milky way Archives

12-Billion-Year-Old Space Invader? James Webb Space Telescope Reveals the Ancient Origins of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Micah Hanks·April 1, 2026

3I/ATLAS may be more than the strangest space object astronomers have observed within our solar system—it could also be one of the oldest.

James Webb Space Telescope Detects ‘Chaos’ at the Heart of the Galaxy that Defies Astronomer’s Predictions

Micah Hanks·February 23, 2025

New observations made by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have revealed a chaotic and perpetual light show occurring at the galaxy’s center, revealing phenomena that defy current models.

ultrahigh-energy gamma rays extraterrestrial life

Astronomers Tracking Ultrahigh-Energy Gamma Rays Reveal the Origins of a Violent Galactic Mystery

Ryan Whalen·October 29, 2024

An international team of researchers has traced the source of mysterious ultrahigh-energy gamma rays to the heart of the Milky Way.

Astronomers Have Made Another Odd Discovery That Challenges Theories on Galactic Formation

Micah Hanks·October 8, 2024

An unusual discovery in a remote Milky-Way-like galaxy is challenging our current theories on how galaxies are formed.

This New Model of the Universe is Making Astrophysicists Rethink our Entire Cosmology

Ryan Whalen·October 7, 2024

"Basins of attraction" are the center of a new model of the universe, pushing forward our understanding of its vast structure.

‘Oumuamua Was Younger Than We Thought, New Findings Suggest. Here’s Why That Matters.

Avi Loeb·August 1, 2024

Was the mysterious interstellar object 'Oumuamua younger than we thought? New findings suggest it was, raising new questions about its possible origins.

The Fate of Voyager: Where Will NASA’s Iconic Space Probe Be in a Billion Years?

Avi Loeb·June 4, 2024

Where in the universe will NASA's iconic Voyager 1 spacecraft be in one billion years? Here's what science has to say.

James Webb Space Telescope Spots Features in the Heart of Our Galaxy Astronomers Can’t Yet Explain

Micah Hanks·November 20, 2023

The newest image produced by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope showcases features that NASA says astronomers “have yet to explain.”

James Webb Space Telescope Spots Strangely Familiar Looking Celestial Object That May Upend Theories of Galactic Formation

Micah Hanks·November 13, 2023

An ancient spiral galaxy spotted by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope could upset existing theories about galactic formation.

Odd Structures Detected Near the Heart of the Milky Way Left This Team of Astrophysicists “Stunned”

Micah Hanks·June 7, 2023

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·May 22, 2023

Avi Loeb examines some of the limitations imposed on intergalactic travel through accelerated cosmic expansion.

Frontiers of Science: Our Survival in the Milky Way

Avi Loeb·May 4, 2023

The frontiers of science and our knowledge of the universe naturally lie on the boundary between the known and the unknown.

Seeking Immortality in Space: Encounters With ‘Interstellar Memorabilia’

Avi Loeb·December 27, 2022

Like prehistoric cave paintings, finding interstellar extraterrestrial devices might indicate that the quest for immortality is universal to all sentient beings past and present throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

Researchers Detect a Mysterious ‘Structure’ Hidden Beyond the Milky Way’s Zone of Avoidance

Micah Hanks·November 9, 2022

A research team has reported the discovery of a large extragalactic structure obscured from view beyond a portion of the Milky Way galaxy, in a new paper outlining their preliminary findings.

Wish Upon a Star

Avi Loeb·August 29, 2022

Imagine if every human that ever lived had a star of their own; how would this broaden our individual sense of our place in the cosmos?

With Age Comes Wisdom: Life’s Astronomical Puzzles

Avi Loeb·June 6, 2022

While humans have gleaned a tremendous amount of knowledge about the universe, there are several astronomical puzzles about our lives that remain mysterious.

Interstellar Kites: Galactic Surfing on Light?

Avi Loeb·May 26, 2022

Here’s hoping that they are some interstellar environmentalists out there who have already started to clean our cosmic neighborhood.

The Search for ET: What Do the Best Scientists in the Milky Way Know?

Avi Loeb·March 3, 2022

An encounter with an ET culture would be a humbling experience, since we will have to admit that our modern science was developed only over the past century out of the 4.5-billion-years-long history of Earth.

The Milky-Way’s Gifts to Life Expectancy

Avi Loeb·February 23, 2022

We live in the gravitational potential well of the Milky Way galaxy, and therefore we age more slowly than the cosmos at large. By how much?

Something is Producing Radio Waves in the Heart of the Milky Way, and it Has Astronomers Baffled

Micah Hanks·October 14, 2021

Strange radio waves detected by astronomers in recent days have led some to believe that a hidden stellar object may be lurking near the center of the Milky Way.

New Research Suggests We Could Conquer the Galaxy In Under A Billion Years

Liam Stewart·June 28, 2021

An alien civilization, or even humans, may soon be able to conquer the entire galaxy... a feat that would only require a billion years to complete.

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