Does life really need planets? Maybe not
Do we have a planetary bias when it comes to understanding where life can perpetuate? It’s only natural that we do. After all, we’re...
Zap! A black hole scores a direct hit with its jet
Most galaxies are thought to play host to black holes.
At the center of Centaurus A, a galaxy 12 million light years away, a jet...
Astronomers spot a black hole jet colliding with a mystery object
Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have made a fascinating discovery in a galaxy called Centaurus A (Cen A), located about 12 million light-years...
An interstellar visitor helped shape the orbits of the planets
The orbits of the planets around the Sun have been the source for many a scientific debate.
Their current orbital properties are well understood but...
Do we really know what becomes a Type Ia Supernova
Lots of things out in the Universe can cause a supernova, from the gravitational collapse of a massive star, to the collision of white...
Is the universe fine-tuned for life? Scientists propose a test for the Anthropic Principle”
Is the universe perfectly set up to support life as we know it?
This idea, called the Anthropic Principle, has sparked debate among scientists and...
The Moon’s oldest crater reveals new secrets about its past
The South Pole-Aitken basin is the moon’s largest and oldest visible crater, formed around 4 billion years ago.
It’s like a giant time capsule, holding...
How a rare Venus transit helps scientists study distant planets
In the future, astronomers will study the atmospheres of planets as small as Earth and Venus orbiting other stars.
While Venus and Earth are often...
Scientists use Hubble to get closest look yet at a quasar’s heart
Astronomers have used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to take the closest-ever look at the heart of a quasar—a dazzling galactic center powered by a...
Did ancient Mars flow with liquid carbon dioxide instead of water?
Mars is known for its dry riverbeds and lake basins, which suggest that liquid once flowed on its surface.
For years, scientists have believed that...