Space & Future
Scientists capture the sound of sparks on Mars
For the first time, scientists have confirmed that tiny bursts of electricity are happening in the atmosphere of Mars.
These sparks were picked up by...
Mysterious ultraviolet light found in baby star nurseries
Astronomers have discovered something unexpected in the birthplaces of young stars: ultraviolet (UV) radiation where it should not exist.
Using the powerful James Webb Space...
After nearly 100 years, dark matter may finally have been seen
Nearly 100 years ago, astronomer Fritz Zwicky made a strange discovery while studying the movement of galaxies.
He noticed that galaxies were moving far faster...
Scientists find possible boiling oceans hidden beneath icy moons
Out in the cold, distant reaches of our solar system, many moons are wrapped in thick layers of ice.
At first glance, these worlds look...
Cosmic dust could help create life in space
Scientists have discovered that tiny particles of cosmic dust may play a much more important role in creating the building blocks of life than...
Why Earth has moving plates and Venus doesn’t
Scientists have taken an important step toward solving one of the biggest mysteries in planetary science: why Earth is covered in moving tectonic plates,...
Maybe Mars isn’t hiding liquid water under its south pole after all
For years, scientists have been intrigued by a mysterious signal coming from the icy south pole of Mars.
In 2018, a radar instrument called MARSIS,...
Earth and Theia were neighbors before they collided
According to the leading theory of how the Earth-Moon system formed (the Giant Impact Hypothesis), a Mars-sized object (named Theia) collided with a proto-Earth...
Scientists trace the moon’s birth to Earth’s nearby planetary twin
Around 4.5 billion years ago, a dramatic event changed Earth forever.
A massive, planet-sized body called Theia slammed into the young Earth in a violent...
Scientists recreate 100 billion stars in a virtual Milky Way for the first time
Scientists have achieved something that once seemed nearly impossible: they have created the first computer simulation of the Milky Way that represents more than...
Yes, the universe can expand faster than light
An expanding universe complicates this picture just a little bit, because the universe absolutely refuses to be straightforward.
Objects are still emitting light, and that...
Scientists discover what really powers Venus’s wild, planet-encircling winds
Imagine storms fiercer than the strongest hurricanes on Earth, blowing nonstop all the way around an entire planet.
This is exactly what happens on Venus,...
Deep Space
Scientists find giant magnetic ropes in Whale Galaxy’s halo
Using the National Science Foundation's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array radio telescope, astronomers have captured for the first time an image of large-scale,...
Where do new stars form in galaxies
Spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way are studded with cold clouds of hydrogen gas and dust, like chocolate chips in a loaded Toll...
Why the asteroids Bennu and Ryugu have their signature “spinning-top” shapes
Scientists with NASA's first asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx, are gaining a new understanding of asteroid Bennu's carbon-rich material and signature "spinning-top" shape.
The team,...
A rare object found deep in the Kuiper Belt
Despite the powerful telescopes that modern astronomers have to work with, the distant reaches of the Solar System are still mysterious.
Not much sunlight pierces...
New low-density super-earth exoplanet discovered by TESS
Discovery of TOI-244 b
An international team of astronomers has detected a new "super-Earth" exoplanet, designated TOI-244 b, using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
This...