Space & Future
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,...
Astronomers spot first stars billions of years after they were supposed to die
Over the course of billions of years, the universe has steadily been evolving.
Thanks to the expansion of the universe, we are able to “see”...
Hunting for wandering black holes in dwarf galaxies
Tracking down black holes at the center of dwarf galaxies has proven difficult.
In part that is because they have a tendency to “wander” and...
How dark energy changed cosmology forever
Let’s rewind the clock back…oh, I don’t know, let’s say a hundred years. It was 1917, and Einstein had just developed his general theory...
How colorful microbes in clouds could help us find life on other planets
Clouds may spoil a picnic or block our view of the stars, but they could also help scientists discover life on distant planets.
A new...
Astronomers crack the case of mysterious radio relics in galaxy clusters
Galaxy clusters are the largest structures held together by gravity in the universe.
Each cluster contains hundreds or even thousands of galaxies, along with hot...
Our solar system is moving three times faster than expected
A new study has found that our solar system is racing through the universe much faster than current theories predict.
This surprising discovery, led by...
The rust that could reveal alien life
Iron rusts.
On Earth, this common chemical reaction often signals the presence of something far more interesting than just corroding metal for example, living microorganisms...
Deep Space
Dark matter interacts with gravity in a non-local way, shows study
Ever wondered about the mysteries of the universe and how everything, near or far, is connected?
The answer lies in gravity, a force that pulls...
How molten sulfur may have built Mars from the inside out
Scientists have long believed that rocky planets like Earth and Mars formed their cores through a process that required intense heat.
In that traditional view,...
How Mars dust storms can engulf the planet
Mars is well-known for its dust storms, which occur every Martian year during summer in the southern hemisphere.
Every three Martian years (five and a...
How a bubble gives birth to young stars
The Earth sits in a 1,000-light-year-wide void surrounded by thousands of young stars — but how did those stars form?
In a paper published in...
Astronomers detect signature of magnetic field on an exoplanet
Researchers have identified the first signature of a magnetic field surrounding a planet outside of our solar system.
Earth's magnetic field acts as a...