“No Link to a Known Artificial Object Has Been Found”: Astronomers Confirm Earth Has Captured a Tiny New Moon
Astronomers say Earth has captured a tiny new natural satellite, confiming that “no link to a known artificial object has been found."
astronomy
The First LaserSETI Stations in Asia Are Now Active in Saudi Arabia
The SETI Institute and Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla have activated the first two LaserSETI stations in Asia.
Living Brain Computers, a Ghostly Green Star, and Neanderthal Violence—The Latest from The Debrief
This week, we're looking at living human brain cells used to create a computer, an extraordinary green stellar object, and much more in The Latest from The Debrief.
Astronomers Find the Youngest Planet Ever Seen and Scientists Aren’t Sure How It Formed So Fast
Astronomers confirm Elias 2-24 b as the youngest known planet, forming less than 1 million years after its young star was born.
Astronomers Detected Three Mysterious “Glitches” in a Pulsar That Had Gone Silent for Years
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
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has glimpsed a ten-sided atmospheric wave at Saturn’s south pole, the first such jet pattern observed there.
‘Little Red Dots’ Remain a Cosmic Mystery—and New Research Reveals They May Be Keeping a Very Big Secret
Little red dots have perplexed researchers since their discovery—and now we may be closer than ever to unraveling their mystery.
Look What NASA Caught Photobombing the August 2026 Solar Eclipse in This Striking New Image
During the August 2026 solar eclipse, a surprise cameo appearance by something in Earth’s orbit was captured in striking new images.
Rubin Observatory Reveals More Than Half a Million Galaxies in Landmark First Science Image
A breathtaking view of the cosmos featuring more than half a million galaxies has been released by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
“The Images Reveal a Remarkably Unusual Object”: Astronomers Just Discovered an Odd Three-Lobed Asteroid—And It’s Not Traveling Alone
Astronomers have made a surprising discovery about one of the brightest space rocks in the main asteroid belt.
Researchers May Have Solved a Two-Thousand-Year-Old Stellar Mystery Recorded by Ancient Astronomers
New study suggests Theta Eridani stayed unusually bright for 1,000 years, helping solve a 2,000-year stellar mystery.
NASA’s Bennu Samples Reveal Tiny Ancient Clues About the Asteroid’s Long-Lost Origins
Tiny ancient minerals inside Bennu reveal where its parent asteroid formed and how young Jupiter shaped the early Solar System.
An ‘Asteroid’ Tracked Since 1998 Made an Unexplained Orbital Shift—Now Astronomers Say It’s Something Far More Mysterious
Astronomers say an asteroid recently failed to appear where it was predicted to be, revealing a "dark" twist after decades of observations.
Sunlight at Night? Astronomers Fire Back at Controversial FCC Approval of Reflect Orbital’s Eärendil-1 Mirror Satellite
This week, a controversy has erupted over the FCC’s approval of a proof-of-concept satellite that reflects daylight to Earth at night.
Mysterious “Space Dust” Falling on Earth May Originate from Unidentified Objects Lurking Near Our Planet, New Study Finds
New research has discovered evidence linking space dust that falls to Earth every year with an unknown variety of near-Earth objects.
Odd “Polygons” on Mars, a Rendezvous with Space Objects, and a Deep Earth Mystery
This week in stories at The Debrief, we look at unusual features discovered on Mars, a pair of celestial rendezvous, and a deep Earth mystery.
The SETI Institute Searched For Signs of Technology From 3I/ATLAS—a New Paper Reveals What They Found
The SETI Institute says it found no evidence of technosignatures during a comprehensive examination of the mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.
A Massive Hidden Planet May Be Lurking Beyond Neptune—This Caltech Scientist Thinks “Planet Nine” Could Be Confirmed This Year
A ninth planet could soon be located, according to this scientist searching for evidence of a mysterious object in the outer Solar System.
Gravity Mysteries Sealed in an Envelope, an Odd Schrödinger’s Cat State, and a Massive Discovery Under an NY Cemetery
This week at The Debrief, new clues to gravity mysteries, a fireball explosion captured in satellite imagery, and "Schrödinger’s Cat States" are all in the news.
Something Revealed Itself by Bending the Light of a Distant Star in 2019—Now Astronomers Are Racing to Find Out What It Was
For just an hour in late 2019, a cosmic mystery revealed itself to astronomers in an unprecedented way: by bending the light of a star.
The Fastest-Known Star Near the Milky Way’s Black Hole Has Been Spotted—Now It Could Help Test Einstein’s Theory of Gravity
Astronomers have discovered one of the most extreme stellar orbits ever observed, and now it could help provide a crucial test for Einstein's theory of gravity.
Scientists May Have Found a New Way to Detect Dark Matter—By Listening to Black Holes
Scientists used gravitational waves from black hole mergers to search for dark matter and found a surprising clue.
Webb Spies a “Super-Earth,” an Ancient Surprise in the Pyrenees, and the “Cyclops” of Our Evolutionary Past
This week from The Debrief, scientists have successfully characterized several surface features on a nearby "Super-Earth," along with other recent discoveries in science and technology.
Astronomers May Have Found Remnants of a Lost Galaxy Named “Loki” Hidden in the Milky Way
Ancient stars near Earth may be remnants of a lost galaxy called Loki, revealing clues about the Milky Way’s violent past.
New Measurement Deepens the Mystery of “Hubble Tension,” Suggesting Physics We Don’t Understand
New measurement deepens Hubble Tension, suggesting the Universe may be expanding faster and hinting at unknown physics.
Earth May Sit in a Rare ‘Chemical Goldilocks Zone’ That Makes Life Possible, New Study Suggests
Scientists say Earth may sit in a rare Goldilocks zone where key elements align, making life far less common in the universe.
NASA’s Artemis II Astronauts Spot Mysterious New Lunar Features During Historic Mission
This week, a rare look at the far side of the Moon emerges in stunning new Artemis II imagery; but that's not all the astronaut crew observed.
A Titanic Cosmic Blast, Advanced Metallurgy in Ancient Egypt, and the Consciousness-Time Connection
This week, a gravitational wave discovery, the enigma Egypt's Middle Kingdom metallurgists, and the connection between time perception and consciousness are all featured.
NASA’s James Webb Telescope Has Revealed the Curious Cosmic Inhabitants of W51, a Once “Invisible” Region of the Cosmos
Astronomers have unveiled new details about a previously hidden star-forming region of the cosmos, thanks to the powerful...
Webb Telescope Makes an Odd Discovery, Mysterious Light Vortices, and Serpent Mound’s Mystery Deepens
This week, the Webb Telescope is peering at 3I/ATLAS, ligth wave vortices are breaking the universal speed limit, and an iconic American archaeology site's mystery is deepening.
Webb Telescope Detects Unusually High Levels of “Heavy Hydrogen,” a Key Component of Nuclear Fusion Fuel, in 3I/ATLAS
New data from the James Webb Telescope has identified an unusually high concentration of deuterium in the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.
Scientists Say These 45 Exoplanets Could Be Humanity’s Real-Life “Hail Mary” Targets For Alien Life
Researchers identify 45 rocky exoplanets that may offer the best chances yet to find alien life beyond Earth.
Evidence of Advanced Medicine in Egypt’s Old Kingdom, Lucid Dreaming Science, and Earth’s 2-Billion-Year-Old Nuclear Reactor
This week, ancient advanced medical knowledge in Egypt's Old Kingdom and new research revealing a surprising link between perception and lucid dreaming are covered in recent stories from The Debrief.
Forever Twilight? Satellite Mirrors Could Create Artificial Daylight From Orbit, Impeding Astronomical Observations
A new proposed satellite constellation could turn the night sky into permanent twilight, Harvard professor Avi Loeb warns.
Real-Time Night-Sky Surveillance: Millions of Nightly Signals from Space Expected as Rubin Observatory Comes Online
This week, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory issued its first real-time sky alerts, inaugurating a monitoring system set to transform how we study the universe.
“We’ve Been Waiting for This”: James Webb Space Telescope Spots a Red “Supergiant” That Could Help Solve a Cosmic Cold Case
The James Webb Space Telescope spots evidence of a stellar explosion that could help solve the cosmic mystery of "missing red supergiants."
NASA Fires Twin Rockets to “CT Scan” the Northern Lights and Map Hidden Auroral Currents
NASA’s GNEISS rockets deliver a CT-like 3D look at Auroral electricity, revealing hidden currents that shape space weather and satellites.
Hidden Human Senses, a “Sophisticated” Artifact Challenges Early Timelines, and a New Webb Telescope Discovery
This week, the discovery of "hidden" human senses, an ancient Egyptian artifact discovery that challenges existing timelines, and a Webb Telescope discovery are all in the news.
Levitation Defying Newton’s Laws, an Octopus-Inspired “Smart Skin,” and a Mysterious Structure Spotted on Venus
This week, science discoveries include a new type of levitating "time crystal," an octopus-inspired "smart skin," and a mysterious structure on Venus.
“This is a Pivotal Point”: Astronomers Offer New Evidence of Dark Matter Lurking at the Heart of the Milky Way
Long-held assumptions about what lies at the center of the Milky Way could be incorrect, as new international research suggests dark matter, instead of a supermassive black hole, may reside in the heart of the galaxy.
Astronomers Reveal How a “Weird” Variety of M Dwarf Stars Can Function as “Space Weather Stations”
Scientists have identified phenomena in deep space that can act as naturally occurring “space weather stations” far beyond our solar system.
SETI Looked Beyond Habitable Exoplanets—and Found a New Way to Search for Alien Technology
Scientists searched 27 exoplanets for alien technology using planetary eclipses, revealing a new way SETI hunts signals beyond habitability.
Colossal Structures Within the Earth, DARPA’s New Deep-Space Network, and Genetically Engineered Fungi for Food
This week, we examine colossal structures deep within the Earth, DARPA's new deep-space network for tracking tiny spacecraft, and a new genetically modified source of plant-based protein.
Dwarf Galaxies Around Andromeda Are Revealing a Complex Story of Cosmic Death
A new study of M31, also known as Andromeda, explains how our cosmic neighbor kills off smaller nearby galaxies.
These Water-Rich Exoplanets Shouldn’t Exist—Now Astronomers Finally Know How They’re So Wet
A new study suggests mysterious water worlds may be manufacturing their own oceans through chemical reactions deep within their interiors.
Astronomers Say They Just Detected Radio Signals Coming from This Comet
This week, astronomers in China have detected a series of unusual radio signals from comet 12P/Pons-Brooks.
Astronomers Just Spotted an Undiscovered Space Object Hiding in the Sun’s Glare—And It’s Moving Extremely Fast
Hidden by the Sun’s glare, a new space object has been found lurking in our Solar System, and it's one of the fastest-moving of its kind.
This Black Hole Devoured a Star from Within, Causing a Record-Breaking Cosmic Explosion
Astronomers have discovered the longest gamma-ray burst ever recorded, revealing that a black hole literally consumed a star from the inside out over the course of seven hours.
3I/ATLAS Update: What New Data Reveals About the Most Puzzling Interstellar Object Ever Found
This week, a series of new astronomical observations have deepened the mystery surrounding the unusual interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.
“It Looked Very Strange”: Something Has Been ‘Burrowing’ to Create Odd Features on Mars—Now Scientists Finally Know Their Source
New research reveals Mars’ mysterious gullies were carved by burrowing CO₂ ice blocks, not water, reshaping its story.