Our solar system may have captured alien comets
According to the most popular theory, proposed by Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, during a very early phase of the solar system’s formation, the giant...
Exoplanets in habitable zones may not host life due to stars’ flares
The discovery of terrestrial exoplanets, planets that orbit stars outside the solar system, has been one of the most significant developments in modern astronomy.
Several...
Mercury’s volcanic activity could help us find other earth-like exoplanets
If you wanted to narrow down the search for Earth-like worlds in a vast universe, how might you go about it?
According to Paul Byrne,...
Why some planets eat their own skies
For many years, for all we knew, our solar system was alone in the universe.
Then better telescopes began to reveal a treasure trove of...
Scientists find giant magnetic ropes in Whale Galaxy’s halo
Using the National Science Foundation's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array radio telescope, astronomers have captured for the first time an image of large-scale,...
Black hole outburst provides new insight into galaxy cluster evolution
Billions of years ago, in the center of a galaxy cluster far, far away (15 billion light-years, to be exact), a black hole spewed...
Science’s 2019 breakthrough of the year: The first image of a black hole
Scientists have obtained the first image of a black hole, using Event Horizon Telescope observations of the center of the galaxy M87.
The image...
Young star finding challenges current planet formation theory
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) found a young star surrounded by an astonishing mass of gas.
The star, called 49 Ceti, is...
The science of Star Wars and how it has changed movies forever
How sound is the science of Star Wars?
What will the end of franchise mean for fans?
University of Sydney experts in film, pop culture and...
New space image reveals a cosmic ‘candy cane’
Just in time for the holidays, a structure resembling a candy cane has emerged as the centerpiece of a new, colorful composite image of...