MIT tips for viewing the 2024 total solar eclipse
On Monday, April 8, the United States will experience a total solar eclipse — a rare astronomical event where the moon passes directly between...
A journey through time with tiny robots
Imagine having the power to look back in time, not just a few years, but billions of years. Researchers have achieved something close to...
The Large Magellanic Cloud isn’t very metal, shows new study
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is the Milky Way’s most massive satellite galaxy.
Because it’s so easily observed, astronomers have studied it intently.
They’re interested in...
Could we directly observe volcanoes on an exoplanet
After a few decades of simply finding exoplanets, humanity is starting to be able to do something more – peer into their atmospheres.
The James...
Research finds age key to star movement in galaxies
Imagine a universe where galaxies dance in a cosmic ballet. When they're young, their stars whirl in a neat, orderly fashion.
But as galaxies age,...
Astronomers reveal magnetic whirls around a black hole: a cosmic discovery
Astronomers have made an exciting discovery at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy.
Using a powerful tool called the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), they've...
Want to leave the solar system? Here’s a route to take
The edge of the Solar System is defined by the heliosphere and its heliopause.
The heliopause marks the region where the interstellar medium stops the...
Scientists discover one of the most ancient stars from another galaxy
The Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy that fell into ours billions of years ago, could help reveal how the universe evolved in other regions.
The...
JWST studies reveal details of gas outflows in merging galaxy nearby
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has given astronomers a remarkable new view of NGC 3256, a galaxy undergoing a dramatic transformation.
This galaxy, situated...
Where are all these rogue planets coming from?
There’s a population of planets that drifts through space untethered to any stars. They’re called rogue planets or free-floating planets (FFPs.)
Some FFPs form as...