Space & Future
Cosmic dust may have delivered the ingredients for life to early Earth
Life on Earth may have begun with a little help from the stars.
New research suggests that amino acids—the essential building blocks of proteins—could have...
Astronomers find water traces in an interstellar visitor
For millions of years, a tiny icy fragment wandered through space—like a sealed bottle drifting across a cosmic ocean.
This summer, that “message in a...
Comet or alien spaceship? An astrophysicist explains what we know about interstellar traveler 3IAtlas
The eyes of every astronomer widened this year when an interstellar traveler was discovered in our solar system.
Despite some suggestions that it could be...
Astronomers confirm Betelgeuse has a hidden companion star
For decades, scientists have suspected that Betelgeuse—the giant red star that forms Orion’s shoulder—wasn’t alone.
Now, a team from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has confirmed...
This young star’s magnetic heartbeat runs 10 times faster than the Sun’s
Astronomers have taken a close look at the magnetic activity of a young star strikingly similar to our own sun—and discovered that it has...
Gravity vs. magnetism: How the universe shapes giant stars
Astronomers have taken their clearest look yet at how some of the biggest stars in our galaxy are born—and it turns out the process...
20 years of space images reveal the secrets of Mars dust devils
For decades, we’ve known that Mars is a dusty world.
Its red surface is constantly shaped by wind, storms, and whirlwinds that dance across its...
Far side of the moon may be colder than the side we see, study...
The moon has long puzzled scientists with its “two faces.”
The near side, which always faces Earth, looks very different from the mysterious far side...
Astronomers detect the smallest dark object ever seen through gravity’s lens
Astronomers have made an exciting breakthrough in the search for the universe’s most mysterious substance—dark matter.
They have discovered the lowest-mass dark object ever detected...
Webb Telescope reveals a hidden giant star before it exploded
For the first time, astronomers have used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to get a clear look at a giant star right before...
The most metal-free star ever observed is found in our own backyard
The Big Bang essentially created two elements: hydrogen and helium.
It also produced tiny traces of lithium and a few other light isotopes, but in...
How black holes launch powerful jets across the universe
When astronomers released the first-ever image of a black hole in 2019, the world caught a glimpse of the monster at the center of...
Deep Space
Saturn surpasses Jupiter after the discovery of 20 new moons and you can help...
Move over Jupiter; Saturn is the new moon king.
A team led by Carnegie's Scott S. Sheppard has found 20 new moons orbiting Saturn. This...
Floating seismometers could help peer into the core of Venus
Seismology has been ubiquitous on Earth for decades, and missions such as InSight have recently provided the same data for the inside of Mars.
Understanding...
Dancing dwarf galaxies predict our Milky Way’s future
A UQ survey studied the evolution of twin spiral galaxies about 3 billion years ahead of the Milky Way and Andromeda in merging.
It found...
This element makes the universe look like a toddler
In terms of longevity, the universe has nothing on xenon 124.
Theory predicts the isotope's radioactive decay has a half-life that surpasses the age of...
A new study shows how our Sun could permanently capture rogue planets!
Interest in interstellar objects (ISOs) was ignited in 2017 when ‘Oumuamua flew through our Solar System and made a flyby of Earth.
Roughly two years...