Space & Future
Scientists capture a rare cosmic dance caused by a rapidly rotating black hole
Astronomers have made an extraordinary discovery that brings one of Einstein’s lesser-known predictions to life.
For the first time, scientists have observed a swirling distortion...
Uranus and Neptune could be “rock giants,” not just ice worlds
For decades, scientists have believed that Uranus and Neptune are “ice giants,” planets made mostly of icy materials like water, ammonia and methane.
But a...
How Mars controls Earth’s climate
Earth's climate has swung between ice ages and warmer periods for millions of years, driven by subtle changes in our planet's orbit and axial...
Most normal matter in the universe isn’t found in planets, stars or galaxies –where...
If you look across space with a telescope, you’ll see countless galaxies, most of which host large central black holes, billions of stars and...
Scientists map the largest structures in the universe
clusters of galaxies.
These gigantic structures, which contain hundreds or even thousands of galaxies bound together by gravity, offer important clues about how the universe...
Astronomers discover a surprisingly mature spiral galaxy from the early universe
Astronomers have discovered a beautiful, well-formed spiral galaxy from a time when the universe was still very young—only 1.5 billion years after the Big...
Astronomers discover giant spinning thread of galaxies 140 million light-years away
Astronomers have discovered one of the largest rotating structures ever seen in the universe: a razor-thin line of galaxies inside a massive, spinning cosmic...
Scientists capture the first high-detail “real-time” images of stars exploding
Astronomers have captured the most detailed close-up images ever taken of stars exploding, known as novae.
These pictures were taken within days of the eruptions...
Did asteroids invent gum billions of years ago?
What is “gum”? Most people have probably never considered this question, and might answer something like a chewy material you can put in your...
Do super-Jupiters look like Jupiter? New Webb discovery says the answer is more surprising...
At first glance, giant planets called super-Jupiters might seem like close cousins of Jupiter. Some are even ten times more massive.
For years, astronomers assumed...
New tech could shield space electronics from deadly cosmic radiation
Modern life depends heavily on electronics that can survive in extreme environments.
Satellites that provide TV broadcasts, GPS signals, phone services and internet must operate...
Astronomers find hidden star that solves a major cosmic dust mystery
Only 70 light-years from Earth, a star called Kappa Tucanae A hosts one of astronomy’s strangest mysteries.
Around it swirls dust so scorching—more than 1,000...
Deep Space
Euclid space telescope is finding free floating planets in Orion Too
There are likely millions of “rogue” or free-floating planets (FFPs) spread through the galaxy.
These planets, which aren’t big enough to become stars but also...
Scientists unveil stable holographic dark energy model: A new perspective on the expanding universe
In 1998, scientists made a groundbreaking discovery: our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.
To explain this, they introduced the concept of dark energy—a...
Human heart cells are altered by spaceflight, but return to (mostly) normal on Earth
Heart muscle cells derived from stem cells show remarkable adaptability to their environment during and after spaceflight, according to a study publishing in the...
China tests a reusable inflatable module in space
Inflatable space modules are not a new concept, NASA have been exploring the possibility since the 1960’s.
The Chinese Space Agency is now getting in...
How warped cosmic disks are changing our view of planet formation
For decades, scientists have imagined planet formation as a calm and orderly process.
The picture was simple: young stars surrounded by flat, pancake-like disks of...