's newfound moons Vulcan, the Star Trek universe may still leave its mark on the dwarf planet soon enough. After NASA's New Horizons spacecraft gets the first up-close views of Pluto in 2015, craters, mountains and other...

Sep 26, 2013

Want to Phone Aliens? Help Get Your Messages On NASA's Pluto-Bound Spacecraft

HOUSTON — A group of renowned scientists, engineers, artists and others need your help to send a message into the universe aboard a spacecraft bound for Pluto. NASA's New Horizons mission — launched toward Pluto in 2006 — should be carrying a self-portrait of humanity when it flies into interstellar...

Apr 15, 2015

1st Color Image of Pluto Snapped by Approaching NASA Probe (Photo)

NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto has returned its first color image of the dwarf planet and its largest moon, Charon. The new photo, taken on April 9 from a distance of about 71 million miles (115 million kilometers), is already revealing insights about Pluto and Charon, as well as...

May 13, 2015

All 5 of Pluto's Known Moons Spied by NASA Probe (Photo)

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has snapped its first-ever family portrait of the Pluto system, capturing the dwarf planet and all five of its known moons. New Horizons, which is speeding toward a historic flyby of Pluto on July 14, took a series of images from April 25 through May 1...

Jun 4, 2015

Pluto's Moons Are Even Weirder Than Thought

Pluto's moons are even stranger and more intriguing than scientists imagined, a new study reveals. The Pluto system consists of four tiny satellites — Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx — orbiting a binary planet comprised of Pluto and its largest moon Charon, which, at 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) in diameter,...

Jul 13, 2015

Pluto at Last! NASA Spacecraft Arrives for Dwarf Planet Close-Up Tuesday

The long wait is almost over. On Tuesday morning (July 14) — nine and a half years after launching, and a quarter-century after its mission began to take shape — NASA's New Horizons spacecraft will perform history's first flyby of Pluto. Closest approach will occur at 7:49 a.m. EDT (1149...

Jul 13, 2015

New Horizons: 5 Things Pluto Flyby Could Reveal About Planet Earth

Nine and a half years after it launched into space, a NASA probe is set to become the first spacecraft to fly by the dwarf planet Pluto. The New Horizons spacecraft is expected to make its closest approach tomorrow (July 14) at 7:49 a.m. EDT (1149 GMT), coming within 7,800...

Jul 14, 2015

Hello, Pluto! NASA Spacecraft Makes Historic Dwarf Planet Flyby

The first age of solar system exploration is in the books. NASA's New Horizons probe flew by Pluto this morning (July 14), capturing history's first up-close looks at the far-flung world — if all went according to plan. (Mission team members won't declare success until they hear from New Horizons...

Jul 14, 2015

Pluto Flyby Success! NASA Probe Phones Home After Epic Encounter

This story was updated at 10:45 p.m. EDT. The first-ever flyby of Pluto was a big success. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has sent a status update home to its handlers here on Earth, indicating that the probe survived its historic encounter with Pluto this morning (July 14) — and that...