Space & Future
How one tiny star change can transform an entire galaxy
A galaxy may look calm and stable from far away, but new research suggests it can actually behave in surprisingly chaotic ways.
Scientists at Leiden...
What it would have been like to experience the dinosaur‑killing asteroid Armageddon
A great Tyrannosaurus rex strides through the conifer trees of her territory, sniffing the air.
She picks up the scent from the carcass of a...
Hidden molecular patterns may reveal alien life on Mars and Europa
For decades, scientists searching for life beyond Earth have focused on one big question: what kinds of molecules should they look for on other...
Astronomers discover 27 possible “Tatooine” worlds orbiting two suns
For years, planets orbiting two stars have seemed more like science fiction than reality.
The most famous example is probably Tatooine, the desert world from...
Dante’s Inferno may have predicted asteroid impacts 500 years early
For more than 700 years, Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy has been celebrated as one of the greatest works of literature ever written.
Most readers...
Scientists reveal stunning “cosmic soccer balls” glowing in deep space
Astronomers have captured breathtaking new images of one of the strangest places in space: a glowing cloud filled with giant carbon molecules shaped like...
Saturn’s icy rings likely formed from lost moon chrysalis
You’re a long-necked Titanosaurs grazing the plains and chomping away on tree leaves about 100 million years ago in the Early Cretaceous in what...
Black holes don’t live forever, but they might live long enough to look like...
Black holes live forever, at least according to general relativity. Once material crosses a black hole's event horizon, it is trapped forever. Until the...
Volunteers help discover thousands of hidden “failed stars” near Earth
A worldwide group of volunteer sky watchers has helped scientists make one of the biggest discoveries of nearby brown dwarfs ever recorded.
Through NASA’s citizen...
How giant black holes shut down star formation
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered powerful winds blasting out of some of the universe’s earliest galaxies, offering new clues about...
Why we need to treat Earth like a spaceship
Four humans recently looped around the moon.
Their vessel, an Artemis capsule, was a thin metal shell whose life-support system kept them alive: it provided...
Astronomers discover how a mini-Neptune survived beside a hot Jupiter
Astronomers using NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope have uncovered new clues about one of the strangest planetary systems ever discovered.
About 190 light years...
Deep Space
Astronomers spot a Jupiter-like planet with possible ice clouds
Astronomers have discovered a distant planet similar to Jupiter that may be covered with thick clouds, offering new insights into how giant planets form...
Why Neptune and Uranus have different colors?
Uranus and Neptune are similar planets in many ways.
Both are ice giant worlds, both have atmospheres rich in methane, and both have a bluish...
Stellar collision triggers supernova explosion, shows study
Astronomers have found dramatic evidence that a black hole or neutron star spiraled its way into the core of a companion star and caused...
The Sun is slowly tearing this comet apart
Using ground-based and space-based observations, a team of researchers has been monitoring a difficult-to-see comet carefully.
It’s called Comet 323P/SOHO, and it was discovered over...
What caused Eta Carinae’s 1840 “Great Eruption”
In 1840 an unassuming star in the Southern Hemisphere brightened suddenly.
What had been a 5th magnitude star became so bright by 1843 that it...