Scientists watch ‘dancing’ electrons after neutron star collision
Astrophysicists have observed an extraordinary event following the collision of two neutron stars—the explosive birth of a black hole and the intense "dance" of...
Asteroid dust unveils the mysterious magnetic origins of our solar system
Tiny grains from the asteroid Ryugu are helping scientists uncover secrets about how the outer regions of our solar system formed over 4.6 billion...
A trash compactor is going to the space station
Astronauts on the International Space Station generate their share of garbage, filling up cargo ships that then deorbit and burn up in the atmosphere.
Now...
A star disappeared in Andromeda, replaced by a black hole
Massive stars about eight times more massive than the Sun explode as supernovae at the end of their lives.
The explosions, which leave behind a...
Flowing Martian water was protected by sheets of carbon dioxide
Mars’ ancient climate is one of our Solar System’s most perplexing mysteries. The planet was once wet and warm; now it’s dry and cold.
Whatever...
You can build a home radio telescope to detect clouds of hydrogen in the...
If I ask you to picture a radio telescope, you probably imagine a large dish pointing to the sky, or even an array of...
Mighty radio bursts linked to massive galaxies
Since their discovery in 2007, fast radio bursts—extremely energetic pulses of radio-frequency light—have lit up the sky repeatedly, leading astronomers on a chase to...
Habitable worlds are found in safe places
When we think of exoplanets that may be able to support life, we hone in on the habitable zone.
A habitable zone is a region...
Feasting black hole found devouring matter at unbelievable speeds in early universe
Astronomers have discovered a black hole in the early universe that is consuming matter at an astonishing rate—more than 40 times the theoretical limit.
This...
Scientists uncover how icy Mars once hosted rivers and a vast lake
New research suggests that ancient Mars, despite its icy conditions, once had rivers, lakes, and even a vast Mediterranean-sized lake, all flowing under thick...