Scientists discover minerals on Mars that mirror life on Earth
Scientists have uncovered one of the strongest pieces of evidence yet that Mars may once have been home to microbial life.
A new study, led...
The strange red dots in space may be “black hole stars”
Tiny, glowing red dots seen by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) could be one of the biggest surprises in modern astronomy.
At first, scientists...
Astronomers uncover rare starspot-crossing exoplanet 140 light-years away
When astronomers observe a planet passing in front of its star, the slight dip in starlight reveals a wealth of information.
This method, known as...
This star is consuming its companion and could explode brilliantly
Binary star systems are not rare.
Neither are systems where one star is a remnant like a white dwarf or neutron star, and its companion...
This wandering black hole has left its galactic center
Our knowledge of black holes is incomplete.
We know there are stellar mass black holes that are created when massive stars collapse on themselves at...
One wrong hit could send an asteroid on a collision course with Earth
When a massive asteroid is hurtling toward Earth, the solution seems straightforward; smash a spacecraft into it and knock it off course.
That’s exactly what...
Why autonomous reactors are key to powering human life on Mars
Sending humans to Mars will require reliable energy systems that can work without constant human attention.
One of the most promising options is nuclear power,...
A star is devouring its twin in a cosmic feeding frenzy
Astronomers have discovered a star system unlike anything seen before: a greedy white dwarf star is feasting on its much larger stellar companion at...
The messy habits of small black holes
The best opportunity to study black holes is when they're actively accreting matter.
During these times, matter gathers in an accretion disk around the black...
Mars has a solid core, solving a planetary mystery
For decades, scientists have puzzled over the deep interior of Mars.
Did it resemble Earth, with a solid center wrapped in a liquid outer core,...