Space & Future
Astronomers discover giant spinning thread of galaxies 140 million light-years away
Astronomers have discovered one of the largest rotating structures ever seen in the universe: a razor-thin line of galaxies inside a massive, spinning cosmic...
Scientists capture the first high-detail “real-time” images of stars exploding
Astronomers have captured the most detailed close-up images ever taken of stars exploding, known as novae.
These pictures were taken within days of the eruptions...
Did asteroids invent gum billions of years ago?
What is “gum”? Most people have probably never considered this question, and might answer something like a chewy material you can put in your...
Do super-Jupiters look like Jupiter? New Webb discovery says the answer is more surprising...
At first glance, giant planets called super-Jupiters might seem like close cousins of Jupiter. Some are even ten times more massive.
For years, astronomers assumed...
New tech could shield space electronics from deadly cosmic radiation
Modern life depends heavily on electronics that can survive in extreme environments.
Satellites that provide TV broadcasts, GPS signals, phone services and internet must operate...
Astronomers find hidden star that solves a major cosmic dust mystery
Only 70 light-years from Earth, a star called Kappa Tucanae A hosts one of astronomy’s strangest mysteries.
Around it swirls dust so scorching—more than 1,000...
Asteroid Bennu holds clues to how life began: Sugars, organics, and stardust
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission brought back pristine pieces of the asteroid Bennu in 2023—and these tiny grains are turning out to be a treasure chest...
What time is it on Mars? Scientists finally have a precise answer
On Earth, telling time is easy. Our clocks are synchronized using atomic clocks, GPS satellites, and fast communication networks.
But according to Einstein’s theory of...
Scientists detect static discharge on airplanes using giant European telescope
Scientists have accidentally uncovered a surprising behavior in commercial airplanes: they emit radio waves when they release built-up static electricity.
This discovery, made by an...
Two hot stars passed near our solar system and left a lasting mark
Around 4.4 million years ago—long before humans existed—two massive, blazing-hot stars swept past our solar system.
They didn’t come close enough to pose any danger,...
Chang’e-6 uncovers strange “sticky” soil on the moon’s far side
Scientists have finally taken a close look at the first-ever soil samples brought back from the far side of the moon, and the results...
Why galaxies die faster in crowded regions
Astronomers have long known that galaxies grow and change over billions of years, but new results from a major international project show that where...
Deep Space
Scientists find a leak in our Milky Way galaxy’s central black hole
Our Milky Way's central black hole has a leak.
This supermassive black hole looks like it still has the vestiges of a blowtorch-like jet dating...
Scientists discover the hidden history of a giant asteroid
A massive 'hit-and-run' collision profoundly impacted the evolutionary history of Vesta, the brightest asteroid visible from Earth.
This finding, by a team of researchers from...
Lunar soil could power future moon base
Building a lunar base would be one of the next logical steps in our exploration of the Solar System, but the survival of a...
Astronomers discover exoplanet with wild orbit: A clue to hot Jupiter formation
Astronomers have found a planet with the most unusual orbit ever seen among planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets.
This planet's extreme path...
Cracking the dark matter mystery: Using galaxy clusters as cosmic colliders
What is dark matter?
Even astrophysicists are still trying to answer this question. Dark matter makes up most of the matter in the universe and...