Space & Future
Astronomers catch a “dark comet” red-handed
Our ability to track and visualize small rocks in space is still improving. And occasionally we’ll find a space rock that will remind us...
Scientists identify the rare “oddball” space rock that wiped out the dinosaurs
Scientists have uncovered new clues about the giant space rock that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago and triggered one of the biggest...
Astronomers find tiny rocky planets locked in eternal day and night
Astronomers have taken their most detailed look yet at the planetary system orbiting Barnard's Star, one of the Sun's closest stellar neighbors, and the...
Moon’s far side keeps a hidden record of how Earth slows the solar wind
For billions of years, the moon has been constantly bombarded by the solar wind—a stream of charged particles flowing outward from the sun.
Scientists have...
Webb Telescope finds hidden giant planet in one of the galaxy’s best-known star systems
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has uncovered a giant planet that had been hiding in plain sight within one of the most closely studied...
Scientists are ‘listening’ to black holes to test Einstein’s theory and search for new...
Black holes are famous for swallowing everything that comes too close, including light.
But when two black holes collide and merge, they briefly produce something...
Scientists discover the Sun contains far more silver than previously thought
Scientists have discovered that the sun contains about 55% more silver than previous estimates suggested, solving a long-standing mystery about the element's abundance in...
Nearby Earth-like planet may have a rare atmosphere, giving us new hope
A rocky planet about 40 light-years from Earth may have something that scientists have struggled to find on similar worlds—a lasting atmosphere.
The planet, called...
This exoplanet hid for 10 years before astronomers finally found it
Astronomers have found a new exoplanet in the Beta Pictoris (β Pic) system.
β Pic is about 63 light years away, and is notable for...
Scientists uncover the secret behind Mars’ mysterious metallic-looking sand dunes
A stunning new image from the European Space Agency (ESA) has revealed an ancient crater on Mars filled with dark, wave-like sand dunes that...
Rare Meteorite from New Jersey Contains Clues to the Origins of Life, Scientists Find
A meteorite that crashed through the roof of a home in Hillsborough, New Jersey, has given scientists a rare look at the chemistry of...
Astronomers Uncover A Strange Nearby Planet System Unlike Anything In Our Solar System
Barnard’s Star is one of the most famous stars in the night sky for astronomers because it is so close to Earth.
Located just under...
Deep Space
Scientists find ancient stars in the heart of the Milky Way
An international team of researchers has obtained the largest set of detailed observations yet of the oldest stars in the center of our Galaxy,...
The universe is expanding about 10 percent faster than we thought
This is a ground-based telescope’s view of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way.
The inset image, which the Hubble...
Scientists find supersonic winds, rocky rains on this lava exoplanet
Among the most extreme planets discovered beyond the edges of our solar system are lava planets:
Fiery hot worlds that circle so close to their...
Scientists develop new method to detect oxygen on exoplanets
Scientists have developed a new method for detecting oxygen in exoplanet atmospheres that may accelerate the search for life.
One possible indication of life, or...
Astronomers discover rare alien solar system changing in real time
Astronomers have discovered a remarkable planetary system where three very different objects orbit a distant star—and their paths are constantly changing.
The system, known as...