Astronomers identify 164 promising targets for the habitable worlds observatory
Planning large astronomical missions is a long process. In some cases, such as the now functional James Webb Space Telescope, it can literally take...
Scientists discover a hot Jupiter with a comet-like tail
About 164 light-years away, a Hot Jupiter orbits its star so closely that it takes fewer than four days to complete an orbit.
The planet...
Why serious scientists are mesmerized by the multiverse
The multiverse may be a cool (and convenient) concept for comic books and superhero movies, but why do scientists take it seriously?
In a new...
Since interstellar objects crashed into Earth in the past, could they have brought life
On October 19th, 2017, astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey detected an interstellar object (ISO) passing through our Solar System for the first time.
The object,...
Half of this exoplanet is covered in lava
Astronomers working with TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) have discovered a planet that’s been left out in the Sun too long. Or at least...
Why is the universe ripping itself apart?
What is the universe made of? This question has driven astronomers for hundreds of years.
For the past quarter of a century, scientists have believed...
Scientists find mysterious glowing gas on a lonely brown dwarf
Have you ever heard of brown dwarfs?
They're these fascinating space objects, bigger than planets like Jupiter but not quite big enough to be stars.
Well,...
Dark matter could map the universe’s early magnetic fields
We think of magnetic fields as a part of planets and stars.
The Earth and Sun have relatively strong magnetic fields, as do more exotic...
The meteorites that made earth were filled with water
According to the most widely accepted scientific theory, our Solar System formed from a nebula of dust and gas roughly 4.56 billion years ago...
Scientists find an unusual star that hints at a new way stars can die
Scientists have found a star unlike any other one recorded—which may change our picture of how stars die.
This unusual star, 13,000 light-years away, has...