Space

Apr 1st, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google Scientists have identified a fast-moving star as the surviving companion of a massive star that exploded, linking both objects to the same violent event. That connection turns a scattered remnant and an isolated star into a single reconstructed system, showing how the explosion unfolded and what it left behind. Supernova IC 443 star HD 254577 At the edge of IC 443, a supernova remnant about 5,500 light-years away, a hot, massive star called HD 254577 was captured racing ... [Read More]

Apr 1st, 2026 - NASA rovers have revealed fascinating details and close-up images of Mars and the moon, but exploring other planets is slow. Most rovers are remotely controlled from Earth, and their careful, energy-efficient design limits how much ground they can cover. Now,  new research  from the University of Basel, ETH Zurich, and the European Space Agency, published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Space Technologies, examines how robots that can "think" for themselves might help us search a ... [Read More]

Apr 1st, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google A speck of black asteroid dust is making life's origins look less exclusive to Earth. Scientists analyzing pristine samples from the asteroid Ryugu report that they've detected all five canonical nucleobases. These are the molecular "letters" that, when paired with sugars and phosphates, form DNA and RNA.  The find doesn't mean Ryugu carried life , or even full genetic molecules. But it does strengthen a simple, powerful idea: the Solar System seems to manufacture ... [Read More]

Apr 1st, 2026 - It's quick and easy to access Live Science Plus, simply enter your email below. We'll send you a confirmation and sign you up for our daily newsletter, keeping you up to date with the latest science news. Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now Get the world's most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & ... [Read More]

Apr 1st, 2026 - LIGO data hints at supernovae so powerful they leave nothing behind Pair instability supernovae create a "mass gap" in black holes. Many of the early exoplanet discoveries were exciting on their own, confirming that there really were strange new worlds out in the Universe. But over time, our focus has shifted more toward numbers, as we began using the frequency of objects like super-Earths and mini-Neptunes to learn more about how planets form. With four gravitational wave detectors now having ... [Read More]

Apr 1st, 2026 - This could explain how planets like Neptune form to begin with. Most planets in our solar system are tilted. Earth's 23-degree tilt gives us our seasons, while Mars sits at just over 25 degrees. Then you have the overachievers: Uranus is essentially lying on its side, and Venus is flipped completely upside down. Usually, these tilts are the scars of ancient, violent collisions. But Neptune is different. According to a new study, Neptune's 28-degree axial tilt wasn't caused by a massive impact. ... [Read More]

Apr 1st, 2026 - Exciting planetary action takes place this month. Venus and Uranus vie for attention and lie close to each other in late April. Jupiter offers a lot to observe through a telescope, particularly events involving its Galilean moons. The rest of the action takes place just before dawn, with Mars, Mercury, and Saturn making an appearance in late April. And remember to take time out to watch the Lyrid meteor shower, with no Moon to interfere. Venus is brilliant in the western sky soon after sunset. ... [Read More]

Apr 1st, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google Earth feels like a local story. It sits close to the Sun, surrounded by rocky neighbors, and is built from dust and debris that once swirled in this tight inner region. For years, scientists believed that story was incomplete. They suspected that some of Earth's material had drifted in from far beyond, from the cold outer reaches of the Solar System. That idea made sense. Water and other volatile ingredients, the kind that can easily evaporate, seemed more likely to form ... [Read More]

Apr 1st, 2026 - Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The Artemis II mission countdown timeline ahead of launch from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B and the planned mission timeline for its 10-day flight that will venture past the moon and return to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Read live updates from launch day Timelines featuring L- equate to the launch time in real time while T- equates to the countdown clock, which features built-in holds. Countdown milestones as planned for ... [Read More]

Mar 31st, 2026 - astronauts safe from space weather The hazards that the crew must navigate during their 10-day flight are plentiful, starting from the second they launch aboard the most powerful rocket to ever carry humans and continuing all the way through their return to Earth nestled inside the Orion capsule. Many threats the crew will face are obvious, but not all of them are. Take, for example, radiation, which with moderate exposures can increase an astronaut's long-term risk of cancer and with heavy ... [Read More]

Mar 31st, 2026 - "Things are certainly starting to feel real here at the Cape." KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida—The two-day countdown for the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission began Monday evening, with clocks timed for the first of six opportunities in early April to send a crew of four astronauts around the far side of the Moon. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is scheduled for a two-hour launch window opening at 6:24 pm EDT (22:24 UTC) on Wednesday. NASA has backup ... [Read More]

Mar 30th, 2026 - An accounting of all the water that should have been and gone on Mars's surface has come up with a discrepancy that shows just how little we understand the Red Planet's hydrological history Planetary scientists agree that Mars used to have liquid water on its surface and a water-rich atmosphere, far different from its current arid state. But an accounting of all the sources of water to the Martian surface and all the ways it could have been taken away has found a major discrepancy – we ... [Read More]

Mar 30th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google Saturn has always stood out in the night sky. Its rings catch the eye, but the real action happens in the thick layers of gas wrapped around the planet. Now, two powerful space telescopes have taken fresh images that show Saturn in ways we have never quite seen before. These views do not just look different – they reveal how the planet actually works. One image shows color and detail we can see with our eyes. The other goes deeper, pulling out hidden layers and ... [Read More]

Mar 29th, 2026 - When Heinrich Olbers spotted asteroid Pallas on March 28, 1802, it called into question the recent discovery of Ceres as the "missing" planet between Mars and Jupiter. The Titius-Bode law , a mathematical formula that predicted the expected distances of planets from the Sun and had accurately posited the location of Uranus, suggested there should be a planet between Mars and Jupiter. Giuseppe Piazzi 's discovery of Ceres seemed to solve the mystery, but when Olbers discovered Pallas, he ... [Read More]

Mar 29th, 2026 - It's quick and easy to access Live Science Plus, simply enter your email below. We'll send you a confirmation and sign you up for our daily newsletter, keeping you up to date with the latest science news. Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now Get the world's most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & ... [Read More]

Mar 29th, 2026 - NASA's Juno spacecraft has been orbiting Jupiter for 10 years. During that time, it has studied the huge storms on the planet, such as the Great Red Spot, which is larger than Earth. New data shows that lightning strikes inside Jupiter's atmosphere may be more than 500 times as powerful than on Earth. Lead author Michael Wong, a planetary scientist at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory, published the study in the journal AGU Advances . "Convection operates a little bit differently on Earth ... [Read More]