Space & Future
Astronomers finally capture how turbulent space warps light across the galaxy
Astronomers have directly observed how turbulent gas and charged particles floating between stars can bend and distort light traveling across the galaxy.
The discovery gives...
Astronomers discover violent past hidden inside a “calm” galaxy cluster
A giant galaxy cluster once thought to be one of the calmest places in the universe is now revealing signs of a violent past.
Astronomers...
Stardust trapped in Antarctic ice reveals tens of thousands of years of solar system’s...
When you think of outer space, you're likely picturing stars, planets and moons. But much of space is filled with clouds of gas, plasma...
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...
Deep Space
Cosmic dust may be key source of phosphorus for life on Earth, shows study
When Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago, any phosphorus that was present likely sank into the molten core because of the element's distinct chemical...
It’s a fine line between a black hole energy factory and a black hole...
Black holes are powerful gravitational engines.
So you might imagine that there must be a way to extract energy from them given the chance, and...
Unraveling the universe’s secrets with robot-assisted space mapping
In the quest to understand the vastness of the universe, scientists have embarked on an ambitious project using a special tool called the Dark...
The most spectacular celestial vision you’ll never see
Contrary to previous thought, a gigantic planet in wild orbit does not preclude the presence of an Earth-like planet in the same solar system—or...
Cosmic rays could support life just under the ice
If you've ever dreamed of exploring space, you know there'll be some serious dangers. One of them is posed by cosmic rays.
These high-speed particles...