Baby star fires cosmic blast—and gets hit by its own shockwave
Astronomers have spotted a rare and dramatic cosmic event: a baby star that fired off an enormous jet of energy, triggering an explosion—and then...
Lonely giant planets may build their own mini solar systems
A new study from the University of St Andrews has found that giant, starless planets drifting alone through space may be able to form...
Spinning water tornado in a tank sheds light on how planets are born
Scientists in Germany have created a simple but powerful experiment that uses a swirling water tornado in a tank to mimic how planets form...
After 13 years on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity rover is smarter than ever
Thirteen years after it first touched down on the Red Planet, NASA's Curiosity rover is proving it still has a lot of exploring left...
Alien sun dogs? Strange light shows may dance in distant exoplanet skies
When you look up on a cold winter day and see bright spots of light flanking the sun—called sun dogs—you’re witnessing the beautiful result...
Scientists find a star that defies physics—and it’s speeding up
Astronomers have found a strange and fascinating object in space that may change what we know about stars.
Named CHIME J1634+44, this object gives off...
How AI found a new kind of force in the universe’s dust
In a major leap for both artificial intelligence and physics, researchers from Emory University have used a machine-learning model to uncover surprising new physical...
Did gravitational waves create the universe? A new theory challenges the Big Bang
For decades, scientists have believed that the Universe began with a powerful event known as the Big Bang, followed by a rapid expansion called...
The moon is useless, so let’s preserve it
I don’t think space or lunar tourism is going to be the big draw that transforms the moon into something unrecognizable.
Instead, I think it’s...
NASA’s moon rover tests got it wrong—blame Earth’s gravity
When NASA’s Mars rover Spirit got stuck in soft soil in 2009, engineers on Earth worked tirelessly to free it—trying different wheel movements and...