Astronomers find water traces in an interstellar visitor
For millions of years, a tiny icy fragment wandered through space—like a sealed bottle drifting across a cosmic ocean.
This summer, that “message in a...
Comet or alien spaceship? An astrophysicist explains what we know about interstellar traveler 3IAtlas
The eyes of every astronomer widened this year when an interstellar traveler was discovered in our solar system.
Despite some suggestions that it could be...
Astronomers confirm Betelgeuse has a hidden companion star
For decades, scientists have suspected that Betelgeuse—the giant red star that forms Orion’s shoulder—wasn’t alone.
Now, a team from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has confirmed...
This young star’s magnetic heartbeat runs 10 times faster than the Sun’s
Astronomers have taken a close look at the magnetic activity of a young star strikingly similar to our own sun—and discovered that it has...
Gravity vs. magnetism: How the universe shapes giant stars
Astronomers have taken their clearest look yet at how some of the biggest stars in our galaxy are born—and it turns out the process...
20 years of space images reveal the secrets of Mars dust devils
For decades, we’ve known that Mars is a dusty world.
Its red surface is constantly shaped by wind, storms, and whirlwinds that dance across its...
Far side of the moon may be colder than the side we see, study...
The moon has long puzzled scientists with its “two faces.”
The near side, which always faces Earth, looks very different from the mysterious far side...
Astronomers detect the smallest dark object ever seen through gravity’s lens
Astronomers have made an exciting breakthrough in the search for the universe’s most mysterious substance—dark matter.
They have discovered the lowest-mass dark object ever detected...
Webb Telescope reveals a hidden giant star before it exploded
For the first time, astronomers have used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to get a clear look at a giant star right before...
The most metal-free star ever observed is found in our own backyard
The Big Bang essentially created two elements: hydrogen and helium.
It also produced tiny traces of lithium and a few other light isotopes, but in...