Space

“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.

Chang’e-6 Returns First Samples from Far Side of the Moon, Revealing Deep Lunar Secrets

Ryan Whalen·July 16, 2025

Earth’s Moon always presents us on the surface with the same face, yet its mysterious far side features many significant differences.

“The Secret Might Be Here on Our Own Planet”: This NASA Scientist Is on a Mission to Find Out What Aliens Look Like

Christopher Plain·July 15, 2025

NASA has tasked a University of Massachusetts Amherst microbiologist who studies extremophiles with figuring out what aliens probably look like.

‘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.

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.

A Forgotten Martian Landscape May Hold the Key to Ancient Water on the Red Planet

Ryan Whalen·July 12, 2025

New evidence for past water on Mars was revealed in research identifying over 15,000 kilometers of dry riverbeds on the Martian surface.

“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.

Scientists Are Engineering “Moon Rice” for Space Missions That Could Also Feed Earth’s Harshest Habitats

Ryan Whalen·July 11, 2025

Moon habitation and missions to Mars face resupply challenges, which the Italian Moon-Rice project aims to solve with a bioengineered crop.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Just Solved a Key Mystery Behind the Sun’s Superheated Corona

Ryan Whalen·July 10, 2025

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has collected data that evidences the theoretical “helicity barrier,” where turbulent dissipation behaves strangely.

‘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.

“Something Unknown Is at Work” Behind NASA’s DART Planetary Defense Mission—and Astronomers Are Worried

Ryan Whalen·July 10, 2025

Planetary defense scientists say NASA’s DART asteroid redirection mission sent space rocks hurtling on unexpected trajectories.

“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.

Discovery of Meteorite From Lost Protoplanet Upends Timeline of the Solar System’s Formation

Tim McMillan·July 9, 2025

Ancient meteorite reveals a protoplanet formed in the outer Solar System earlier than thought, reshaping planet formation theories.

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.

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 Reveals New Images of Oddly Shaped Asteroid ‘Donaldjohanson’ Captured by Lucy Spacecraft

Micah Hanks·July 4, 2025

NASA has released new detailed images revealing a full-frame view of the peculiarly shaped asteroid Donaldjohanson.

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.

Look: NASA Satellite Images Reveal Mysterious Blast Site of 1908 Tunguska Event that Scorched Remote Siberia

Micah Hanks·June 30, 2025

The mysterious blast site of the Tunguska Event of 1908 is revealed in satellite images obtained by NASA’s Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8.

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.

NASA’s Mars Orbiter Debuts Rolling Maneuvers, Proving You Can Teach an Old Spacecraft New Tricks

Ryan Whalen·June 30, 2025

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is still doing fresh things, even after close to two decades of service, shown by a new roll maneuver.

Honda Enters the Space Race as New Challenger to SpaceX With Its Successful Reusable Rocket Test

Ryan Whalen·June 30, 2025

Japan’s Honda is giving American SpaceX new competition in the reusable rocket field with its recent successful test on June 17 in Hokkaido.

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.

“You Need H2O and Not Just for Drinking”: Research Suggests an Icy Location for First Crewed Mars Landing

Ryan Whalen·June 26, 2025

With crewed missions to the Red Planet becoming a realistic possibility for the 2030s, researchers have begun the search for an ideal Mars  landing site.

Construction on Mars: NASA Suggests a Synthetic Lichen to Autonomously Convert Regolith into Building Material

Ryan Whalen·June 26, 2025

On a future crewed Mars mission, explorers may grow their own building materials directly on the Red Planet.

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.

NASA and ESA Are Tracking an Asteroid That Might Collide With the Moon in 2031

Chrissy Newton·June 24, 2025

NASA and ESA scientists are monitoring asteroid 2024 YR4, which is now projected to have a small chance of impacting the Moon.

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. 

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.

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.

Scientists Are Tracking Mysterious ‘Transient Luminous Events’ from Space Using This Innovative Tech

Micah Hanks·June 18, 2025

Scientists are using instruments on the International Space Station to shed light on the mysterious appearances of transient luminous events.

Bacteria Found on China’s Tiangong Space Station Shows Unique Adaptations for Space Survival, Study Shows

Chrissy Newton·June 16, 2025

A strain of bacteria found aboard the Tiangong space station in 2023 appears to be a variety never previously identified on Earth.

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. 

U.S. Army Secretary Refers to Astronaut “On the Moon Who’s a Soldier,” Igniting Secret Space Program Conspiracies

Micah Hanks·June 13, 2025

An odd statement by U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll this week ignited speculations about secretive U.S. military operations on the Moon.

James Webb Space Telescope Spots Source of ‘Extreme’ Redshift 7 Ultraviolet Light Powering Cosmic Reionization

Christopher Plain·June 12, 2025

The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted extreme galaxy clusters generating enough ultraviolet light to account for cosmic reionization.

U.S. Naval Research Lab Tracked a Solar Eruption That Sent a Shockwave Toward Earth, Threatening Power and Satellites

Ryan Whalen·June 12, 2025

The potential effects of space weather were highlighted when a coronal mass ejection resulted in a weather alert covering our entire planet.

Astronomers Have Spotted a Giant Exoplanet Forming in Distant Star System

Ryan Whalen·June 12, 2025

A newly formed planet may have been discovered by astronomers after identifying what seems to be a gas giant in a planet-forming disk's gap.

“People Thought This Couldn’t Be Done”: Ground-Based Telescopes Detect Echoes of “Cosmic Dawn” by Peering 13 Billion Years Back in Time

Christopher Plain and Tim McMillan·June 11, 2025

Astronomers have used Earth-based telescopes to look over 13 billion years back in time to the Cosmic Dawn just after the Big Bang.

Look What NASA’s Mars Odyssey Orbiter Just Spotted Peeking Through an Odd Martian Cloud Formation

Ryan Whalen·June 11, 2025

A Martian volcano, Arsia Mons, rises above the clouds in a newly released panoramic image captured by the Mars Odyssey orbiter.

Magnetic Explosion Driving Space Weather Captured by NASA’s Parker Space Probe

Ryan Whalen·June 10, 2025

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe detected a powerful magnetic explosion providing new data on magnetic reconnection, important to space weather.

A Rare ‘Super-Earth’ Has Been Identified by Astronomers Using This Breakthrough Exoplanet Detection Method

Ryan Whalen·June 7, 2025

Chinese and German scientists have utilized the Transit Timing Variation technique to locate an exoplanet super-Earth for the first time.

Astronomers Pinpoint Starburst Origins of Early Galaxies, Settling a Stellar Formation Debate

Ryan Whalen·June 7, 2025

Astrophysicists have just discovered when a particular class of galaxies, Lyman Alpha Emitters, experienced their first major star formation. 

“It Was a Crazy Idea”: James Webb Space Telescope Confirms Dramatic Phenomenon On Pluto

Ryan Whalen·June 6, 2025

James Webb Space Telescope observations suggest Pluto’s atmosphere is unlike any other in the solar system, confirming a 2017 hypothesis.

Astronomers Identify ‘Extreme Nuclear Transients’ 100 Times More Energetic than Supernovae

Ryan Whalen·June 5, 2025

Extreme nuclear transients (ENT) are an entirely new class of cosmic events, representing the most energetic explosions ever observed.

Astronomers Say They “Don’t Really Understand” Why a Giant Planet Orbits This Tiny Star

Ryan Whalen·June 4, 2025

A small red dwarf star, TOI-6894, is defying astronomers' expectations by having a gas giant planet in its orbit.