Space & Future
Astronomers spot first stars billions of years after they were supposed to die
Over the course of billions of years, the universe has steadily been evolving.
Thanks to the expansion of the universe, we are able to “see”...
Hunting for wandering black holes in dwarf galaxies
Tracking down black holes at the center of dwarf galaxies has proven difficult.
In part that is because they have a tendency to “wander” and...
How dark energy changed cosmology forever
Let’s rewind the clock back…oh, I don’t know, let’s say a hundred years. It was 1917, and Einstein had just developed his general theory...
How colorful microbes in clouds could help us find life on other planets
Clouds may spoil a picnic or block our view of the stars, but they could also help scientists discover life on distant planets.
A new...
Astronomers crack the case of mysterious radio relics in galaxy clusters
Galaxy clusters are the largest structures held together by gravity in the universe.
Each cluster contains hundreds or even thousands of galaxies, along with hot...
Our solar system is moving three times faster than expected
A new study has found that our solar system is racing through the universe much faster than current theories predict.
This surprising discovery, led by...
The rust that could reveal alien life
Iron rusts.
On Earth, this common chemical reaction often signals the presence of something far more interesting than just corroding metal for example, living microorganisms...
Astronomers discover the Pleiades is part of a giant hidden star family
The Pleiades, also known as the “Seven Sisters,” is one of the most recognizable sights in the night sky.
For centuries, people around the world...
Astronomers discover a superheated galaxy building stars at record speed
Astronomers have found a distant galaxy that’s building stars 180 times faster than our own Milky Way—offering a new clue to how galaxies grew...
How cloud-dwelling microbes could help us find life on other worlds
Clouds may seem like a barrier when looking for life on distant planets, but new research shows they could actually be the key.
Scientists at...
The impossible black holes that shouldn’t exist
In 2023, gravitational wave detectors picked up the signature of a collision 7 billion light years away.
Two black holes had merged in an explosion...
Rare meteor strike on Mars triggers dust avalanches and new streaks
A rare meteoroid impact on Mars has given scientists a glimpse into how the planet’s dusty surface is constantly reshaped.
When a space rock struck...
Deep Space
Black hole outburst provides new insight into galaxy cluster evolution
Billions of years ago, in the center of a galaxy cluster far, far away (15 billion light-years, to be exact), a black hole spewed...
Scientists find remnants of an ancient galaxy at the edge of Andromeda
An amateur astronomer examining archival data processed by the Community Science & Data Center tipped off astronomers about a smudge of interest in an...
What happens to the climate when Earth passes through interstellar clouds
Noctilucent clouds were once thought to be a fairly modern phenomenon.
A team of researcher have recently calculated that Earth and the entire Solar System...
Astronomers find out what happens to rocky planets that wander too close to their...
The massive Kepler survey found a treasure trove of exoplanets.
But in all that wealth they found three anomalies: what appeared to be rings of...
Scientists find the oldest material on Earth in a meteorite
Stars have life cycles.
They're born when bits of dust and gas floating through space find each other and collapse in on each other and...