Space & Future

Hidden oceans? Common alien planets may be concealing vast oceans, study finds

Some of the most common planets in our galaxy may be hiding far more water than scientists can currently detect—even with the powerful James...

Scientists detect a sugar in deep space for the first time, offering new clues...

For the first time, scientists have discovered a sugar molecule floating in interstellar space, a breakthrough that could help explain how some of the...

Astronomers discover four dead stars in our cosmic neighborhood

Astronomers have uncovered four previously hidden white dwarfs surprisingly close to Earth, revealing that even our own corner of the galaxy still holds major...

Chemistry reveals the origins of an interstellar comet

Somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy is an old star that has lost one of its comets. By some quirk of orbital mechanics, that frozen...

Scientists recreate a black hole energy trick in the lab without anything spinning

More than 50 years ago, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Sir Roger Penrose proposed an extraordinary idea. He suggested that it might be possible to extract energy...

Scientists capture the tiny ‘drift’ that signals the birth of a star

How does a new star begin? It is a question astronomers have been trying to answer for decades. Now, scientists have observed an important process that...

Most of moon’s water likely remains chemically bound in its deep interior

After decades of analyzing reams of lunar rocks back here on Earth, the canonical view of the Moon was that it was anhydrous; that...

Scientists discover how an exoplanet with endless day and night could still support life

An unusual planet located about 48.5 light-years from Earth may seem far too extreme for life. One side is permanently exposed to intense heat, while...

A rapidly growing black hole in a nearby galaxy could provide a window into...

An international team led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) recently made a first-ever discovery when observing SDSS J110546.07+145202.4,...

Astronomers Find Clouds Can Heat Alien Planets by More Than 1,000°C

Scientists have discovered that clouds on distant planets may be doing much more than blocking our view. New research suggests these clouds can trap heat...

Astronomers uncover a hidden history inside the Orion Nebula

The Orion Nebula is one of the brightest and most famous objects in the night sky. It can even be seen without a telescope, and...

Scientists discover rare super-Jupiter with an incredible 180-day orbit

Astronomers have discovered a rare giant planet outside our solar system that could help scientists better understand how large planets form and evolve. The newly...

Deep Space

Citizen scientists discover a unique planet in a binary star system

In a remarkable feat, a group of astronomers and volunteer citizen scientists has uncovered a new planet located in the habitable zone of a...

Scientists pinpoint asteroid’s origin to the moon

In a major scientific breakthrough, researchers have determined that an asteroid, called Kamo’oalewa, originally came from a specific crater on the moon. This marks the...

New measurement of Hubble constant adds to cosmic mystery

New measurements of the rate of expansion of the universe, led by astronomers at the University of California, Davis, add to a growing mystery: Estimates...

Scientists find evidence of collision with dwarf galaxy in Milky Way galaxy

Nearly 3 billion years ago, a dwarf galaxy plunged into the center of the Milky Way and was ripped apart by the gravitational forces...

Mars once had salt lakes similar to Earth

Mars has undergone wet and dry periods and salt lakes formed similar to some found in South America. Mars once had salt lakes that are...