Space & Future
Astronomers find new features hiding in the Orion Nebula
As one of the most prominent features of the night sky, the Orion Nebula has been studied, probed, and imaged by almost every telescope...
Hidden fifth dimension could finally explain the mystery of dark matter, scientists say
Dark matter, the mysterious substance that holds galaxies together, may be connected to a hidden fifth dimension of space, according to a new theory...
Astronomers uncover long-lost black hole hidden among 10 million stars
Astronomers have discovered the first known stellar-mass black hole hiding inside the massive star cluster Omega Centauri, solving part of a mystery that has...
Hidden oceans? Common alien planets may be concealing vast oceans, study finds
Some of the most common planets in our galaxy may be hiding far more water than scientists can currently detect—even with the powerful James...
Scientists detect a sugar in deep space for the first time, offering new clues...
For the first time, scientists have discovered a sugar molecule floating in interstellar space, a breakthrough that could help explain how some of the...
Astronomers discover four dead stars in our cosmic neighborhood
Astronomers have uncovered four previously hidden white dwarfs surprisingly close to Earth, revealing that even our own corner of the galaxy still holds major...
Chemistry reveals the origins of an interstellar comet
Somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy is an old star that has lost one of its comets.
By some quirk of orbital mechanics, that frozen...
Scientists recreate a black hole energy trick in the lab without anything spinning
More than 50 years ago, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Sir Roger Penrose proposed an extraordinary idea.
He suggested that it might be possible to extract energy...
Scientists capture the tiny ‘drift’ that signals the birth of a star
How does a new star begin?
It is a question astronomers have been trying to answer for decades.
Now, scientists have observed an important process that...
Most of moon’s water likely remains chemically bound in its deep interior
After decades of analyzing reams of lunar rocks back here on Earth, the canonical view of the Moon was that it was anhydrous; that...
Scientists discover how an exoplanet with endless day and night could still support life
An unusual planet located about 48.5 light-years from Earth may seem far too extreme for life.
One side is permanently exposed to intense heat, while...
A rapidly growing black hole in a nearby galaxy could provide a window into...
An international team led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) recently made a first-ever discovery when observing SDSS J110546.07+145202.4,...
Deep Space
Gamma-ray burst unveils secrets of life’s building blocks in the universe
In a breathtaking discovery, scientists have witnessed the birth of rare chemical elements in one of the brightest gamma-ray bursts ever recorded.
This event sheds...
How hydrogen kept early Mars warm
Mars haunts us as a vision of a planet gone wrong.
It was once warm and wet, with rivers flowing across its surface and (potentially)...
Scientists find first evidence of water vapor at Jupiter’s moon Ganymede
For the first time, astronomers have uncovered evidence of water vapor in the atmosphere of Jupiter's moon Ganymede.
This water vapor forms when ice from...
Scientists find evidence of collision with dwarf galaxy in Milky Way galaxy
Nearly 3 billion years ago, a dwarf galaxy plunged into the center of the Milky Way and was ripped apart by the gravitational forces...
Astronomers watch a giant star quietly collapse into a black hole
Astronomers have captured one of the clearest views ever of a massive star dying—not in a dramatic supernova explosion, but by quietly collapsing into...