Space & Future
The universe may be lopsided
The shape of the universe is not something we often think about.
But my colleagues and I have published a new study suggests it could...
Earth-like planets need a cosmic-ray bath
It's quite a challenge to make an Earth-like world.
You need enough mass to hold an atmosphere and generate a good magnetic field, but not...
Why astronomy needs a giant in the Canary Islands
Size matters when it comes to telescopes. The bigger they are, the farther they can see. Prioritizing constructing large ones is therefore high on...
The interstellar comet that’s spilling its secrets
When 3I/ATLAS swept past the Sun in late October 2025, it became only the third confirmed visitor from interstellar space ever detected.
Unlike the mysterious...
Hot Jupiters with a memory of their past
How did hot Jupiters end up orbiting so close to their stars, thus earning their moniker?
This is what a recent study published in The...
Astronomers discover giant spinning cosmic structure like a “teacup ride” in space
Astronomers have discovered one of the largest rotating structures ever seen in the universe, a vast cosmic formation that spins in a way reminiscent...
Astronomers witness ultra-fast winds erupt from a supermassive black hole
Astronomers have witnessed a dramatic and never-before-seen event near a supermassive black hole: an intense X-ray flare that, within hours, triggered ultra-fast winds blasting...
Did black holes change over time? Astronomers question a 50-year-old rule about quasars
Astronomers have uncovered surprising evidence that challenges a long-standing rule about quasars, some of the brightest objects in the universe.
The discovery suggests that the...
Supermassive black holes are picky eaters during galaxy mergers, study finds
Black holes are famous for their enormous appetites, pulling in gas, dust, and even light itself.
But new research shows that even the largest black...
How stardust really travels: A new study rewrites the story of life’s building blocks
The atoms that make up life on Earth—carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and more—were forged inside stars long before our planet existed.
For decades, astronomers believed they...
The solar system loses an ocean world
Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, may not have a subsurface ocean after all.
That’s according to a re-examination of data captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which...
Why the same galaxy can grow or decline—It depends on its neighbor
Galaxies may look serene from afar, but their lives are shaped by powerful internal structures and by the neighbors they keep.
A new study led...
Deep Space
Scientists show how planets form in binary systems without getting crushed
Astronomers have developed the most realistic model to date of planet formation in binary star systems.
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and the...
Scientists capture stunning new images of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io
Scientists have recently captured the most detailed Earth-based images ever taken of Jupiter's moon Io, thanks to the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) on Mount...
Floating seismometers could help peer into the core of Venus
Seismology has been ubiquitous on Earth for decades, and missions such as InSight have recently provided the same data for the inside of Mars.
Understanding...
Ozone may be heating the Earth more than we realize
Ozone may be weakening one of Earth's most important cooling mechanisms, making it a more significant greenhouse gas than previously thought, researchers have found.
A...
How a backyard stargazing party accidentally found a new exploding star
On a casual night in May, Alex Filippenko, a professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley, was showing off star clusters and galaxies at a...