Space & Future
Could We Send a Spacecraft to a Black Hole?
Black holes represent some of the most extreme environments in the universe.
They’re the sources of the strongest consistent gravitational fields, which allows us to...
Rare moon rocks from the far side reveal a new chapter in the solar...
Ancient rocks collected from the far side of the moon are giving scientists a fresh look at the violent history of our solar system.
The...
We may have been searching the wrong radio channel for alien signals
For more than 60 years, scientists have searched the skies for signs of intelligent life beyond Earth.
Much of that search has focused on listening...
Did the dinosaur-killing asteroid really shape tuna evolution?
For years, many scientists believed that the asteroid impact that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago also helped shape the evolution...
Mars Has Its Own Tiny Aurora Engine—And It Works Surprisingly Like Earth’s
Mars may not have a strong global magnetic field like Earth, but scientists have discovered that it still creates glowing auroras using a surprisingly...
Europa’s Hidden Ocean May Be Harder To Reach Than We Expected
Europa, one of Jupiter's largest moons, has fascinated scientists for decades because it may hide a vast ocean of liquid water beneath its thick...
Are we missing alien lighthouses
Searching for extraterrestrial intelligence has so far meant primarily focusing on one particular type of signal - and that signal has normally been based...
Spin-reversing comet may face self-destruction
Comets are known for providing breathtaking observations of their long and shiny tails when they travel too close to the Sun.
This happens because comets...
NASA’s Juno discovers hidden heat beneath Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io
NASA's Juno spacecraft has achieved something never done before by measuring temperatures beneath the surface of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io.
The new observations reveal that...
The Milky Way flipped its disk billions of years ago
The Milky Way is ancient, and its first stars formed shortly after the Big Bang. It's been through a lot in its long life,...
Bizarre Jupiter-Mass Exomoon Challenges Everything We Know About Planetary Systems
Astronomers have found what may be the first convincing evidence of a giant "exomoon" beyond our solar system, but the unusual object is already...
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...
Deep Space
Scientists discover a giant planet that shouldn’t be there
In a galaxy far, far away—530 light-years away to be exact—a large planet named 8 Ursae Minoris b orbits a dying, gigantic red star.
This...
Stars and planets grow up together as siblings, says study
Astronomers have found compelling evidence that planets start to form while infant stars are still growing.
The high-resolution image obtained with the Atacama Large...
Scientists find where the heaviest elements in our universe come from
Researchers have found the unequivocal evidence of where the heaviest elements in our universe come from.
For the first time, the researchers have detected an...
Scientists discover star birth places are rare in our Milky Way galaxy
Astronomers using the Nobeyama Radio Obeservatory (NRO) 45-m telescope found that high-density gas, the material for stars, accounts for only 3% of the total...
Scientists save 47 years old of Voyager 1 from disaster with daring thruster fix
NASA engineers have successfully solved a tricky issue with Voyager 1's thrusters, which are crucial to keeping the spacecraft pointed at Earth.
After 47 years...