Space & Future
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...
Ancient supernova hides baby stars rich in life’s building blocks, study finds
Astronomers have made a surprising discovery inside the remains of a giant star that exploded about 1,600 years ago.
They found newborn stars surrounded by...
Mystery deepens as giant exoplanet refuses to reveal where it was born
Astronomers have taken a closer look at a giant planet called Beta Pictoris b, hoping to solve one of the biggest mysteries in planetary...
Deep Space
Did gravitational tides cause Earth’s extinctions?
Life on Earth took a long evolutionary journey that eventually created us, the purportedly intelligent species that dominates the planet.
But there was no grand...
NASA’s Curiosity rover uncovers clues to Mars’ lost atmosphere
NASA’s Curiosity rover has made a major discovery that could help explain what happened to Mars' ancient atmosphere—and why the planet became so dry...
Engineers design motorless sailplane for Mars exploration
Eight active spacecraft, including three operated by NASA, orbit Mars, gathering imagery of the planet's surface at a resolution of about 1 foot per...
Hidden oceans: How planets hold more water than we thought
A recent study reveals that planets might contain much more water than we previously believed, but most of it is hidden deep inside their...
Bullseye galaxy: Astronomers find a cosmic wonder with nine rings
A team of astronomers, led by Yale University, has made an exciting discovery—a giant galaxy with a record-breaking nine rings!
The galaxy, officially named LEDA...