Astronomy Archives

Newest 3I/ATLAS Images Reveal Mysterious Interstellar Visitor in “Challenging Observation” by ESA Spacecraft

Micah Hanks·October 8, 2025

Highly anticipated new images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it made its nearest pass to the planet Mars last week have been released by the European Space Agency.

The “Tug of War” Secretly Driving Asteroid Behavior is Revealed in New ESA Gaia Research

Ryan Whalen·October 7, 2025

Researchers working with data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission have developed a new understanding of how asteroids tumble.

Latest NASA Images of 3I/ATLAS From Recent Mars Flyby Stunned Social Media—Here’s Why It Looks So Strange

Micah Hanks·October 6, 2025

New NASA images of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS during its closest approach to Mars late last week have erupted in controversy online.

A Massive Blind Spot in Gravitational Wave Research Has Now Been Filled, Setting the Pace for Future Discoveries

Ryan Whalen·October 4, 2025

Researchers have unveiled a new technique for detecting gravitational waves, advancing the precision limits of current instrumentation.

3I/ATLAS is Captured in New Images as Mysterious Object Cruises Past Mars—What Does the Latest Data Reveal?

Micah Hanks·October 3, 2025

3I/ATLAS is making its closest approach to Mars today, which could offer a chance to capture the clearest images yet of the unusual comet.

Is the Search for Dark Matter a Cosmic Illusion? Physicists Take Up the Controversy

Ryan Whalen·October 3, 2025

An astrophysicist proposes a new model of the universe without dark matter and energy, but is his radical idea based in fact?

James Webb Space Telescope Detects “Sign of Life” Molecule Phosphine on a Brown Dwarf 54 Light Years From Earth

Christopher Plain·October 2, 2025

Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected the "sign of life molecule" phosphine in the atmosphere of a brown dwarf star.

“We’re Able to See It from Space”: New Clues Point to a Vast Ocean on Ancient Mars

Austin Burgess·October 2, 2025

A recent study suggests that Mars displays clear geological signs indicating that ancient rivers once emptied into a massive body of water in its northern hemisphere.

ESA’s Cassini Spacecraft Makes a Discovery in Enceladus Ice Jets That “Enhances the Likelihood that the Moon is Habitable”

Ryan Whalen·October 2, 2025

Pushing nearer to finding extraterrestrial life, the Cassini space probe observed new organic molecules coming from Enceladus’s ocean.

Newest 3I/ATLAS Study Reveals an “Extremely Puzzling” Discovery: Why Does It Have So Much Metal?

Micah Hanks·October 1, 2025

New questions emerge as an “extremely puzzling" discovery challenges our current ideas about the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.

Astronomers Have Detected a Vast Wave Disturbing the Structure of the Milky Way Galaxy

Ryan Whalen·October 1, 2025

The source of the Milky Way's strange wobble has finally been revealed, thanks to new data from the ESA's Gaia Space Telescope.

A Mysterious Spectral Reading on Mars Leads Researchers to an Undiscovered Mineral that May Hint at Ancient Life

Ryan Whalen·October 1, 2025

Mysterious spectral data from Mars reveals a previously unknown mineral, indicating a dynamic past capable of supporting life.

Stepping Into the Past, Peering at the Stars: The Timeless Magic of the Yerkes Observatory

Chrissy Newton·September 29, 2025

Wisconsin's historic Yerkes Observatory reveals a place where Edwin Hubble, Carl Sagan, and many pioneering women of astronomy once explored the cosmos.

Unusual New 3I/ATLAS Discovery Suggests the Interstellar Comet is “Anomalously Massive”

Micah Hanks·September 27, 2025

The mysterious comet 3I/ATLAS is "anomalously massive" compared to past interstellar objects observed in our solar system, a new study suggests.

Discovery of Vast Hydrogen ‘Cosmic Bridge’ Offers New Clues to Galactic Evolution

Ryan Whalen·September 26, 2025

Australian astronomers have discovered a hydrogen gas bridge linking two dwarf galaxies, offering new insights into galactic interactions.

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS is Making Its Way Closer to Earth—And New Research Suggests It Probably Isn’t Alone

Micah Hanks·September 25, 2025

Scientists say 3I/ATLAS, one of the rarest comets ever seen, likely isn’t alone and that more interstellar objects may soon be on the way.

“These Features Were Completely Unexpected”: Webb Telescope Detects Unexplained ‘Structures’ in Saturn’s Atmosphere

Christopher Plain·September 22, 2025

The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted mysterious structures in Saturn's atmosphere that scientists cannot easily explain.

Scientists Say Strongest Black Hole Merger Ever Observed “Challenges Our Understanding of How Black Holes Form”

Ryan Whalen·September 22, 2025

Gravitational wave signals from the largest cosmic collision ever seen may alter our understanding of black holes, gravity, and the universe.

“The Earth May Not Be as Extraordinary as We Think”: Study Finds Earthlike Planets Are Common, but Not So for ‘Water Worlds’

Christopher Plain·September 20, 2025

New simulations suggest Earthlike planets may be much more typical than previously thought whereas water worlds may not.

Hayabusa2 Asteroid Sample-Return Mission’s Next Touchdown Just Got Complicated

Ryan Whalen·September 19, 2025

Hayabusa2 is now facing an unexpected challenge: the asteroid it is targeting for its next visit is much smaller than previously expected.

NASA Official Issues Statement on 3I/ATLAS as Images Reveal the Interstellar Object Has ‘Grown’ a Striking New Feature

Micah Hanks·September 18, 2025

Astronomers have obtained new images of the mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS that reveal a new feature: the fastest comet ever observed has now grown a tail.

Bizarre “Steam Worlds” Could Offer New Clues in the Search for Alien Life

Austin Burgess·September 18, 2025

Strange “steam worlds” may hold the key to understanding where life could exist beyond Earth.

Experts Say a Massive Space Object Will Speed Past Earth Tomorrow—Could It Strike Our Planet in the Future?

Micah Hanks·September 17, 2025

A massive space rock that once made its way onto a space agency's warning list for potentially dangerous objects is scheduled to pass by the Earth this Thursday, September 18, 2025.

“It Is Still a Surprise”: Cosmic Winds are Defying Expectations in Neutron Star and Supermassive Black Hole Observations

Ryan Whalen·September 17, 2025

The data from the NASA and ESA's XRISM has discovered unexpected disparities between two different types of cosmic winds.

“The Accident”: How a Cosmic Misfit Helped Solve a Planetary Mystery

Austin Burgess·September 14, 2025

A detailed study of a cosmic mystery known as "The Accident" has now provided new insight into the formation of clouds on giant gas planets.

Ryugu Asteroid Discovery “Forces Us to Rethink” Origins of Water on Our Planet

Ryan Whalen·September 13, 2025

Near-Earth asteroid Ryugu was previously covered in flowing water, say researchers examining samples returned by JAXA's Hayabusa2 mission.

Interstellar Objects Like 3I/ATLAS Could be “Ready-Made Seeds” For Planet Formation

Ryan Whalen·September 12, 2025

As 3I/ATLAS is presently fascinating space enthusiasts, researchers say that such interstellar objects may act as planetary seeds.

China Says It Wants to Kill an Asteroid

Austin Burgess·September 12, 2025

According to China's space agency, the government is preparing to test a direct method of planetary defense by sending a spacecraft to collide with an asteroid.

Hawking Was Right: Unprecedented Black Hole Merger Observation Supports Predictions

Ryan Whalen·September 12, 2025

A recently discovered black hole merger is proving correct theoretical predictions made by Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

When Asteroid Deflection Fails: How The Keyhole Effect Could Send Dangerous Space Rocks Back on A Collision Course With Earth

Ryan Whalen·September 11, 2025

If asteroid deflection missions aren’t conducted with the utmost care and precision, they may send objects through a “gravitational keyhole.”

Life on Enceladus? New Findings Impact Chances of Life in the Subsurface Ocean of Saturn’s Icy Moon

Christopher Plain·September 11, 2025

New experiments of ice on the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus successfully recreates organic compounds without a subsurface ocean.

“Dark Matter Halos”: Harvard Researchers Propose New Explanation for Ghostly “Little Red Dots” in Deep Space

Ryan Whalen·September 10, 2025

Harvard astronomers are proposing a new theory about the mysterious “little red dots” first spied by the James Webb Space Telescope: Dark Matter Halos

“One of the Best Habitable Zone Planets” Likely Has an Atmosphere, Says New Exoplanet Research

Ryan Whalen·September 9, 2025

In hopeful news in the search for ET, researchers have discovered signs suggesting an atmosphere surrounding an Earth-like exoplanet.

ESA’s Solar Orbiter Unlocks the Mystery of the Sun’s Fastest Particles

Ryan Whalen·September 2, 2025

The Solar Orbiter mission has made another new discovery, tracing two types of solar energetic electrons to their origins in separate events.

This Weird New Space Telescope Concept Could Revolutionize the Search for Alien Life

Ryan Whalen·September 1, 2025

Rethinking the shape of space telescopes may be the answer to the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing missions to detect alien life.

hypothetical interstellar object technosignature

Could Alien Technosignatures Be Detected from Interstellar Objects Like 3I/ATLAS? These Astronomers Say It’s Possible.

Micah Hanks·September 1, 2025

A new study says interstellar objects entering our solar system could offer scientists a chance to search for signs of alien technology.

James Webb Space Telescope Discovery Challenges What We Think We Know About Planet Formation

Ryan Whalen·August 30, 2025

New James Webb Space Telescope observations present a fresh challenge to long-held ideas about the chemistry of planet-forming disks.

James Webb Space Telescope Discovers “Cool Gemstones” and “Fiery Grime” in New Butterfly Nebula Images

Ryan Whalen·August 29, 2025

Recent James Webb Telescope findings reveal insights into the Butterfly Nebula that may explain how rocky planets form from cosmic dust.

“Watching It Perform at That Limit is Exhilarating”: Inouye Solar Telescope Captures Highest Resolution Solar Flare Ever

Ryan Whalen·August 27, 2025

The clearest image of a solar flare yet captured will provide scientists with unprecedented insight into these violent events.

3I/ATLAS Was Just Spotted by the James Webb Telescope, Confirming an Odd New Discovery About the Strange Interstellar Comet

Micah Hanks·August 26, 2025

An unusual interstellar visitor speeding through our solar system was recently spotted by the powerful eye of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).