Astronomy Archives

NASA’s Chandra Discovers a Mysterious New Class of Cosmic Objects That Could Solve Two Longstanding Mysteries

Ryan Whalen·September 15, 2026

A new class of cosmic objects observed by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory would be the key to two long-standing mysteries, say astronomers.

Mercury May Have Shrunk Far More Than Scientists Realized—and Its Cratered Surface Was Hiding the Evidence

Tim McMillan·September 14, 2026

Mercury may have shrunk 30% more than thought, as its cratered surface concealed evidence of the planet's ancient contractions.

Astronomers Detected Three Mysterious “Glitches” in a Pulsar That Had Gone Silent for Years

Micah Hanks·September 7, 2026

Astronomers monitoring an unusual young neutron star report a stellar surprise after years of apparent silence.

“We’ve Never Seen Anything Quite Like This”: A Strange Ten-Sided “Structure” Has Been Spotted on Saturn’s North Pole

Ryan Whalen·September 4, 2026

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has glimpsed a ten-sided atmospheric wave at Saturn’s south pole, the first such jet pattern observed there.

life on Earth, another Earth microlensing

The Search for a Second Earth Begins: NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is Poised to Make History

Christopher Plain·September 1, 2026

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Telescope will search for another Earth around a Sunlike-star using a light-warping technique called microlensing.

Researchers Connect Indigenous Star Knowledge to One of Humanity’s Most Advanced Ground Telescope Projects

Ryan Whalen·August 31, 2026

While astronomers are providing new knowledge of the stars daily, ancestral star knowledge is fading from local consciousness.

Crisis in Cosmology Intensifies as Debate Over Whether the Universe Is Really Accelerating is Reignited

Micah Hanks·August 30, 2026

A cosmological controversy has been reignited over whether observations of supernovae support long-held ideas about the universe's expansion.

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Instruments

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launches Tomorrow—Here’s a Look at the High-Tech Instruments On Board

Christopher Plain·August 28, 2026

A quick look at the high-tech instruments that NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will use to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos.

The Classified Roots of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: How a Spy Agency’s Secret Satellite Became a Space Observatory

Micah Hanks·August 28, 2026

NASA’s new premier space observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, has roots in one of America’s spy agencies.

‘Little Red Dots’ Remain a Cosmic Mystery—and New Research Reveals They May Be Keeping a Very Big Secret

Micah Hanks·August 26, 2026

Little red dots have perplexed researchers since their discovery—and now we may be closer than ever to unraveling their mystery.

James Webb Space Telescope Discovery Reveals Hidden Stars Massively Expanding Early Galaxies

Ryan Whalen·August 21, 2026

James Webb Space Telescope data have revealed hidden stars that astronomers say are unexpectedly increasing the mass of early galaxies.

Newly Discovered Object is So Close to the Milky Way’s Central Black Hole it’s Experiencing Warped Spacetime

Christopher Plain·August 20, 2026

Astronomers have spotted an object so close to the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way its experiencing warped spacetime.

Look What NASA Caught Photobombing the August 2026 Solar Eclipse in This Striking New Image

Micah Hanks·August 13, 2026

During the August 2026 solar eclipse, a surprise cameo appearance by something in Earth’s orbit was captured in striking new images.

As This Ancient Star Cluster Unravels, a Never-Before-Seen Star Ribbon is Forming Under the Influence of Dark Matter

Ryan Whalen·August 13, 2026

Dark matter remains elusive to scientists, despite making up the majority of our universe’s mass, and now there's a new way to observe it.

What Time is the Solar Eclipse on August 12? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Micah Hanks·August 12, 2026

A total solar eclipse will be ocurring today (Wednesday, August 12, 2026). Here's what you need to know about where and how to see it.

James Webb Space Telescope Data Reveals a Previously Undiscovered ‘Gravitational Arc’ That Was Hidden in Plain Sight

Micah Hanks·August 11, 2026

A previously undiscovered candidate for a cosmic gravitational phenomenon has been uncovered, in a surprise discovery made from JWST observations.

Scientists Are About to Test a Revolutionary New Device During This Week’s Solar Eclipse—Here’s What It Could Reveal

Ryan Whalen·August 10, 2026

European scientists are taking advantage of this week's solar eclipse to test a potentially groundbreaking instrument that could transform the way astronomers study the Sun.

Look: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Captures Striking New Images That Bring the ‘Lion Nebula’ Roaring to Life

Micah Hanks·August 10, 2026

Stunning new imagery of the distant celestial object NGC 2392, better known as the “Lion Nebula,” has been obtained by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408 vacuum birefringence

A Bizarre Dead Star’s Magnetic Field Has Revealed a Strange Surprise, Potentially Confirming a 90-Year-Old Theory

Micah Hanks·August 10, 2026

New research reveals a magnetar that appears to display a phenomenon first predicted almost a century ago, but never directly observed.

“Pluto Never Stops Surprising Us”: SwRI Scientists Find Evidence of Liquid Nitrogen on Pluto

Christopher Plain·August 7, 2026

SwRI researchers have revealed evidence of liquid nitrogen on the surface of the dwarf planet Pluto captured by NASA's New Horizons mission.

Rubin Observatory Reveals More Than Half a Million Galaxies in Landmark First Science Image

Micah Hanks·August 4, 2026

A breathtaking view of the cosmos featuring more than half a million galaxies has been released by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

Max Planck eROSITA Team Releases the Most Comprehensive Census of the High-Energy Universe Ever Assembled

Christopher Plain·August 4, 2026

The Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics has released the most complete catalog of the high-energy universe ever assembled.

Rare Meteorite From New Jersey Roof Strike Offers New Clues to the Origins of Life

Chrissy Newton·August 1, 2026

A meteorite that crashed through a New Jersey home reveals ancient asteroid chemistry that may offer clues to the origins of life on Earth.

New Observations Reveal the Staggering Scale of the Universe’s Largest Galaxy

Ryan Whalen·August 1, 2026

As new observations reveal the edges of IC 1101 for the first time, they allow scientists to confirm it is the largest known galaxy.

“The Images Reveal a Remarkably Unusual Object”: Astronomers Just Discovered an Odd Three-Lobed Asteroid—And It’s Not Traveling Alone

Micah Hanks·July 31, 2026

Astronomers have made a surprising discovery about one of the brightest space rocks in the main asteroid belt.

SETI Researchers Are Expanding the Search Beyond the ‘Water Hole’

Austin Burgess·July 31, 2026

Astronomers searching for extraterrestrial intelligence have traditionally focused on a specific, narrow band of the radio spectrum.

A Rare Celestial Alignment Links Two Ancient Volcanoes in This Spectacular New Image Shared by NASA

Micah Hanks·July 30, 2026

Barnard's Loop appears behind a pair of South American peaks in one of the most breathtaking astronomy images in recent memory.

Researchers May Have Solved a Two-Thousand-Year-Old Stellar Mystery Recorded by Ancient Astronomers

Tim McMillan·July 29, 2026

New study suggests Theta Eridani stayed unusually bright for 1,000 years, helping solve a 2,000-year stellar mystery.

The Powerful Radio Afterglow from a Black Hole Tearing Apart a Star Could Help Solve a Cosmic Mystery

Ryan Whalen·July 27, 2026

The cosmic violence of a black hole tearing apart a star produced a brilliant radio light observed by Chinese astronomers using US equipment.

It Appears the Reports of Venus’s Death Were Greatly Exaggerated—New Models Suggest the Planet is Still Geologically Active

Christopher Plain·July 26, 2026

New computer models suggest that Venus is not geologically dormant as previously believed, including possibly active volcanoes.

Barnard’s Star Contains Inhospitable Exoplanets—But They Could Still Tell Us Something Important in the Search for ET

Ryan Whalen·July 25, 2026

The small exoplanets of our Sun’s second-nearest neighbor, Barnard’s Star, are inhospitable wastelands, British astronomers say.

NASA’s Bennu Samples Reveal Tiny Ancient Clues About the Asteroid’s Long-Lost Origins

Tim McMillan·July 24, 2026

Tiny ancient minerals inside Bennu reveal where its parent asteroid formed and how young Jupiter shaped the early Solar System.

“That’s No Moon!”: Astronomers Vexed by “Super Weird” Moon-Like Object Without a Planet

Christopher Plain·July 24, 2026

Astronomers have discovered a possible moon-like object they are calling an 'exosatellite' that astronomers cannot easily identify.

“Everywhere We Looked, We Found the Temperature Rising”: NASA Identifies a “Surprise” Heat Signature Below the Surface of Jupiter’s Moon Io

Christopher Plain·July 23, 2026

NASA and Southwest Research Institute scientists report the "surprising" detection of a heat signature below Jupiter's moon Io's surface.

Astronomers May Have Been Looking for Alien Megastructures Around the Wrong Stars

Austin Burgess·July 20, 2026

A new study suggests astronomers may have been looking for alien structures known as Dyson spheres in the wrong places.

A New Solution to the Dinosaur-Killer Meteorite Mystery Creates Fresh Questions

Christopher Plain·July 20, 2026

A new analysis of debris from a 66-million-year-old meteorite that scientists call the dinosaur-killer has revealed another origin mystery.

Earth-like habitable-zone rocky exoplanet atmosphere

“A Major Milestone in the Search for Life on Other Planets”: First Ever Detection of an Atmosphere Around an Earth-Like, Habitable Zone Rocky Exoplanet

Christopher Plain·July 18, 2026

In a major boost to the search for life, Harvard astronomers have detected an atmosphere around a habitable-zone, Earth-like rocky exoplanet.

Astronomers Uncovered a Hidden Bubble Inside the Orion Nebula

Austin Burgess·July 18, 2026

A key component of the Orion Nebula had evaded detection by astronomers until now, according to newly published research.

An ‘Asteroid’ Tracked Since 1998 Made an Unexplained Orbital Shift—Now Astronomers Say It’s Something Far More Mysterious

Micah Hanks·July 16, 2026

Astronomers say an asteroid recently failed to appear where it was predicted to be, revealing a "dark" twist after decades of observations.

Scientists Achieve Most Precise Measurement Yet of Einstein’s Frame-Dragging Effect

Ryan Whalen·July 16, 2026

In major new support for Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the LARES-2 has detected frame dragging around the Earth.

Breakthrough Study Uncovers New Evidence Connecting “Hidden” Dimensions to Mystery of Dark Matter

Micah Hanks·July 15, 2026

New research is revealing possible links between one of the most enduring cosmic mysteries—dark matter—and the existence of a "hidden" fifth dimension.