Astronomy
Did JWST Just Find Water on a Rocky Exoplanet?
Hints of water vapor on a world called GJ 486 b could just as well come from the planet’s host star
Astronomy155 articles archived since 1845
Astronomy
JWST Sees Alien Asteroid Belt around Nearby Star
The first asteroid belt ever found outside the solar system is more complex than expected
Astronomy
JWST Spots Planetary Building Blocks in a Surprising Galaxy
Planets might be more common throughout the universe than previously thought, results from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest
Astronomy
How Magnetic Fields Control Galactic Growth
Our galaxy’s enormous scaffolding is shaped by complex magnetic fields
Astronomy
Our Sun Was Born in a Stellar Family Far, Far from Here
We only have a few clues about where the sun was born. Some new ones point to a crowded origin story for our nearest star
Astronomy
A Mission to Jupiter’s Strange Moons Is Finally on Its Way
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) and Europa Clipper missions will search for signs of habitability on three of Jupiter’s potentially ocean-bearing moons.
Astronomy
New Planet-Hunting Technique Finds Worlds We Can See Directly
A promising combination of exoplanet-finding methods pinpoints details about its first world
Astronomy
JWST’s Newfound Galaxies Are the Oldest Ever Seen
We now know that the first galaxies in our universe formed shockingly fast, thanks to the latest results from the James Webb Space Telescope
Astronomy
Most Planets in the Galaxy Orbit Stars You Can’t Even See
Red dwarfs are dim bulbs but host more Earth-like planets than any other kind of star
Astronomy
Science Has New Ideas about ‘Oumuamua’s Weirdness
Our first known interstellar visitor is now long gone, but new research has some ideas about why it moved the way it did while it was in our cosmic neighborhood.
Astronomy
JWST’s Smashing Success Shifts Focus to Astronomy’s Blind Spots
Looming gaps in astronomers’ views of the heavens could undercut the revolutionary potential of NASA’s latest, greatest space telescope
Dark Matter
Vera Rubin Lives On in Lives of the Women She Helped in Astronomy
The “mother of dark matter” was a force of nature—and a forceful advocate for other women who wanted to dedicate their career to the cosmos.
Astronomy
Don’t Panic: The Valentine’s Day 2046 Asteroid Will Not Hit Earth. Here’s Why
How I learned to stop worrying and love the next Earth-threatening asteroid
Astronomy
Cosmos, Quickly: Remembering the Genius of Vera Rubin
Vera Rubin went from a teenager with a cardboard telescope to the “mother of dark matter.” Some of her colleagues and mentees weigh in on her fascinating life and how she was a champion for women in astronomy...
Astronomy
Mysteriously Young ‘Peekaboo’ Galaxy Could Reveal Secrets of Early Universe
A strange discovery could provide a window into the universe’s earliest galaxies
Astronomy
Was ‘Oumuamua, the First Known Interstellar Object, Less Weird Than We Thought?
A new study suggests that ‘Oumuamua, the mysterious visitor that whizzed through our solar system in 2017, may have been merely a small comet from another star
Astronomy
Rare, Dust-Shrouded Dying Star Revealed in New JWST Image
Before exploding as supernovae, massive Wolf-Rayet stars spew gas and dust into space, seeding the formation of future stellar and planetary systems
Extraterrestrial Life
‘Unstable’ Moons May Be Obliterating Alien Life across the Universe
Collisions between moons and planets may be a regular danger for possible extraterrestrial life
Astronomy
How To Stop a (Potentially Killer) Asteroid
We slammed a $330-million spaceship the size of a dairy cow into an asteroid the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Here’s what we’re learning about how our first step in planetary defense could save us in the future...
Astronomy
Are Telescopes on the Moon Doomed?
Booming exploration and commercial activity could ruin the quiet, astronomy-friendly environment of the lunar far side
