Space & Future
Why rocky planets form early
When a young star forms, a ring of gas and dust called a protoplanetary disk forms around it.
Together, the star and the disk are...
There’s ice on Mars, just under the surface
Mars, often called the Red Planet due to its distinctive rusty color from iron oxide on its surface, is Earth's neighboring planet and humanity's...
Scientists detect faint radio echo from the first stars in the universe
Astronomers have found a new way to study the very first stars that lit up the universe—by listening to ancient radio signals from just...
Honda – yes, Honda – Tests a reusable rocket
In what seemed to be a development that came from nowhere, there’s a new entrant into the reusable launch systems competition - Honda.
The giant...
When stars tango, planets burn: The birth of double hot Jupiter’s
Yale astronomers may have uncovered how one of the universe’s rarest planetary pairs—double hot Jupiters—come to exist.
Their new study not only explains how these...
NASA aircraft to make low-altitude flights in mid-Atlantic, California
From Sunday, June 22 to Wednesday, July 2, two research aircraft will make a series of low-altitude atmospheric research flights near Philadelphia, Baltimore, and...
Hidden ice on Mars could help humans survive future missions
Before astronauts set foot on Mars, they’ll need to find the right place to land—and survive.
New research led by planetary geologist Erica Luzzi from...
Earth-based telescopes peer into the universe’s first light
For the first time, scientists have used ground-based telescopes to look back more than 13 billion years and observe how the universe’s first stars...
These special galaxies lit up the cosmic noon
Star formation peaked during the Cosmic Noon, which spanned from 10 to 12 billion years ago. During Cosmic Noon, star formation was 10 to...
Distant black hole spotted firing out matter after a feeding frenzy
A supermassive black hole far out in space has revealed what happens when it "overeats"—by blasting out huge amounts of excess material at nearly...
Do hycean worlds have smaller habitable zones
Hycean worlds are also called ocean worlds.
They're planets covered in oceans that also have thick hydrogen atmospheres. There are no confirmed Hycean worlds—also called...
Lunar dust is bad. But not as bad as living in the city
As NASA prepares for a return to the Moon through the Artemis program, one of the biggest health concerns for astronauts has been lunar...
Deep Space
How disorderly young galaxies grow up and mature
Soon after the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, the Universe was an unruly place. Galaxies constantly collided.
Stars formed at an enormous rate inside...
If neutron stars have mountains, they should generate gravitational waves
A neutron star is 2 solar masses compressed into a ball only 12 kilometers wide.
Its surface gravity is so immense it compresses atoms and...
Radioactive molecules could help solve mystery of missing antimatter
Stars, galaxies, and everything in the universe, including our own bodies, are comprised of so-called regular matter.
Regular matter includes atoms and molecules, which are...
Voyager 1 has another problem with its computer system
For more than 46 years, the Voyager 1 probe has been traveling through space.
On August 25th, 2012, it became the first spacecraft to cross...
New decoder could help search for habitable exoplanet
After examining a dozen types of suns and a roster of planet surfaces, Cornell astronomers have developed a practical model – an environmental color...