Astronomy Archives

Enter Ammonite: Discovery of Distant Space Object Shakes Up the Hunt for Planet Nine

Chrissy Newton·July 22, 2025

Astronomers have discovered "Ammonite," a mysterious object on the solar system’s edge whose unusual orbit challenges current theories about a hypothetical ninth planet.

Mysterious Object Spotted by ESO Telescope Could Reveal a Hidden “Companion” Lurking Near a Remote Star

Christopher Plain·July 22, 2025

Scientists studying data from the VLT's ERIS instrument have spotted a mysterious object in the vicinity of star V960 Mon they can't explain

ESO’s Very Large Telescope Spots Newfound Protoplanet Sculpting Patterns in a Distant Star’s Disc

Christopher Plain·July 22, 2025

Scientist studying a star over 440 light-years away have spotted a planet creating intricate patterns in the star's protoplanetary disc.

In a Stunning First, Scientists Have Watched a Star Survive a Black Hole Encounter

Micah Hanks·July 21, 2025

For the first time, astronomers have confirmed a star’s survival following a tidal disruption event with a supermassive black hole.

Astronomers Reveal Betelgeuse Has an Elusive Stellar Companion Linked to Star’s Curious Brightness Cycle

Ryan Whalen·July 21, 2025

Betelgeuse, the red supergiant star closest to Earth, has finally been proven to have a companion star in observations from NASA scientists.

Astronomers Spot Strange Activity Over Jupiter’s North Pole That Could Lead to a Paradigm Shift in Plasma Physics

Micah Hanks·July 18, 2025

NASA’s Juno spacecraft has detected an unusual new variety of plasma phenomenon occurring over Jupiter's north pole.

“Everything is Unusual About This Galaxy”: James Webb Space Telescope Uncovers Strangely Shaped ‘Infinity Galaxy’

Ryan Whalen·July 18, 2025

The Infinity Galaxy is a recent discovery from the James Webb Space Telescope’s COSMOS-Web survey, found in archival data.

James Webb and ALMA Telescopes Spy First-Ever “Dawn” of Planets Forming Around a Sun

Christopher Plain·July 17, 2025

Astronomers using ALMA and the James Webb Space Telescope witnessed the dawn of a solar system, including the first stages of planets forming

“It Could Tell Us the Story of Many Other Solar Systems”: Doomed Exoplanet May Change Our Understanding of Planetary Evolution

Ryan Whalen·July 16, 2025

On a collision course with its star, the Jupiter-like exoplanet TOI-2109b has astronomers keenly observing its unusual orbital decay.

exoplanets extraterrestrial life interstellar contamination

‘Interstellar Contamination’ Could Change Which Exoplanets Scientists Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Christopher Plain·July 15, 2025

A new analysis of exoplanets has shown interstellar contamination from nearby stars could change where to search for extraterrestrial life.

Gravitational Waves Unveil Record-Breaking Black Hole Merger, Challenging Existing Models

Ryan Whalen·July 14, 2025

The most massive gravitationally detected black hole merger to date has been observed by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration.

Astronomers Detect a Mysterious Giant and “Hidden Substructures” Lurking in the Haze Around a Young Star

Ryan Whalen·July 14, 2025

Shrouded by a swirl of gas and dust, a gas giant, roughly three to ten times the size of Jupiter, was found in a new exoplanet discovery.

New Simulations Reveal Dozens of Hidden Galaxies Orbiting the Milky Way

Ryan Whalen·July 12, 2025

There may be many more satellite galaxies in the Milky Way than have been observed, according to new Durham University simulations.

“What Else is Out There?” New Study Reveals Everything We Currently Know About Mysterious Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS

Micah Hanks·July 11, 2025

New research has revealed everything astronomers currently know about the mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.

Have Astronomers Found Signs of Life in Venus’s Atmosphere? UK-led VERVE Mission Aims to Investigate

Ryan Whalen·July 11, 2025

The VERVE mission seeks to investigate the presence of bacterial life floating in the heavy cloud cover on Venus up close.

‘CosmoCube’ Spacecraft Plans to Listen for Whispers from the Cosmic Dark Ages on the Far Side of the Moon

Ryan Whalen·July 10, 2025

A proposed satellite mission aims to orbit the far side of the Moon to detect faint radio signals from the universe’s cosmic Dark Ages.

“E-MERLIN is Showing What’s Possible”: UK Telescope Array Captures a Rare Look at Protoplanetary “Pebbles”

Ryan Whalen·July 9, 2025

New observations from England’s e-MERLIN interferometer telescope array display cosmic pebbles that will one day grow into entire exoplanets.

Cosmic Mystery Solved? Earth May Reside Within a Huge ‘Void’ in Space

Christopher Plain·July 9, 2025

Scientists have proposed Earth is in the middle of a huge void in space, potentially resolving the cosmic mystery known as the Hubble Tension.

Vera C. Rubin Observatory Cosmic Treasure Chest

Look: Stunning First Images from Vera C. Rubin Observatory Reveal the Cosmos Like Nothing You’ve Ever Seen

Micah Hanks·July 8, 2025

The widely anticipated first images collected by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have been released, offering nothing short of an awe-inspiring view of the cosmos.

Did a Mystery Object Just Hit Saturn? Astronomers Investigating Strange Flash Issue Urgent Call for Images

Micah Hanks·July 8, 2025

Astronomers are calling for images of Saturn captured over the weekend that may help document a rare impact event with a mystery object.

‘Space Ice’ Experiments Pour Cold Water on Panspermia Origin of Life Theories

Christopher Plain·July 8, 2025

Scientists studying space ice say the amorphous, low-density material's structure decreases the odds of a panspermia origin of life theories.

Theoretical “Dark Dwarfs” Lurking Near the Galactic Center Could Help Reveal Dark Matter’s Secrets

Ryan Whalen·July 7, 2025

Dark dwarfs, stars composed of dark matter, may be the optimal objects in which to finally discover physical dark matter in the real world.

NASA’s SPHEREx Space Telescope Begins Its Groundbreaking Mission to Share All-Sky Mapping Data with the Public

Ryan Whalen·July 4, 2025

NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope has settled into low-Earth orbit, providing a wellspring of publicly available space data.

Astronomers Are Tracking a Massive New Interstellar Object That Just Entered Our Solar System

Avi Loeb·July 3, 2025

Astronomers have announced the discovery of A11pl3Z, a massive new interstellar object entering our solar system.

COSMOS2020-635829, enhanced from original JWST imagery (Credit: COSMOS2020-635829)

James Webb Space Telescope Discovers Peculiar Cosmic ‘Jellyfish’ in Rare Galactic Observation

Micah Hanks·July 2, 2025

The most distant known example of what astronomers call a “jellyfish galaxy” has been spotted by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

“I Literally Screamed with Joy”: In a Rare Stellar Discovery, Kilonova Project Citizen Scientists Have Made a Breakthrough

Ryan Whalen·July 2, 2025

Citizen scientists working with the Kilonova Project made their first confirmed discovery of a rare exploding star, enabling rapid follow-up observations by astronomers.

Is Cosmic Expansion Losing Steam? Scientists Say Dark Energy’s Grip May Be Weakening

Ryan Whalen·July 1, 2025

Scientists say the dark energy in our universe may be losing its power over time, leading to a slowdown in universal expansion.

James Webb Space Telescope Trains Its Sights on the ‘Bullet Cluster,’ Revealing a Stunning View of Galaxies in Collision

Micah Hanks·June 30, 2025

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured high-resolution images of the Bullet Cluster, revealing its complex dynamics.

Rethinking the Search for Extraterrestrial Life: Scientists Urge Broader Search as Exoplanet Discoveries Multiply

Ryan Whalen·June 28, 2025

New research says that the search for extraterrestrial life may be too narrow, as life could thrive in conditions far different from Earth's.

A Mysterious Radio Signal from Space Was Traced to an Unexpected Source—and It’s Something Within Our Own Galaxy

Micah Hanks·June 27, 2025

An object astronomers initially thought to be a high-speed burst of radio waves from deep space last year has been revealed to be something else entirely.

James Webb Space Telescope Captures First Direct Image of Mysterious Alien Exoplanet Lurking in Dusty Debris Disk

Micah Hanks·June 25, 2025

In a groundbreaking first, the James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first direct image of a distant exoplanet unrecognized from past astronomical surveys.

In the Search for Alien Signals, the SETI Institute is Partnering with SpaceX to Mitigate Satellite Interference

Ryan Whalen·June 25, 2025

Starlink satellites can interfere with the signals the SETI monitors, but a new collaboration aims to halt the potential contamination.

How The Giant Magellan Telescope Could Confirm Potential Signs of Life Spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope

Christopher Plain·June 24, 2025

The Giant Magellan Telescope team explains how the observatory will help solve the mysteries of the cosmos including the search for life.

ESA Launches Plans for Triple-Spacecraft Mission Using Laser Antenna to “Surf Gravitational Waves”

Ryan Whalen·June 22, 2025

The European Space Agency’s Laser Interferometer Antenna will be the first space-based observatory designed to study gravitational waves.

Astronomers Say This Ancient Radio Signal Could Reveal New Clues About Mysterious “Cosmic Dawn”

Ryan Whalen·June 22, 2025

An ancient radio signal generated a soon after the Big Bang, may be the key to understanding the Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization.

X-Ray Telescopes Reveal 23-Million-Light-Year Filament That May Help Solve “Missing Matter” Mystery

Ryan Whalen·June 20, 2025

A potential solution to the decades-long “missing matter” problem has been uncovered in astronomers' recent analysis of X-ray data.

Astronomers Have Made an “Exceptional” Discovery, Only the Third of Its Kind “In the Entire History of Observations”

Christopher Plain·June 20, 2025

An international team of scientists used expertise, patience, microlensing, and a little bit of luck to make an exceptionally rare discovery.

The Sculptor Galaxy is Detailed in Unprecedented Imagery Combining Over 100 Telescope Observations

Ryan Whalen·June 19, 2025

The entire Sculptor Galaxy is displayed in thousands of colors observed by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope.

Caltech’s DSA-110 Radio Telescope Helps Team Solve Longstanding Mystery of Universe’s Missing Matter

Ryan Whalen·June 18, 2025

Fast Radio Bursts finally help determine where the “missing” half of the universe’s expected matter resides in new research.

Engineering Artificial Eclipses, the ESA’s Proba-3 Mission Catches First High-Res Images of the Sun’s Mysterious Corona

Micah Hanks·June 17, 2025

The first images from the ESA's Proba-3 mission have captured the Sun's mysterious corona by creating artificial eclipses in space.

James Webb Space Telescope Has Spotted Something “Abnormal, Chaotic, and Strange” 60 Light-Years from Earth

Micah Hanks·June 15, 2025

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has spotted an “abnormal, chaotic, and strange" planetary system 60 light-years from Earth.

James Webb Space Telescope Captures Odd Silicate Clouds and a Rare Moon-Forming Disk

Ryan Whalen·June 14, 2025

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured high-resolution information on two young exoplanets, providing astrophysicists with fresh details about exoplanet atmospheres and formation.