The spotlight is bright enough to thaw even Pluto. Well, not quite, but the tiny, icy world is getting front-page, prime-time attention for its first visit by a spacecraft — NASA’s New Horizons.

This is part of a series of articles written by members of the Westfield High School Space and Astronomy Club. Their mission is to share their enthusiasm for space and astronomical events with the ...

On Aug. 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted to strictly define a planet, which ultimately downgraded Pluto from the ninth planet from the sun to a dwarf planet — causing controversy ...

When NASA’s New Horizons mission flew past Pluto in 2015, it gave humanity our first glimpse of a colossal depression on the isolated world. It's named Sputnik Planitia. Comparable in size to the ...

A huge heart-shaped feature on the surface of Pluto has intrigued astronomers since NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft captured it in a 2015 image. Now, researchers think they have solved the mystery of ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Today, the dwarf planet Pluto is a frigid world with surface ...

New Horizons has made history with a flyby of the dwarf planet Pluto and its five moons, completing our survey of our Solar System for the first time. “This is truly a hallmark in human history,” said ...