Space & Future
Astronomers finally spot vast hydrogen clouds that fueled early galaxies
For decades, scientists believed the early universe was filled with enormous amounts of hydrogen gas—the basic ingredient needed to form stars.
But proving this idea...
Astronomers discover two supermassive black holes on the verge of collision
Supermassive black holes sit at the centers of most large galaxies, and they are some of the most powerful objects in the universe.
Scientists believe...
Why Jupiter has more giant moons than Saturn
Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets in our solar system, and both are surrounded by dozens—even hundreds—of moons.
But their moon systems look...
A new kind of star remnant? Scientists find two mysterious cosmic twins
Astronomers have discovered two unusual stellar objects that may belong to a completely new class of star remnants.
These objects, nicknamed “Gandalf” and “Moon-Sized,” share...
Scientists discover one of the most pristine stars ever found in the universe
Astronomers have discovered an extremely rare star that offers a glimpse into the earliest days of the universe.
The star, named SDSS J0715-7334, is considered...
Scientists discover bizarre new state of matter deep inside Uranus and Neptune
Deep inside the distant planets Uranus and Neptune, matter may exist in a bizarre form unlike anything we experience on Earth.
A new study suggests...
Could a 7-dimensional space solve the black hole mystery?
Black holes have long puzzled scientists, especially because of a problem known as the black hole information paradox.
Now, a new study suggests that the...
Scientists discover one of the most pristine stars ever found in the universe
Astronomers have discovered an extremely rare star that offers a glimpse into the earliest days of the universe.
The star, named SDSS J0715-7334, is considered...
Scientists observed atoms existing in two places at the same time
Scientists at the Australian National University (ANU) have achieved something that sounds almost impossible: they have observed atoms existing in two places at the...
The unseen challenges of life on the moon
For the first time since the Apollo era, humans are preparing not just to visit the moon, but to live and work there for...
Did ghostly neutrinos turn into hidden radiation in the early universe?
Scientists have long been fascinated by neutrinos—tiny, nearly invisible particles that pass through matter almost without a trace.
They are among the most abundant particles...
James Webb telescope finds strange ‘forbidden planet’ around tiny star
Astronomers have discovered a strange giant planet that seems to break the usual rules of how planets form.
Known as TOI-5205 b, this world has...
Deep Space
Astronomers are watching a gas giant grow, right in front of their eyes
In the vastness of space, astronomers are likely to find instances of almost every astronomical phenomena if they look hard enough.
Many planetary phenomena are...
New map of the universe shows 800,000 galaxies and surprises scientists
A team of international scientists has released the largest-ever map of the universe, revealing nearly 800,000 galaxies—many of them from the early days of...
How smooth terrain evolves on an icy comet
With an eye toward a possible return mission years in the future, astronomers have shown how smooth terrains – a good place to land...
X-shaped radio galaxies might form more simply than expected
When astronomers use radio telescopes to gaze into the night sky, they typically see elliptical-shaped galaxies, with twin jets blasting from either side of...
Do supermassive black holes merge to form binary systems?
At the center of most galaxies are black holes so massive — up to several billion times the mass of our sun — that...