Space & Future
Laser-powered propulsion could cut travel to Alpha Centauri to just 20 years
Traveling to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, is far beyond the reach of today’s rockets. With current technology, such a journey would take...
Astronomers find stunning birthplace of cosmic “buckyballs” in deep space
Astronomers have captured stunning new images of a distant cloud of gas and dust where unusual molecules called “buckyballs” are formed.
Using the powerful James...
Exploding stars, black holes, and the forbidden gap
When the first gravitational wave (GW) was detected back in 2015, scientists said they had opened a new window into the Universe.
While most of...
NASA shuts off instrument on Voyager 1 to keep spacecraft operating
On April 17, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California sent commands to shut down an instrument aboard Voyager 1 called...
Scientists map 47 million galaxies in largest 3D universe map ever
Scientists have created the largest and most detailed 3D map of the universe ever made, offering a fresh way to understand how the cosmos...
Astronomers discover rare alien solar system changing in real time
Astronomers have discovered a remarkable planetary system where three very different objects orbit a distant star—and their paths are constantly changing.
The system, known as...
Invisible clumps of dark matter may explain three strange cosmic mysteries
Scientists have long known that most of the matter in the universe is invisible. This hidden material, called dark matter, makes up about 85%...
Black hole ‘dancing jets’ pack the power of 10,000 suns, new study finds
Astronomers have captured striking new details of powerful jets shooting out from a black hole, revealing just how much energy these cosmic systems can...
How dark matter could have built massive black holes after the big bang
Astronomers have long been puzzled by the discovery of extremely large black holes in the early universe.
Some of these black holes, found less than...
How a black hole and a shredded star could light up a galaxy
In 2014, a strange cloudy object called G2 made a close approach to Sagittarius A*, (Sag A*) the supermassive black hole at the heart...
Two monsters, one galaxy, and a collision 100 years away!
Space is full of objects that push the boundaries of imagination, but few do it quite as effectively as a black hole.
At its simplest,...
Scientists reveal where water is hiding on the moon after billions of years
Scientists have long suspected that water exists on the moon, but exactly how it got there—and where it is most concentrated—has remained a mystery.
Now,...
Deep Space
Scientists detect a radio “heartbeat” from far away galaxy
Astronomers have detected a strange and persistent radio signal from a far-off galaxy, that appears to be flashing with surprising regularity.
Classified as a fast...
Magnetars could be behind some fast radio bursts, shows study
Magnetars—a type of neutron star believed to have an extremely powerful magnetic field—could be the source of some fast radio bursts, new research suggests.
Though...
Black holes have no hair, but they do have comb overs
Making a black hole is easy.
Just squeeze a bunch of stuff into a small enough volume. It doesn't even matter what you use.
You can...
Astronomers discover new Milky Way satellite galaxies
Astronomers have made an exciting discovery that sheds light on the Milky Way's satellite galaxies, small galaxies orbiting our own.
This discovery is crucial for...
If hycean worlds really exist, what are their oceans like
Astronomers have been on the hunt for a new kind of exoplanet in recent years – one especially suited for habitability.
They’re called hycean worlds,...