Until the Executive Order of June 24, 1912, neither the order of the stars nor the proportions of the flag was prescribed. Consequently, flags dating before this period sometimes show unusual ...

June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress issued a resolution making the Stars and Stripes the nation's flag. Enjoy a little red, white, and blue from across the Smithsonian. Visit the O Say Can You See ...

At 8.6 light-years away, Sirius B is the nearest known white dwarf star to Earth. Photograph courtesy NASA/ESA/H. Bond (STScl)/M. Barstow (University of Leicester) Red giants are hot enough to ...