Space & Future
Exploding stars, black holes, and the forbidden gap
When the first gravitational wave (GW) was detected back in 2015, scientists said they had opened a new window into the Universe.
While most of...
NASA shuts off instrument on Voyager 1 to keep spacecraft operating
On April 17, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California sent commands to shut down an instrument aboard Voyager 1 called...
Scientists map 47 million galaxies in largest 3D universe map ever
Scientists have created the largest and most detailed 3D map of the universe ever made, offering a fresh way to understand how the cosmos...
Astronomers discover rare alien solar system changing in real time
Astronomers have discovered a remarkable planetary system where three very different objects orbit a distant star—and their paths are constantly changing.
The system, known as...
Invisible clumps of dark matter may explain three strange cosmic mysteries
Scientists have long known that most of the matter in the universe is invisible. This hidden material, called dark matter, makes up about 85%...
Black hole ‘dancing jets’ pack the power of 10,000 suns, new study finds
Astronomers have captured striking new details of powerful jets shooting out from a black hole, revealing just how much energy these cosmic systems can...
How dark matter could have built massive black holes after the big bang
Astronomers have long been puzzled by the discovery of extremely large black holes in the early universe.
Some of these black holes, found less than...
How a black hole and a shredded star could light up a galaxy
In 2014, a strange cloudy object called G2 made a close approach to Sagittarius A*, (Sag A*) the supermassive black hole at the heart...
Two monsters, one galaxy, and a collision 100 years away!
Space is full of objects that push the boundaries of imagination, but few do it quite as effectively as a black hole.
At its simplest,...
Scientists reveal where water is hiding on the moon after billions of years
Scientists have long suspected that water exists on the moon, but exactly how it got there—and where it is most concentrated—has remained a mystery.
Now,...
Moon dust tells a hidden story: How space delivered and transformed life’s building blocks
A new study based on samples from China’s Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6 missions is helping scientists understand how the basic ingredients of life arrived and...
It’s not supposed to be like this: A giant planet orbits a small star
The nebular hypothesis states that stars and the planets that orbit them form from the same reservoir of material, called a solar nebula.
It's the...
Deep Space
Deep dive into the dusty Milky Way
An animated dive into the dusty Milky Way reveals the outlines of our galaxy taking shape as we look out further and further from...
Astronomers spot Einstein Cross that shouldn’t exist
Astronomers have made a discovery that looks like something out of science fiction: a rare “Einstein Cross” with an extra image that shouldn’t exist.
This...
Five surprising facts about the sun
Solar physicist Shea Hess Webber shares some of her favorite things you may not know about the big ball of plasma at the center...
Scientists find potential source of shock-darkened meteorites
Planetary scientists have identified a potential source of shock-darkened meteorites.
When the Chelyabinsk fireball exploded across Russian skies in 2013, it littered Earth with a...
Could mysterious cosmic movements debunk the hunt for planet nine?
In a celestial twist, two theoretical physicists, Harsh Mathur and Katherine Brown, have proposed an idea that shakes our pursuit for a potential ninth...