Solar system

How long can humanity’s artifacts endure on the lunar surface? A new installation from artist Jeff Koons is inadvertently putting this question to the test

When astronauts return to the moon later this decade, they’ll bring along science experiments to study moonquakes, lunar water ice and extraterrestrial agriculture

The search for a mysterious planetary body beyond Neptune has narrowed down its possible location—if it exists at all

The ocean’s twice-daily rise and fall is only the most obvious effect of tides—they slow Earth’s spin and shape stars and galaxies, too

Even among hundreds of people, experiencing an eclipse is a joyous solitude

During the total solar eclipse, skywatchers saw ruby-colored prominences sticking out of the moon's shadow. Here's the science of those red dots

Scientific American staffers headed to locations ranging from Texas to Vermont to try to catch a glimpse of the total solar eclipse

Here’s how to pick a viewing spot, stay on top of the weather and pack the right gear to see the total solar eclipse on April 8

To make the most of any total solar eclipse, put down your gadgets and bask in one of our solar system’s most glorious spectacles

Predicting what the sun will look like during a total solar eclipse is a helpful exercise for scientists in the long quest to understand how our star works

Eclipses bring the future—or at least a tiny sliver of it—into sharp focus

Celebrate the April 8 total solar eclipse with these livestreams from NASA, the NSF, Scientific American, and more