Pluto’s icy heart makes winds blow
A "beating heart" of frozen nitrogen controls Pluto's winds and may give rise to features on its surface, according to a new study. Pluto's famous...
Scientists find clues to how hazardous space radiation begins
Scientists have unlocked one of the mysteries of how particles from flares on the sun accumulate at early stages in the energization of hazardous...
New telescope reveals most detailed images of sun’s surface
The first images from a newly operational telescope reveal unprecedented detail of the sun’s surface and preview the transformative images to come from this...
NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope ends 16-year mission of discovery
For more than 16 years, the infrared observatory revealed new wonders in our solar system, our galaxy and beyond. Its legacy lays the groundwork...
Tiny meteorites reveal the secret of earth’s early atmosphere
Iron micrometeorites, like seen here under a microscope, can provide new clues about the composition of the Earth's upper atmosphere 2.7 billion years ago. Tiny...
Tiny, ancient meteorites suggest early Earth’s atmosphere was rich in carbon dioxide
Very occasionally, Earth gets bombarded by a large meteorite. But every day, our planet gets pelted by space dust, micrometeorites that collect on Earth’s surface. A...
Astronomers find ‘vampire’ star sucking life from victim
Astronomers have found a 'vampire' star in the midst of a feeding frenzy, with the help of an automated program that is sifting through...
Stars need a partner to spin Universe’s brightest explosions
When it comes to the biggest and brightest explosions seen in the Universe, University of Warwick astronomers have found that it takes two stars...
How NASA’s Webb telescope will continue Spitzer’s legacy
As one window to the universe closes, another will open with an even better view. Some of the same planets, stars and galaxies we first...
Astronomers detect large amounts of oxygen in ancient star’s atmosphere
Astronomers from the University of California San Diego, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), and the University of Cambridge have detected large amounts...