‘Mini psyches’ give insights into mysterious metal-rich near-earth asteroids
Metal-rich near-Earth asteroids, or NEAs, are rare, but their presence provides the intriguing possibility that iron, nickel and cobalt could someday be mined for...
Scientists may have discovered first planet to orbit 3 stars
In a distant star system — a mere 1,300 light years away from Earth — UNLV researchers and colleagues may have identified the first...
‘Planet confusion’ could slow Earth-like exoplanet exploration
When it comes to directly imaging Earth-like exoplanets orbiting faraway stars, seeing isn’t always believing.
A new Cornell study finds that next-generation telescopes used to...
New telescope will explore the potential for life around our galaxy’s smallest stars
When the world’s most powerful telescope launches into space this year, scientists will learn whether Earth-sized planets in our ‘solar neighborhood’ have a key...
Mars’ surface shaped by fast and furious floods from overflowing craters, shows study
On Earth, river erosion is usually a slow-going process.
But on Mars, massive floods from overflowing crater lakes had an outsized role in shaping the...
Winds in Jupiter’s great red spot are speeding up
Like the speed of an advancing race car driver, the winds in the outermost "lane" of Jupiter's Great Red Spot are accelerating – a...
Dead galaxies mysteriously ran out of fuel to make stars in early universe
"Live fast, die young" could be the motto of six early, massive, "dead" galaxies that ran out of the cold hydrogen gas needed to...
Black holes make a mess when they gobble up stars
Researchers have documented a fatal encounter between an unlucky star and an intermediate-mass black hole.
While black holes and toddlers don’t seem to have much...
Astronomers find a giant cavity in space, hollowed out by an ancient supernova
Star formation is a topic astronomers are still trying to fully understand.
We know, for example, that stars don’t form individually, but rather are born...
How far could life spread naturally in a galaxy like the Milky Way
Can life spread throughout a galaxy like the Milky Way without technological intervention?
That question is largely unanswered.
A new study is taking a swing at...