Space & Future
Scientists solve Saturn rotation puzzle after decades of confusion
For decades, scientists have been puzzled by a strange observation about Saturn. Depending on how it was measured, the planet seemed to spin at...
Scientists detect mysterious signal that could confirm primordial black holes
A strange signal from space may be offering a clue to one of the biggest mysteries in science.
Researchers from the University of Miami believe...
Scientists reveal hidden radio signals from the edges of extreme stars
Pulsars are some of the strangest objects in the universe.
They are the dense, rapidly spinning remains of dead stars, and they send out beams...
New study suggests atoms can “hear” ripples in spacetime
Gravitational waves are tiny ripples in space and time, created by some of the most violent events in the universe, such as when two...
Why the Small Magellanic Cloud is behaving so strangely
Astronomers have discovered that one of our closest neighboring galaxies is going through a dramatic transformation—and they can watch it happening in real time.
The...
Giant craters may reveal if Psyche is a lost planetary core
When we think of asteroids, we almost immediately think of giant rocks bouncing around like the iconic chase scene in Empire Strikes Back, and...
Earth was already moving 3.5 billion years ago, study finds
The story of our planet is written in the slow movement of its surface.
Over billions of years, shifting tectonic plates have shaped continents, opened...
How will Martian gravity affect skeletal muscle
NASA and the China National Space Agency (CNSA) plan to send astronauts to Mars as early as the next decade.
Naturally, this ambitious goal requires...
This pair of brown dwarfs can’t get enough of each other
Binary stars are known to transfer mass to one another. In extreme cases, mass transfer can even cause a supernova explosion. That happens when...
When two ‘failed stars’ team up to light the sky
Brown dwarfs are often called “failed stars” because they are too small to keep nuclear fusion going in their cores, the process that makes...
Scientists discover “rotten egg” planet with a massive ocean of lava
Astronomers have discovered a strange new kind of planet beyond our solar system—one that may be covered by a vast, long-lasting ocean of molten...
A giant space rock’s scars may reveal how planets were born
Asteroid 16 Psyche has puzzled scientists for more than 200 years.
Now, new research suggests that its large craters could hold the key to understanding...
Deep Space
Why asteroids tumble instead of spin—gaia data reveals the answer
Asteroids may look like simple space rocks, but their movements hide complex physics.
Some spin neatly on their axes, while others tumble chaotically, flipping in...
Webb sees a supernova go off in a gravitationally lensed galaxy – for the...
Nature, in its infinite inventiveness, provides natural astronomical lenses that allow us to see objects beyond the normal reach of our telescopes.
They’re called gravitational...
Scientists find new ways to detect the passage of gravitational waves
Gravitational waves leave a detectable mark after they have passed.
Gravitational waves, first detected in 2016, offer a new window on the universe, with the...
How well could earth life survive on exoplanets
Astronomers have found some pretty wild exoplanets.
Some are balls of lava the temperature of hell, one is partially made of diamond, and another may...
Extreme solar storms may be more frequent than previously thought
Researchers propose in a new study why an extreme solar storm in 1859 was so damaging to Earth’s magnetic field.
They compared the storm with...