Space & Future
Giant craters may reveal if Psyche is a lost planetary core
When we think of asteroids, we almost immediately think of giant rocks bouncing around like the iconic chase scene in Empire Strikes Back, and...
Earth was already moving 3.5 billion years ago, study finds
The story of our planet is written in the slow movement of its surface.
Over billions of years, shifting tectonic plates have shaped continents, opened...
How will Martian gravity affect skeletal muscle
NASA and the China National Space Agency (CNSA) plan to send astronauts to Mars as early as the next decade.
Naturally, this ambitious goal requires...
This pair of brown dwarfs can’t get enough of each other
Binary stars are known to transfer mass to one another. In extreme cases, mass transfer can even cause a supernova explosion. That happens when...
When two ‘failed stars’ team up to light the sky
Brown dwarfs are often called “failed stars” because they are too small to keep nuclear fusion going in their cores, the process that makes...
Scientists discover “rotten egg” planet with a massive ocean of lava
Astronomers have discovered a strange new kind of planet beyond our solar system—one that may be covered by a vast, long-lasting ocean of molten...
A giant space rock’s scars may reveal how planets were born
Asteroid 16 Psyche has puzzled scientists for more than 200 years.
Now, new research suggests that its large craters could hold the key to understanding...
A “cotton candy” planet wrapped in haze leaves scientists puzzled
Astronomers have taken a closer look at one of the strangest planets ever discovered, and it is raising more questions than answers.
The planet, called...
Scientists discover one of the oldest stars ever, with almost no iron
Astronomers have discovered one of the oldest and most primitive stars ever found, offering a rare glimpse into the early universe.
The star, named PicII-503,...
Nearby galaxies suggest the universe may be expanding more slowly than thought
For decades, scientists have tried to measure how fast the universe is expanding.
This expansion rate is known as the Hubble constant, and it plays...
Astronomers discover powerful “cosmic laser” shining from halfway across the universe
Astronomers using a powerful radio telescope in South Africa have discovered an extraordinary cosmic signal coming from more than 8 billion light-years away.
The signal...
Astronomers discover alcohol-rich interstellar comet passing through our solar system
Astronomers studying a rare interstellar comet have discovered something surprising: it contains unusually large amounts of methanol, a type of alcohol.
The discovery offers a...
Deep Space
Dead stars may be hiding the missing mass of galaxy clusters
Galaxy clusters, the largest structures held together by gravity in the universe, may be far heavier than scientists once believed.
New research suggests that much...
Scientists discover a new planet orbiting closest star to our Sun
Astronomers have discovered a new planet orbiting Barnard's star, the closest single star to our sun.
Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO’s...
Have stellar flybys altered Earth’s climate in the past
If our Solar System seems stable, it's because our short lifespans make it seem that way.
Earth revolves, night follows day, the Moon moves through...
When a black hole ate a super-sized star: Inside the violent “whippet” explosion
Astronomers have witnessed an extraordinary cosmic catastrophe: a black hole tearing apart a massive star and devouring it piece by piece.
The dramatic event, nicknamed...
Mars could once have had an ozone shield like Earth, study finds
Scientists studying the harsh winter at Mars’s north pole have uncovered surprising conditions inside the planet’s polar vortex—an enormous, swirling current of air that...