The new science fiction film adaptation leans heavily on real science done by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, more commonly known as NASA.

Scientists can’t be everywhere all at once, as much as they’d like to. Many of the problems citizen science helps solve are ...

A new study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society has pinpointed the best planets for the search for extraterrestrial life. By focusing on specific characteristics of ...

Astronomers are investigating a strange class of exoplanets known as eccentric warm Jupiters — massive gas giants that orbit their stars in unexpected, elongated paths. Unlike their close-orbiting ...

The search for an unknown planet in our solar system has inspired astronomers for more than a century. Now, a recent study suggests a potential new candidate, which the paper’s authors have dubbed ...

A decade after audiences marveled at the Matt Damon-led survival story The Martian, a new film is bringing a novel from sci-fi author Andy Weir to the big screen. But we at Popular Mechanics wondered: ...

Dying stars may be wiping out nearby giant planets as they expand into red giants. Astronomers found that these close-in planets become increasingly rare around more evolved stars, suggesting many ...

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...