Space & Future
Did asteroids invent gum billions of years ago?
What is “gum”? Most people have probably never considered this question, and might answer something like a chewy material you can put in your...
Do super-Jupiters look like Jupiter? New Webb discovery says the answer is more surprising...
At first glance, giant planets called super-Jupiters might seem like close cousins of Jupiter. Some are even ten times more massive.
For years, astronomers assumed...
New tech could shield space electronics from deadly cosmic radiation
Modern life depends heavily on electronics that can survive in extreme environments.
Satellites that provide TV broadcasts, GPS signals, phone services and internet must operate...
Astronomers find hidden star that solves a major cosmic dust mystery
Only 70 light-years from Earth, a star called Kappa Tucanae A hosts one of astronomy’s strangest mysteries.
Around it swirls dust so scorching—more than 1,000...
Asteroid Bennu holds clues to how life began: Sugars, organics, and stardust
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission brought back pristine pieces of the asteroid Bennu in 2023—and these tiny grains are turning out to be a treasure chest...
What time is it on Mars? Scientists finally have a precise answer
On Earth, telling time is easy. Our clocks are synchronized using atomic clocks, GPS satellites, and fast communication networks.
But according to Einstein’s theory of...
Scientists detect static discharge on airplanes using giant European telescope
Scientists have accidentally uncovered a surprising behavior in commercial airplanes: they emit radio waves when they release built-up static electricity.
This discovery, made by an...
Two hot stars passed near our solar system and left a lasting mark
Around 4.4 million years ago—long before humans existed—two massive, blazing-hot stars swept past our solar system.
They didn’t come close enough to pose any danger,...
Chang’e-6 uncovers strange “sticky” soil on the moon’s far side
Scientists have finally taken a close look at the first-ever soil samples brought back from the far side of the moon, and the results...
Why galaxies die faster in crowded regions
Astronomers have long known that galaxies grow and change over billions of years, but new results from a major international project show that where...
The universe was warm before it was bright
So first the Big Bang happens. Everything is incredibly hot and dense; there are photons flying everywhere, but they keep colliding with electrons and...
Scientists capture ultra-rare, ultra-sharp images of powerful solar flares
Scientists have achieved something that almost never happens in solar research: they captured high-resolution images of an active region on the sun at the...
Deep Space
This is the most detailed family portrait for black holes to date
Astronomers have produced the most detailed family portrait of black holes to date, offering new clues as to how black holes form.
Intense analysis of...
Asteroid strike in North Sea triggered mega-tsunami 43 million years ago
Scientists have finally solved a decades-long mystery about a strange crater deep under the North Sea.
The Silverpit Crater, first discovered in 2002, has now...
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...
Why is the sun’s atmosphere hotter than its surface?
A phenomenon first detected in the solar wind may help solve a long-standing mystery about the sun: why the solar atmosphere is millions of...
Gas ‘waterfalls’ reveal infant planets around young star
For the first time, astronomers using ALMA have witnessed 3D motions of gas in a planet-forming disk.
At three locations in the disk around...