Space & Future

Astronomers find new features hiding in the Orion Nebula

As one of the most prominent features of the night sky, the Orion Nebula has been studied, probed, and imaged by almost every telescope...

Hidden fifth dimension could finally explain the mystery of dark matter, scientists say

Dark matter, the mysterious substance that holds galaxies together, may be connected to a hidden fifth dimension of space, according to a new theory...

Astronomers uncover long-lost black hole hidden among 10 million stars

Astronomers have discovered the first known stellar-mass black hole hiding inside the massive star cluster Omega Centauri, solving part of a mystery that has...

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,...

Deep Space

If Planet 9 is out there, here’s where to look

There are eight known planets in the solar system (ever since Pluto was booted from the club), but for a while, there has been...

Scientists discover our Sun’s surprising secret

Scientists find the highest-energy light ever observed from the sun. Imagine finding out that our sun, the big glowing ball in the sky we've known...

Building on the Moon? This former Air Force engineer has a plan

In the not-so-distant future, humans could be living and working on the Moon—and even Mars. NASA’s Artemis missions are preparing for lunar bases by 2030...

ESA’s space mini-radar will peek inside distant asteroids

Have you ever wondered what's inside an asteroid? A new tiny radar is about to give us a sneak peek! A small radar, the smallest...

Nearby star-forming region gives clues to the formation of our solar system

A region of active star formation in the constellation Ophiuchus is giving astronomers new insights into the conditions in which our own solar system...