Aston’s Lagonda went full wedge and digital in the late ’70s, pairing a 5.3L V8 with a sci-fi dash. Unreliable and pricey, it still grabbed headlines and buyers—helping keep the company afloat.

High-energy particles zipping through the cosmos are harmful to life on Earth, but scientists think it could be food for potential alien life elsewhere. Saturn's moon Enceladus (shown here in a 2006 ...