Space & Future
The mystery of the colliding black holes solved
In 2023, astronomers detected one of the most extraordinary cosmic events ever seen — a collision between two enormous black holes, located about seven...
Is the universe slowing down? New evidence challenges what we know about dark energy
For more than 25 years, scientists have believed that the universe is expanding faster and faster, pushed apart by a mysterious force called dark...
Tiny dwarf galaxies help solve a 40-year dark matter debate
For decades, scientists have puzzled over why galaxies spin faster than expected.
The stars in their outer regions move so quickly that, by the laws...
Space snacks with legs: How insects might feed astronauts on Mars
Before humans ever ventured into space, insects were already making the trip — and thriving.
Lightweight, adaptable, and packed with nutrients, insects are now being...
Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus may hide a long-lived ocean that could support life
Scientists have discovered that Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus is warmer than they thought — and that its hidden ocean may have remained liquid for...
Many “mini-Neptunes” once thought to be lava worlds may have solid surfaces
Astronomers have long puzzled over a strange and abundant type of planet found across the galaxy—known as “mini-Neptunes.”
These worlds are smaller than Neptune but...
Astronomers observe a black hole in another galaxy tearing a star apart
During the 1950s, the study of the cosmos was revolutionized with the introduction of radio astronomy.
In the ensuing decades, astronomers detected numerous bright radio...
Aging stars may be swallowing their closest planets, study finds
New research suggests that aging stars may be destroying the giant planets orbiting nearest to them—a dramatic process that could foreshadow the distant future...
Giant stars may have forged the universe’s oldest star clusters, study finds
Astronomers have long puzzled over how the oldest and most mysterious star clusters in the universe—known as globular clusters—came to be.
Now, an international research...
Astronomers witness brightest and most distant black hole flare ever recorded
Astronomers have captured the most powerful and farthest black hole flare ever recorded—a cosmic light show so bright it outshined 10 trillion suns.
The flare,...
Dark matter obeys gravity just like ordinary matter, scientists discover
For decades, scientists have been trying to understand dark matter—the mysterious, invisible substance that makes up about 85% of all matter in the universe.
It...
Repeated impacts could regenerate exoplanet atmospheres around red dwarfs
Exoplanet scientists are eagerly awaiting the discovery of an atmosphere around a terrestrial exoplanet.
Not a thin, tenuous, barely perceptible collection of molecules, but a...
Deep Space
Scientists suspect there’s ice hiding on the Moon, and a host of missions are...
Building a space station on the Moon might seem like something out of a science fiction movie, but each new lunar mission is bringing...
Scientists reveal the nature of unknown gamma-ray sources
Astronomers have unveiled the nature of hundreds of gamma-ray emitting sources, discovering that most of them belong to the class of active galaxies known...
‘Invisible’ asteroids near Venus could pose a future threat to Earth
Scientists have identified a hidden population of asteroids that could pose a serious threat to Earth, even though we can’t see them with current...
What happens on the bright side of the moon
In a new study from HSE University, researchers developed a mathematical model that explains the levitation of charged dust particles over the sunlit lunar...
What makes Saturn’s atmosphere so hot
The upper layers in the atmospheres of gas giants -- Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune -- are hot, just like Earth's.
But unlike Earth, the...