Space & Future

The Sun has a ‘switch-off’ moment—and it could help predict space weather years ahead

Scientists have discovered a new way to predict how active the sun's next solar cycle will be years before it reaches its peak. The research...

Mysterious Little Red Dots may be the birthplaces of the universe’s oldest star clusters

Astronomers may have found an answer to two long-standing mysteries about the universe with a single new idea. A study led by researchers at The...

Astronomers catch a “dark comet” red-handed

Our ability to track and visualize small rocks in space is still improving. And occasionally we’ll find a space rock that will remind us...

Scientists identify the rare “oddball” space rock that wiped out the dinosaurs

Scientists have uncovered new clues about the giant space rock that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago and triggered one of the biggest...

Astronomers find tiny rocky planets locked in eternal day and night

Astronomers have taken their most detailed look yet at the planetary system orbiting Barnard's Star, one of the Sun's closest stellar neighbors, and the...

Moon’s far side keeps a hidden record of how Earth slows the solar wind

For billions of years, the moon has been constantly bombarded by the solar wind—a stream of charged particles flowing outward from the sun. Scientists have...

Webb Telescope finds hidden giant planet in one of the galaxy’s best-known star systems

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has uncovered a giant planet that had been hiding in plain sight within one of the most closely studied...

Scientists are ‘listening’ to black holes to test Einstein’s theory and search for new...

Black holes are famous for swallowing everything that comes too close, including light. But when two black holes collide and merge, they briefly produce something...

Scientists discover the Sun contains far more silver than previously thought

Scientists have discovered that the sun contains about 55% more silver than previous estimates suggested, solving a long-standing mystery about the element's abundance in...

Nearby Earth-like planet may have a rare atmosphere, giving us new hope

A rocky planet about 40 light-years from Earth may have something that scientists have struggled to find on similar worlds—a lasting atmosphere. The planet, called...

This exoplanet hid for 10 years before astronomers finally found it

Astronomers have found a new exoplanet in the Beta Pictoris (β Pic) system. β Pic is about 63 light years away, and is notable for...

Scientists uncover the secret behind Mars’ mysterious metallic-looking sand dunes

A stunning new image from the European Space Agency (ESA) has revealed an ancient crater on Mars filled with dark, wave-like sand dunes that...

Deep Space

What are the chances of asteroid Bennu striking Earth in next 300 years?

Even Harry Stamper would probably like these odds. Recently NASA updated its forecast of the chances that the asteroid Bennu, one of the two most...

Could humans colonize mars in the next 100 years?

Mars has captured human imagination for centuries, with its reddish glow in the night sky and its status as Earth’s closest planetary neighbor. But...

The Moon’s oldest crater reveals new secrets about its past

The South Pole-Aitken basin is the moon’s largest and oldest visible crater, formed around 4 billion years ago. It’s like a giant time capsule, holding...

Galaxies in the deep universe spin in the same direction, study finds

In just over three years since its launch, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made amazing discoveries about the universe. Now, a new study...

9 amazing phenomena astronauts will encounter at the moon’s south pole

NASA’s Artemis mission will send the first woman and the first person of color to the Moon’s South Pole, marking humanity’s first return to...