Space & Future
Astronomers spot an extremely rare galaxy mega-merger
Scale in the universe is hard to understand from a purely human perspective.
Many times the math just doesn’t sit well with our brains that...
Mysterious black hole has been blasting powerful radio waves for over eight years
Astronomers have discovered a remarkable black hole that has been sending out powerful radio waves for more than eight years, something never seen before.
The...
An extended barrage of asteroid impacts made Earth too hot to form continents
The formation of continents was an important step in Earth's history.
Continents and plate tectonics are connected to the planet's habitability, and the same is...
How A Giant Planet Escaped Its Star’s Death and Lived to Tell the Story
A giant planet that orbits a dead star has surprised scientists once again.
New observations from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) suggest the planet...
Mars dust storms could create dangerous electric sparks, new study finds
Mars is famous for its huge dust storms, but scientists now believe these storms may do more than block sunlight and reduce visibility.
A new...
Scientists ‘listened’ to a fireball to trace its path across Alaska
When a bright fireball raced across the sky over Alaska last spring, scientists expected cameras and satellites to reveal exactly where it came from...
Tiny red galaxies may be the hidden source of mysterious cosmic neutrinos
A newly discovered group of tiny red galaxies may help solve one of astronomy's biggest mysteries: where the universe's highest-energy neutrinos come from.
Using the...
A star’s death throes involves a lot of kicking
Imagine being nudged again and again by thousands of tiny shoves, each one barely perceptible alone, until they add up to a steady drift...
New nearby ‘super-Earth’ may be more like Earth than we thought
A nearby planet that could one day help answer one of humanity's biggest questions—whether life exists beyond Earth—may be more promising than scientists first...
Tiny ancient galaxy near Andromeda may be a 12.5-billion-year-old cosmic fossil
Astronomers have discovered one of the faintest galaxies ever found near the Andromeda Galaxy.
The tiny galaxy, called Andromeda XXXVI (And XXXVI), may be around...
An alternative to black holes: Gravastars with big bangs inside
One foundational part of astrophysics concerns how stellar mass black holes form.
When a star several times more massive than our Sun runs out of...
Solar storms may reduce rain and snow across North America, study warns
Scientists have discovered new evidence that powerful solar storms may briefly affect Earth's weather.
A new study suggests that after a large solar storm, some...
Deep Space
How to land on a planet safely?
When a lander descends toward the moon – or a rocky planet, asteroid, or comet – the exhaust plume of the rocket interacts with...
Webb Telescope spots a galaxy that shouldn’t be seen
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a galaxy that’s making scientists rethink what they know about the early universe.
This galaxy, named...
Deep dive into the dusty Milky Way
An animated dive into the dusty Milky Way reveals the outlines of our galaxy taking shape as we look out further and further from...
Scientists map sulfur residue on Jupiter’s icy moon Europa
Scientists used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe Jupiter’s moon, Europa, at ultraviolet wavelengths, filling in a “gap” in the various wavelengths used to...
A stormy brown dwarf reveals secrets of how stars and planets are born
Astronomers have discovered a fascinating new object orbiting a small red star not far from Earth — a brown dwarf with powerful storms and...