Many planets could have water-rich atmospheres, show study
An atmosphere is what makes life on Earth's surface possible, regulating our climate and sheltering us from damaging cosmic rays.
But although telescopes have counted...
The oldest stars help tell us how big the universe is
Astronomers are struggling to understand the discrepancies when measuring the expansion rate of the universe with different methods, and are desperate for any creative...
Scientists find a giant hot neighbor for the star Vega
Astronomers have discovered new hints of a giant, scorching-hot planet orbiting Vega, one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
The research, published this...
Scientists catch a moving supermassive black hole
Scientists have long theorized that supermassive black holes can wander through space--but catching them in the act has proven difficult.
Now, researchers at the Center...
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...