Earth to Andromeda

Astrobiology, our search for life beyond Earth, is a search for planets, dwarf planets, and moons that harbor substantial liquid water. We call these places “ocean worlds.”

On October 9, 2013, NASA’s Juno spacecraft used the Earth’s gravity to slingshot it all the way to Jupiter. Bill Nye gives the inside scoop on Juno’s historic Earth flyby.

Bill Nye sheds some light on the similarities and differences between Jupiter and the sun.

Bill Nye unravels the mysteries of solar-powered space travel. See how NASA’s Juno spacecraft will use the power of the sun to keep the juice running during its long journey to and orbits of Jupiter.

Watch Bill Nye explain how NASA will successfully steer the Juno spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter. Nye reveals the science behind interplanetary navigation. In the vast reaches of space, being off course by even a single degree can have catastrophic results.

Watch as Bill Nye shows how NASA’s Juno spacecraft will use a combination of cutting-edge technology and the good old Doppler effect to take a peek deep inside the gas giant planet.

Jupiter produces the radiation equivalent of 100 million X-rays. Nye explains how NASA protects the instruments on the Juno spacecraft from this incredibly fierce environment.

Bill Nye explains how Jupiter helped spread the building blocks of life and the planet’s role in the formation of our solar system.

Chronicling the story of NASA’s Cassini mission, this is the latest in our series of documentaries, “JPL and the Space Age.” These films use rare archival footage and interviews with pioneering engineers and scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in retelling of many of humanity’s first steps into the cosmos.

Chronicling the story of NASA’s Cassini mission, using rare archival footage and interviews with pioneering engineers and scientists retelling the stories of many of humanity’s first steps into the cosmos.

This episode chronicles JPLs pioneering work to understand asteroids and comets as part of NASA’s larger effort to protect our planet from asteroids and comets, before they find us.

This film contains interviews with women employed in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) space transportation program and shows the variety of positions held by women in the agency. The film, intended for use in career education and guidance classes, notes how the women obtained their training and qualified for their positions. Directed by William Greaves

"Bennu's Odyssey" is a six-minute animated film that delves into NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, exploring the intriguing journey of Asteroid Bennu and shedding light on the formation of our solar system. Emerging from the remnants of a tumultuous collision, Asteroid Bennu has endured millions of years hurtling through space, navigating the challenges of its early solar system neighborhood. "Bennu's Odyssey" provides insights into both the known and enigmatic aspects of Bennu's evolution and the broader planetary formations. By collecting a sample from Bennu, the OSIRIS-REx mission aims to unravel more about the fundamental building blocks of our solar system, offering valuable insights into the origins of celestial bodies and, ultimately, our own existence.

NASA Goddard scientists have made an exciting discovery on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The team has definitively detected the molecule acrylonitrile in Titan’s atmosphere – a finding that has astrobiological relevance.

Join us as we explore the awe-inspiring legacy and groundbreaking discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope, a marvel of space exploration that has reshaped our understanding of the universe. Immerse yourself in the stunning imagery captured by Hubble, revealing distant galaxies, nebulae, and celestial wonders in unprecedented detail. From the iconic Pillars of Creation to the Hubble Deep Field, witness the breathtaking beauty and scientific significance of these cosmic snapshots. Uncover the technological marvels that enable Hubble to peer billions of light-years into space, providing astronomers with invaluable data to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos. Learn about its contributions to our understanding of dark matter, dark energy, and the age of the universe.

Embark on an enchanting journey through the cosmic ballet of the Moon's phases in our latest video, "Lunar Symphony: Exploring the Dance of Moon Phases." Dive into the captivating world of moon phases, from the luminous brilliance of the Full Moon to the subtle elegance of the New Moon. Learn how the interplay between the Sun, Earth, and Moon creates the mesmerizing transitions that have captivated cultures and storytellers throughout history. Explore the different lunar phases and their significance, from the First Quarter to the Last Quarter, and understand the unique characteristics that define each stage. Witness stunning time-lapse footage and imagery that showcases the Moon's ever-changing face against the backdrop of the cosmos. Gain a deeper appreciation for the celestial mechanics that govern the Moon's phases and how they influence our night sky.

Prepare to be mesmerized as we delve into the captivating beauty of Saturn's iconic rings in our latest video, "Unveiling the Majesty: Rings of Saturn Revealed." Join us on a cosmic journey to explore the intricate details and celestial wonders that make Saturn's rings a spectacle like no other. Discover the fascinating science behind the formation of these majestic rings, composed of icy particles, rocks, and cosmic debris. Learn about the stunning array of ring structures and how they interact with Saturn's gravitational forces to create a mesmerizing dance in the cosmic ballet. Witness breathtaking images and footage captured by spacecraft like Cassini, providing a front-row seat to the dynamic and ever-changing nature of Saturn's rings. From the bright and prominent rings to the subtle features that make each ring unique, this video offers an up-close look at the celestial elegance that has captured the imagination of astronomers for centuries.

Join us as we explore the enchanting twilight on the enigmatic planet Uranus, the seventh celestial body in our solar system. Witness the breathtaking Uranian sunset, a mesmerizing display of colors that paint the distant skies in hues of pale blues and greens. The unique composition of Uranus' atmosphere, rich in hydrogen, helium, and methane, gives rise to a pastel palette, creating an otherworldly ambiance unlike anything seen on Earth. Discover the secrets behind Uranus' prolonged and eccentric sunset, a result of its extreme axial tilt. As the gas giant rotates on its side, the Sun's rays cast a gentle glow across the planet, elongating the twilight period and unveiling a celestial panorama that captivates the imagination. Marvel at the interplay of colors as the dying sunlight reveals the icy rings encircling Uranus, adding a subtle and captivating ringed silhouette to the cosmic spectacle. This is a visual feast that transcends the familiar, offering a glimpse into the mysteries of our solar system's outer realms.

Martian Landscapes

Explore the surface of Mars, fly through a solar flare, and bask in the glow of a Uranian sunset.

Scientists have noticed that Jupiter's Great Red Spot has been getting smaller in area over time. Because of this, many expected to see the wind speeds inside the Great Red Spot increasing as the storm was shrinking. But surprisingly, this isn't the case: the wind speeds aren't changing. Instead, the storm is actually growing taller. The Great Red Spot is deepening in color as well. A team from NASA, New Mexico State University and the University of California at Berkeley made these discoveries by pouring over data from numerous NASA missions, including Voyager, Hubble and Juno.

This new Hubble Space Telescope view of Jupiter, taken on June 27, 2019, reveals the giant planet's trademark Great Red Spot, and a more intense color palette in the clouds swirling in Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere than seen in previous years. The colors, and their changes, provide important clues to ongoing processes in planetary atmospheres.

WFIRST is a next-generation space telescope that will survey the infrared universe from beyond the orbit of the Moon. The spacecraft's giant camera, the Wide Field Instrument (WFI), will be fundamental to this exploration. The WFI features the same angular resolution as Hubble but with 100 times the field of view. Data it gathers will enable scientists to discover new and uniquely detailed information about planetary systems around other stars. The WFI will also map how matter is structured and distributed throughout the cosmos, which should ultimately allow scientists to discover the fate of the universe. Watch this video to see a simplified version of how it works.

On Jan 30, 2014, beginning at 8:31 a.m EST, the moon moved between NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, and the sun, giving the observatory a view of a partial solar eclipse from space. Such a lunar transit happens two to three times each year. This one lasted two and one half hours, which is the longest ever recorded. When the next one will occur is as of yet unknown due to planned adjustments in SDO's orbit. Note in the pictures how crisp the horizon is on the moon, a reflection of the fact that the moon has no atmosphere around it to distort the light from the sun. The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 11:11 a.m. EST on Jan. 30, 2014. Images of the flare were captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, shortly after the observatory witnessed a lunar transit. The black disk of the moon can be seen in the lower right of the images.

We tend to think of Earth's landmasses as being fixed in place, but in reality they are attached to moving tectonic plates that constantly jostle for position. In some areas these tectonic plates slide over a hotspot – an upwelling of magma from deep in the mantle that can leave behind a geologic "scar" in the crust. Now, a NASA scientist and her colleagues have used anomalies in Greenland's crustal magnetic field to derive its geothermal heat flux, allowing them to effectively peer beneath Greenland's thick ice sheet and into the crust itself. What they found was a thermal track in Greenland's bedrock that records the motions of the North American tectonic plate over geologic time. This finding helps scientists to better understand the movement of Greenland, as it was slowly pushed over the hotspot that is now located under neighboring Iceland. It also serves as a reminder that nothing stands still over geologic time, and that even the largest landmasses are constantly being reshaped by our dynamic planet.