An Italian astronaut aboard the International Space Station has captured glimpses of New Zealand in images posted on social media this week.

The Saturn moons Mimas and Pandora remind us of how different they are when they appear together, as in this image taken by Nasa's Cassini spacecraft.

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and American colleague Thomas Marshburn who are avid users of Twitter aboard the International Space Station have taken several stunning photos of New Zealand as they orbit 370km above the Earth.

We are not alone. Scientists have discovered a second blue planet in the Universe, although this one is decidedly inhospitable and unlikely to support life.

Astronomers say they have found another blue planet a long, long way from Earth - no water world, but a scorching, hostile place where it rains glass sideways.

Paul Charman salutes Voyager 1's famous gold record.

Police say a bright light was reported speeding across New Zealand skies on Monday. Did you see it?

The biggest full moon of 2013, a 'supermoon,' lit up the night sky Sunday.

The US space agency NASA has come up with a startling image of an eclipse.

Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut who captured worldwide attention with his stunning photos of Earth and educational videos from space, has announced his retirement.

The Awarua tracking station allows technicians using a moderately-sized satellite dish outside and $NZ2 million-$NZ3 million worth of sophisticated equipment inside to track spacecraft.

Seattle's an economic engine, a leader in sustainability and a hub for culture and creativity, writes Dr Ann Bartos and John Mauro. It could easily be Auckland.

Another giant space rock is set to sail by the Earth just a few months after our last close encounter - but an expert says asteroid armageddon isn't something we need to worry about any time soon.

Space enthusiast Mark Rocket has been waiting six years for seat on one of the world's first commercial space flights - but says it will be worth the wait.

A Russian capsule carrying mice, lizards and other small animals has returned to Earth after spending a month in space for what scientists said was the longest experiment of its kind.

The Sun has unleashed three potent solar flares in just under 24 hours, marking the most intense activity yet this year and causing limited interruptions to high-frequency radio communications.

A Canterbury astrophysicist will fly to Europe next week to be presented with the Einstein Medal from the Albert Einstein Society.

Narongsak Nagadhana toured New Zealand and captured these beautiful time-lapse videos from the South Island, Mount Cook Valley - The Church of Good Shepherd in Tekapo - and a Queenstown sunset. courtesy vimeo.com/user17638692

Very few people will ever have the chance to see NZ 370km from space, but thanks to two astronauts returning to Earth today Kiwis won't have to make the journey.

A Soyuz space capsule carrying a three-man international crew has landed safely on the steppes of Kazakhstan.