Space & Future

A Beautiful Death How a Dying Star Created the Crystal Ball Nebula

Planetary nebulae like the Crystal Ball Nebula (NGC 1514) are sort of like stellar obituaries. Though crystal balls supposedly reveal the future, the Crystal Ball...

Scientists Detect Sand-Like Clouds That Vanish Daily on Alien World

Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have discovered unusual weather patterns on a giant exoplanet nearly 700 light-years away from Earth. The planet, called...

Webb Telescope finds methane-rich atmosphere on rare Saturn-sized exoplanet

Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a giant planet with an atmosphere rich in methane, offering scientists a rare look at...

NASA detects powerful gamma rays from a rare “supercharged” supernova

Astronomers have made an exciting discovery that could change how we understand some of the most powerful explosions in the universe. Using data from NASA’s...

Tiny galaxies around the Milky Way may reveal what the infant universe was really...

Astronomers are turning to some of the smallest galaxies in the universe to answer one of the biggest questions in science: what was the...

Scientists discover a new way to spot alien life by looking for hidden patterns

For many years, scientists searching for life beyond Earth have focused on one main question: what kinds of molecules should they look for on...

Ancient galactic crash may have reshaped the Milky Way 11 billion years ago

The Milky Way may have gone through a violent cosmic collision billions of years ago that dramatically changed the structure of our galaxy, according...

Scientists discover exploding star material hidden in Antarctic Ice

Scientists studying ancient Antarctic ice have discovered new evidence that Earth is currently traveling through a cloud of material left behind by long-dead stars. An...

Scientists discover strange “toothpaste-like” space effect deep in Mars’s atmosphere

Scientists studying Mars have discovered a surprising atmospheric phenomenon that was previously only known to exist around Earth. The discovery could change how researchers understand...

Iron and ice: Earth’s passage through the interstellar cloud

Iron-60 is a radioactive isotope of iron that's found in Antarctic ice and in deep-sea crusts. It's only source is nucleosynthesis in the cataclysmic explosive...

Jupiter’s moon Ganymede may still be building its heart of metal

Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is already famous for being the largest moon in the solar system. At more than 3,200 miles wide, it is even...

Scientists find a new way to listen to the “ringing” of black holes

When two black holes crash into each other, the event is one of the most violent and powerful collisions in the universe. The two objects...

Deep Space

NASA’s new dust repelling shield seems to work well

The hazards facing lunar astronauts are many. There's the radiation, the temperature extremes, the psychological challenges associated with isolation, and the risk of bad accidents...

Astronomers capture rare glimpse of a baby planet forming around a young star

Astronomers have made a rare and unexpected discovery: a newborn planet caught in the act of forming around a young star that resembles our...

Physicist proposes new way to search for the elusive graviton

Physics has two superb theories explaining our universe. The problem is no one can join them together. Einstein’s general relativity describes how physics plays out on...

From the south pole to the stars: Scientists trace elusive cosmic ghosts

For more than a century, scientists have been puzzled by the origins of cosmic radiation—the constant shower of high-energy particles like electrons, protons, and...
Titan's lakes are surprisingly deep

Scientists find Titan’s lakes are surprisingly deep

In a new study, researchers found that small liquid lakes in Titan's northern hemisphere are surprisingly deep. The finding was made based on the data...