Space

Sep 3rd, 2025 - By Matt Davenport, University of Michigan Share DESI observations suggest black holes may generate dark energy by consuming stellar matter. The idea resolves puzzles about neutrino mass and cosmic expansion. These are remarkable times for probing some of the most profound mysteries in physics, made possible by advanced experiments and increasingly precise measurements. One of the most compelling questions centers on dark energy, the term given to the unknown force driving the accelerated ... [Read More]

Sep 3rd, 2025 - , designated SN 2021yfj, offers an unprecedented glimpse into the inner workings of stellar deaths. The discovery was made by researchers from Northwestern University. It was first detected in 2021 by the Zwicky Transient Facility, and later studied in detail using the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii.  Unlike typical supernovae, SN 2021yfj revealed spectral signatures dominated by silicon, sulfur, and argon. These elements are typically found deep inside massive stars, while their outer ... [Read More]

Sep 3rd, 2025 - By Share Scientists found AMORE6, a galaxy almost free of heavy elements. Its existence strongly supports key predictions of the Big Bang model. Our knowledge of the Universe begins with the Big Bang, the moment when cosmic expansion first began. During this event, a process called Big Bang nucleosynthesis produced only the lightest elements: hydrogen, helium, and trace amounts of lithium. Heavier elements, which astrophysicists refer to as metals, were created later in the hearts of stars that ... [Read More]

Sep 3rd, 2025 - Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has completed a mission study detailing how a proposed spacecraft could fly by an interstellar comet, providing remarkable insights into the properties of bodies originating beyond our solar system. The SwRI project developed the mission design, scientific objectives, payload and key requirements based on previous interstellar object (ISO) detections. Using the recent discovery of 3I/ATLAS, the team validated the mission concept, determining that 3I/ATLAS ... [Read More]

Sep 3rd, 2025 - An international team of astronomers has made the unexpected discovery of a new planet. Detected at an early stage of formation around a young Sun-like star, the planet is estimated to be about 5 million years old and most likely a gas giant of similar to Jupiter. The study, Wide Separation Planets in Time (WISPIT), which was led by Leiden University, the University of Galway, and the University of Arizona, has been published in the international journal  Astrophysical Journal Letters . ... [Read More]

Sep 2nd, 2025 - By Lee Sandberg, Institute for Advanced Study Share A new trans-Neptunian object, 2017 OF201, has been found with a vast orbit and potential dwarf planet size. The finding hints at more hidden bodies beyond Neptune . A research team led by Sihao Cheng at the Institute for Advanced Study's School of Natural Sciences has identified a remarkable trans-Neptunian object (TNO) at the far reaches of the solar system. The object has been designated 2017 OF201. Based on its estimated size, 2017 OF 201 ... [Read More]

Sep 2nd, 2025 - A bus-size asteroid , first spotted just over a week ago, will zoom past Earth tomorrow (Sept. 3). The space rock will not get this close to us again until Sept. 4, 2125 — almost 100 years to the day. The asteroid, dubbed 2025 QV5, was first spotted on Aug. 24. It is approximately 35 feet (11 meters) across, or around the same width as a school bus is long, and is hurtling toward us at more than 13,900 mph (22,400 km/h), according to NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Asteroid Watch ... [Read More]

Sep 2nd, 2025 - By Jennifer Chu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Share A massive impact may have temporarily strengthened the Moon's weak magnetic field, producing a short-lived surge that became preserved in certain lunar rocks. For decades, scientists have wrestled with a simple question: what happened to the Moon's magnetism? Instruments on orbiting spacecraft once detected strong magnetic signatures in lunar surface rocks, indicating a powerful field in the past. Yet the moon itself has no inherent ... [Read More]

Sep 2nd, 2025 - Earth today is teeming with life. We have oceans, breathable air, and the perfect combination of chemical ingredients necessary for living organisms to thrive. But when Earth first started forming, it lacked some of the most fundamental elements required for life. So how did our world transition from being barren and inhospitable to what it is today? A team of scientists just found new clues that show Earth's original mix of elements was complete surprisingly early – only a short time ... [Read More]

Sep 2nd, 2025 - I'm a planetary scientist who was born the year of Sputnik's launch. Over the course of my 40-year career, I've witnessed not one but at least five separate revolutions that fundamentally transformed this field of study.  Before I tell you about these pivotal moments, let's look at two examples of even earlier revolutions that set the stage for the field I entered. Early revolutions To me, the first "modern" transformation in planetary science occurred in the early 19th century when it was ... [Read More]

Sep 2nd, 2025 - Scientists have been curious for years about what is hidden beneath the surface of Mars. With its freezing temperatures, red dust, and dry valleys, the surface of the planet has received most of the attention. But something big is buried deep inside Mars' mantle. Thanks to NASA's Insight lander , we're finally getting a clearer look below the surface. And what's there is surprising: leftover chunks from ancient cosmic crashes are buried deep in the planet's mantle. These rocky fragments aren't ... [Read More]

Sep 2nd, 2025 - Sighting by James Webb space telescope of black hole with sparse halo of material could upend theories of the universe An ancient and "nearly naked" black hole that astronomers believe may have been created in the first fraction of a second after the big bang has been spotted by the James Webb space telescope . If confirmed as a so-called primordial black hole, a theoretical class of object predicted to exist by Stephen Hawking but never before seen, the discovery would upend prevailing ... [Read More]

Sep 1st, 2025 - A "cannibalistic" solar storm is about to slam into Earth's magnetic field , triggering vibrant auroras that will potentially be visible in up to 18 different U.S. states, just in time for Labor Day. On Saturday (Aug. 30), sunspot 4204, located near the sun's equator, unleashed a long-duration, M-class solar flare — the second most powerful type of eruption our home star's surface is capable of producing. The M2.7 magnitude blast, which occurred over more than 3 hours, also spat out a ... [Read More]

Sep 1st, 2025 - The Earth supports the only known life in the universe, all of it depending heavily on the presence of liquid water to facilitate chemical reactions. While single-celled life has existed almost as long as Earth itself, it took roughly three billion years for multicellular life to form. Human life has existed for less than one-10 thousandth of the age of Earth. All of this suggests that life might be common on planets that support liquid water, but it might be uncommon to find life that studies ... [Read More]

Sep 1st, 2025 - Gaia has transformed how we see the night sky. What looks calm and unchanging is actually full of motion – stars racing across space, clusters forming and breaking apart, and entire star families stretching thousands of light-years. For the past decade, the Gaia space observatory has been quietly watching it all unfold with its twin telescopes. Since 2014, Gaia has collected more precise information about our galaxy than any mission before. The telescopes tracked nearly two billion stars ... [Read More]

Aug 31st, 2025 - For years, scientists have wondered exactly when Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, first came into existence. A team of researchers from Nagoya University in Japan and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) has now uncovered the answer. These scientists discovered it hidden in meteorites that landed on Earth. These space rocks contain chondrules, which are tiny molten droplets formed during violent collisions between small rocky bodies called planetesimals. These ... [Read More]