What’s That Orbiting the Moon? Data Suggests a Lost Spacecraft Could be Lurking in Lunar Orbit
Recent calculations suggest a famous "lost" spacecraft could have been hiding for decades in orbit around the moon.
Astronomy
Newly Revealed Speed of Fastest Stars Ever Observed in the Milky Way Stuns Astronomers
An international team of astronomers reports they have succeeded in detecting the fastest stars ever observed within the Milky Way galaxy.
Phosphates Found in Ocean of Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Dramatically Increase Chances for Life
Organic phosphates have been found spewing from the subsurface ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus, increasing its chances of hosting life.
There May Be Hundreds of Millions of Habitable Planets in the Milky Way Galaxy, New Analysis Reveals
A new study examining the orbital eccentricity of exoplanets has determined that as many as 1 in 3 planets orbiting the billions of M-dwarf stars in the Miky Way galaxy may be habitable.
Fastest Spacecraft in Existence Helps to Unravel the Mystery of “Fast” Solar Winds
NASA just sent the fastest spacecraft ever built close enough to the Sun to detect the fine structure of "fast" solar winds near its surface.
Study Doubles Number of Repeating Fast Radio Bursts, Also Reveals “Anomalous” Cosmic Radio Sources
A new study by researchers at MIT has doubled the number of repeating Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) that are known to exist.
Odd Structures Detected Near the Heart of the Milky Way Left This Team of Astrophysicists “Stunned”
Researchers have detected odd filament structures that may provide new insights into a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
Cosmic Expansion: The ‘Horizon’ for Intergalactic Travel
Avi Loeb examines some of the limitations imposed on intergalactic travel through accelerated cosmic expansion.
Will Your Home Be Hit by a Meteorite?
Could your home be hit by a meteorite? It isn't a frequent occurrence... but that doesn't mean it never happens.
James Webb Space Telescope Directly Measures Light from Sub-Neptune Exoplanet for the First Time
For the first time ever, researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope have successfully measured the light coming from a sub-Neptune-sized exoplanet that orbits a star only 40 light years away.
Eerie Glowing Discs Spotted Around Fomalhaut in Infrared Images Captured by Webb Space Telescope
Astronomers studying the first asteroid belt ever seen beyond our solar system have detected a series of glowing discs encircling the star Fomalhaut, according to NASA.
Key to Ancient Mayan Calendar Mystery May Have Finally Been Discovered, Scientists Say
One of the great mysteries of the ancient Americas has finally been solved, according to anthropologists who say they may have unraveled the longstanding mystery of the ancient Mayan calendar.
Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence to Get a Boost from This Colossal Radio Array in New Mexico
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) will soon be getting help from one of the world’s largest and most powerful radio telescope arrays, as scientists continue to scour the universe for evidence of extraterrestrials and their technologies.
Breaking the Eddington Limit? NASA Study Unravels Sources of Ultra-Luminous X-Rays
Astronomers say distant mega light-emitting objects may be defying the Eddington limit and offer a new hypothesis as to how that might occur.
The Mysterious Nature of Dark Matter May Finally be Solved
A new study proposes that Dark Matter, the elusive substance that makes up 85% of the universe, is likely made up of ultralight particles known as axions and not the Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, or WIMPs, favored by most current theories.
Odd Green Light Filmed Over Japan Came from Space, but NASA Satellite Data Reveals It Was No Meteor
Whatever flashed through the skies over Japan certainly wasn’t a bird or a plane… could it have been a meteor? As it turns out, NASA satellite data had the answer.
Let There Be Gravity? New Theory Says Gravity May Have Created the Universe’s First Light
A potentially "illuminating" new theory says that the universe's first light may have been ripped from the fabric of space/time by the extreme forces of gravity in the form of gravitational waves that existed right after the big bang.
Einstein’s Theory of Gravity in Question? What a New Map Detailing One of the Great “Mysteries of the Cosmos” Helps Reveal
A stunningly detailed cosmological map that covers about of quarter of the entire sky shows the effects of dark matter on the cosmic microwave background radiation, lending strong support for Albert Einstein's theory of gravity.
The Hubble Tension: New Study Sheds Light on Puzzling Discrepancy in the Cosmic Expansion Rate
A new study may have revealed clues to understanding a long held cosmological puzzle, involving a discrepancy in the cosmic expansion rate of the universe.
A Mysterious Midnight Celestial Event Was Detected Using a Cold War Spying Technique
A seldom-seen midnight celestial event reportedly occurred in recent weeks, marking what may be just the second time the rare solar phenomena has been observed in more than a decade.
Extrasolar Space Dust Could Contain Signs of Alien Life, New Paper Suggests
A new paper from the University of Tokyo suggests that astrobiologists could find signs of alien life in particles of space dust that have been ejected from exoplanets and traveled across the vastness of space to reach earth.
Could Earth be at Greater Risk from a Deadly Asteroid Impact Than We Realize?
Recent studies indicate that potential threats related to an asteroid impact could be greater than previously realized.
A Space Enigma: Rare Celestial Object Defies Simple Classification, Resembles Three Distinct Phenomena
Like a celestial jack of all trades, Z 229-15 is many things all at once: an active galactic nucleus, a quasar and, a Seyfert galaxy.
Sandstorms on an Alien World Are Revealed in New Data Collected by the James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed swirling sandstorms in the atmosphere of a planet 40 light-years away from Earth.
Is `Oumuamua a Hydrogen-Water Iceberg?
Was `Oumuamua a hydrogen-water iceberg? Harvard Astronomer Avi Loeb weighs in on a recent paper on the mysterious interstellar space object.
Source of the Sun’s Curious “Heartbeat” is Revealed in Unexpected Discovery
A new study reveals the source of a curious feature of the Sun’s atmosphere that produces a signal pattern that researchers have likened to a human heartbeat.
From the Far Side of the Moon, NASA and the DOE Plan to Search for Signals from the Dark Ages of the Universe
The “Dark Ages of the Universe” will be the focus of a new experiment conducted jointly by NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), involving the placement of a new science observatory on the far side of the Moon.
Galactic Scale Shockwaves Are Rattling Through the Cosmic Web
Australian researchers have measured the effects of massive galactic-scale shockwaves rippling through the cosmic web, a structure that encompasses all of the matter in the known universe.
Hubble Telescope Captured the Moment NASA’s DART Spacecraft Smashed Into an Asteroid
NASA says the Hubble Telescope captured images of the space agency’s DART spacecraft as it collided with asteroid Dimorphos last September.
Webb Space Telescope’s Latest Discovery Could Completely Upend Our Current Understanding of the Universe
Images captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope lead to unexpected discovery that could upend our understanding of the universe.
Curious ‘Oblong’ Object Detected on Radar Was Closely Tracked by NASA, Officials Say
NASA officials say an odd, oblong-shaped object detected on radar was tracked by the space agency’s Deep Space Network earlier this month.
A New Era of Optical SETI: The Search for Artificial Objects of Non-Human Origin
Searching for artificial objects of non-human origin in our skies could provide a promising new route forward in SETI research.
Interstellar Romance: Connecting Our Human Affairs to the Stars
For the first time in the history of astronomy, connecting our human affairs to the stars might make complete sense.
Potentially Habitable Exoplanet Found in Our Cosmic Backyard
An earth-sized exoplanet that is orbiting within its star's habitable zone has been spotted a mere 31 light years away from Earth, offering astronomers and astrobiologists a tantalizingly close new target in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Rocky Exoplanet Nearly the Same Size as Earth Found in Star’s Habitable Zone
NASA and MIT researchers using the TESS telescope say they have spotted a nearly Earth-sized exoplanet hanging out in its star's habitable zone.
New Discovery Deepens Our Understanding of Extreme Phenomena Involving Neutron Star Collisions
A new discovery that could potentially hasten our knowledge about physics in some of the universe’s most extreme areas has been revealed from data collected by astronomers over the last several decades.
Planetary Scientists Used This New Model to Crack a Pair of Puzzling Astronomical Mysteries
A pair of puzzles that planetary scientists have observed amidst 3,800 different planetary systems may have been solved, with the aid of a new model that considers the influence of various forces on young planet formation.
HAARP Facility Experiment Bounces Radio Signals Off Space Object to Help Boost Planetary Defense
A 500-foot asteroid was recently the target of radio signals emitted by Alaska's HAARP facility, as part of an effort to enhance our ability to detect potentially deadly space objects.
U.S. Dept. of Energy Plasma Discovery Unravels Odd Solar Phenomenon, Offers Clues to Cosmic Mysteries
Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) say they have untangled a solar mystery, in a breakthrough that could help resolve many lingering questions in astrophysics.
Creating a Transient Star in the Laboratory
The recent achievment of fusion ignition marks the first instance where humans were able to create the likeness of a tiny transient star in the lab.
The Case For Alien Life Elevated By The Exciting First-Ever Confirmation of Two Exoplanet Water Worlds
Researchers from the University of Montreal have confirmed the presence of two water worlds orbiting a star 218 light years from earth.
Despite Micrometeoroid Impacts NASA Says James Webb Telescope Should Survive and Thrive for Another 20 Years
Following the announcement that the James Webb Space Telescope has already endured 14 micrometeoroid impacts, NASA says that, barring an unforeseen event, the groundbreaking observatory should still be able to conduct science operations for another 20 years.
Dark Matter Could Actually Be Theoretical ‘Dark Photons’, New Research Suggests
Researchers have postulated that readings from the Hubble Space Telescope may help to explain the nature of the ever-elusive dark matter, which may actually be made up of something called dark photons.
Would We Notice Interstellar CubeSats in Our Cosmic Neighborhood?
If humans ever find interstellar CubeSats, it will change our priorities from funding military conflicts to space exploration.
Odd Emissions Detected from a High-Energy Space Object Prompted Investigations by Astronomers. Here’s What They Found.
Astronomers say the results of a long-term study of a distant, high-energy space object have yielded new details about the behavior of one of our universe’s most prevalent extragalactic sources of gamma rays.
Black Hole Simulated in the Lab Suddenly Starts Glowing, Potentially Pointing to a Unified Theory of Gravity
A team of European physicists simulated a "glowing" black hole in the lab, which they say might help confirm one famous physicist's theory.
The Discovery of Life on Titan Could Reveal Clues About Early Life in the Universe
Saturn's moon Titan has an atmosphere rich in organic compounds, which has led to speculations that chemical precursors of life may have been generated there.
Cosmic Seeds of the Biggest Black Holes
As any gardener knows, growth is initiated by seeds. What were the seeds that enabled supermassive black holes to grow so early in cosmic history?
Asteroid Impact in Canada May Have Left Something Behind That Astronomers Now Want
Astronomers say an asteroid impact in Canada near the shores of Lake Erie could provide a rich source of information for future studies.
New Measurements of Gravity Suggest Theory Proposed by Albert Einstein Could Be Wrong
A new study that used measurements of cosmic phenomena suggests the theory of gravity proposed by Albert Einstein may actually be wrong.