Mental Floss

NASA

ESA/Hubble, NASA, A. Simon (GSFC) and the OPAL Team, J. DePasquale (STScI), L. Lamy (Observatoire de Paris)

Here's What the Northern Lights Look Like on Saturn

The phenomenon is not limited to our planet.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

5 Goals of the OSIRIS-REx Mission to the Asteroid 'Bennu'

The spacecraft will use a robotic arm to scoop up a sample of Bennu and then return it to Earth.

NASA

NASA Found 'Definitive Evidence' That There's Water Ice on the Moon

Huge news for future Moon explorers.

iStock

Could an Astronaut Steal a Rocket and Lift Off, Without Mission Control?

You might want to think twice before trying it.

Earth as captured from near the lunar horizon by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2015.

The Science Behind Why the Earth Isn't Flat

Let's review why and how we've known for at least 2300 years that the Earth is round.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

You Can Now Build Your Own Mars Rover for About $2500

Download the plans for free.

Vice President Spiro Agnew and former President Lyndon Johnson view the liftoff of Apollo 11

Watch Apollo 11 Launch

Apollo 11 launched on July 16, 1969, on its way to the moon.

Public Domain, Flickr

Why Do Astronauts Use Space Pens Instead of Pencils?

One technological breakthrough left the common pencil in the dust.

iStock

NASA Has a Plan to Stop the Next Asteroid That Threatens Life on Earth

Don't panic—the U.S. government has a plan for doomsday.

From left: Wally Schirra, Deke Slayton, Gus Grissom, Christopher Craft of the Mercury Operations Division, Gordon Cooper, Scott Carpenter, John Glenn, and Alan Shepard.

Were You Meant to Be an Astronaut? Try Passing NASA's Project Mercury Intelligence Test

Would you have been qualified to be an astronaut back in 1958?

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

7 Giant Machines That Changed the World—And 1 That Might

From a 17-mile-long particle accelerator to a football field–sized space observatory, these machines are marvels.

iStock

How Do Astronauts Reenter Earth's Atmosphere Without Burning Up?

Fortunately, NASA likes to plan ahead.

NASA

NASA's Hubble Telescope Captures the Lagoon Nebula's Explosive Core

At the heart of this nebula lies a star that's larger and brighter than our Sun.

NASA

New NASA Satellite Called TESS Could Discover Thousands of New Planets

The new satellite follows on the heels of Kepler's discovery of more than 2,300 exoplanets over the last nine years.

NASA, YouTube

Take an Ultra-Detailed Tour of the Moon With This NASA Video

You can even see equipment left by Apollo 17 astronauts.

iStock

A New NASA Map Shows Spring Is Coming Earlier Each Year

Warm temperatures mean that national parks are seeing plants emerge from winter earlier.

Nicholas Rougeux

Every Conversation That Happened During the First Moon Landing, Visualized

Yes, they talked about sandwiches.

NASA, JPL-Caltech

NASA Could Be Sending Autonomous Bee Drones to Mars

The drones could work individually or collect data as a swarm.

iStock

This Spring, NASA Wants Your Pictures of Clouds

The snapshots will be used to verify satellite data.

NASA

A Year in Space Changed How Astronaut Scott Kelly's Genes Behaved

NASA could use the results of its Twins Study to send humans to Mars.

ESA/Hubble, NASA

Hubble Telescope Image Shows Two Galaxies Colliding 350 Million Light-Years Away

The process will play out over millions of years.

Wikimedia Commons // CC-BY-SA-3.0

10 Facts About the Dwarf Planet Makemake

The entire planet is only three times as long as the Grand Canyon.

Kevin Gill, Flickr // CC BY-2.0

10 Facts About the Dwarf Planet Haumea

It's named for a Hawaiian goddess.

YE AUNG THU/AFP/Getty Images

Here’s Where to Watch NASA's Livestream of the Super Blue Blood Moon

The next one won't be until 2037.