How the habitability of exoplanets is influenced by their rocks
The conditions on Earth are ideal for life.
Most places on our planet are neither too hot nor too cold and offer liquid water.
These and...
Scientists find source of highest-energy cosmic rays in the galaxy
A long-time question in astrophysics appears to finally be answered, thanks to a collection of large, high-tech water tanks on a mountainside in Mexico.
The...
Scientists detect gigantic jet spied from black hole in early universe
Astronomers may have discovered the most distant jet emitting X-rays.
The source of this jet is a rapidly growing supermassive black hole, or quasar, located...
How fast is the universe expanding
Despite a century of measurements, astronomers can’t agree on the rate at which the universe is expanding.
A technique that relies on measuring distances to...
Scientists find the third-nearest star with a planet—and it’s rocky like Earth
In the past two decades, scientists have discovered more and more planets orbiting distant stars—but in some sense, they’re still just dots on a...
Scientists find a new hot neighbor for our Earth
A rocky planet discovered in the Virgo constellation could change how we look for life in the universe.
A newly discovered planet could be our...
Volcanoes might light up the night sky of our Earth
Until now, researchers have found no evidence of global tectonic activity on planets outside our solar system.
On Earth, plate tectonics is not only responsible...
This may solve the mystery of the expansion of the universe
The universe was created by a giant bang; the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, and then it started to expand.
The expansion is ongoing:...
Apollo mission rocks shed light on the moon’s early history
Volcanic rock samples collected during NASA’s Apollo missions bear the isotopic signature of key events in the early evolution of the moon, a new...
Dust particles from Mars can make little sparks
Friction that results from dry Martian dust particles making contact with each other may produce electrical discharge at the surface and in the planet’s...