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...
Astronomers detect water in interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
For millions of years, a frozen fragment of ice and dust wandered alone between the stars, like a sealed bottle drifting in a cosmic...
Solar sail probe could help detect space tornadoes before they hit Earth
Scientists are calling for a new generation of spacecraft to help spot dangerous space weather before it reaches Earth.
According to a new study from...
Moon rocks from 1972 reveal chemical secrets that don’t match Earth
When astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt returned from NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972, they carried with them a treasure trove of lunar...
Black holes have no hair, but they do have comb overs
Making a black hole is easy.
Just squeeze a bunch of stuff into a small enough volume. It doesn't even matter what you use.
You can...
Rogue planet found having massive growth spurt
Rogue planets, also known as free-floating planets (FFP) or isolated planetary-mass objects (iPMO), have become a major focus for astronomers.
The first such objects were...
A new telescope could help us find another Earth
Astronomers have already discovered nearly 6,000 planets outside our solar system, but none of them are true “Earth twins.”
Scientists are especially interested in finding...
Uranus’ moon Ariel had a 170km deep sub-surface water ocean
Interest in icy moons has been growing steadily as they become more and more interesting to astrobiologists.
Some take the majority of the attention, like...