Spin-reversing comet may face self-destruction

Comets are known for providing breathtaking observations of their long and shiny tails when they travel too close to the Sun. This happens because comets...

NASA’s Juno discovers hidden heat beneath Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io

NASA's Juno spacecraft has achieved something never done before by measuring temperatures beneath the surface of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io. The new observations reveal that...

The Milky Way flipped its disk billions of years ago

The Milky Way is ancient, and its first stars formed shortly after the Big Bang. It's been through a lot in its long life,...

Bizarre Jupiter-Mass Exomoon Challenges Everything We Know About Planetary Systems

Astronomers have found what may be the first convincing evidence of a giant "exomoon" beyond our solar system, but the unusual object is already...

The Sun has a ‘switch-off’ moment—and it could help predict space weather years ahead

Scientists have discovered a new way to predict how active the sun's next solar cycle will be years before it reaches its peak. The research...

Mysterious Little Red Dots may be the birthplaces of the universe’s oldest star clusters

Astronomers may have found an answer to two long-standing mysteries about the universe with a single new idea. A study led by researchers at The...

Astronomers catch a “dark comet” red-handed

Our ability to track and visualize small rocks in space is still improving. And occasionally we’ll find a space rock that will remind us...

Scientists identify the rare “oddball” space rock that wiped out the dinosaurs

Scientists have uncovered new clues about the giant space rock that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago and triggered one of the biggest...

Astronomers find tiny rocky planets locked in eternal day and night

Astronomers have taken their most detailed look yet at the planetary system orbiting Barnard's Star, one of the Sun's closest stellar neighbors, and the...

Moon’s far side keeps a hidden record of how Earth slows the solar wind

For billions of years, the moon has been constantly bombarded by the solar wind—a stream of charged particles flowing outward from the sun. Scientists have...