Astronomy

Astronomers have discovered that certain supermassive black holes, dubbed 'Death Star black holes', can swivel their powerful particle beams almost 90 degrees over millions of years, a rapid movement on cosmic timescales.

NASA's Perseverance rover has captured images of unusual rock formations on Mars that resemble a "crab claw" and a "shark fin," igniting humorous comparisons among astronomy fans.

Scientists from the University of Chicago are preparing to launch a high-altitude balloon named EUSO-SPB2 to study two mysterious particles—a cosmic ray and a neutrino—originating from deep space.

Researchers from Cornell University have proposed a novel method for detecting alien life, centering on a phenomenon known as biofluorescence, which may allow lifeforms on exoplanets near red suns to protect themselves from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

New research suggests that methane, a greenhouse gas emitted by microbes, could be a critical indicator of alien life.

Recent research suggests that the universe, despite its 13.7 billion years of stability, may be at risk due to the Higgs boson's instability.

Research by Rajendra Gupta suggests that current cosmological models, which estimate the universe's age at 13.8 billion years based on the big-bang theory, cannot adequately explain observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) showing seemingly well-evolved galaxies existing as early as 500 to 800 million years after the big bang.

A recent study by astronomers has revealed that the risk of Earth's destruction from large asteroids in the Taurid swarm is much lower than previously thought.

Astronomers have detected mysterious radio signals from a distant star known as FRB 190520, located nearly three billion light-years away, which is either a magnetar or a supernova remnant.

The BepiColombo mission, a collaboration between the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, has successfully completed its third gravity assist flyby of Mercury, capturing detailed images of the planet's surface, including a recently discovered impact crater and geological features related to tectonic and volcanic activity.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is providing breathtaking images of the Tarantula Nebula, the largest star-forming region outside the Milky Way, revealing previously unseen details through its infrared capabilities.

A significant meteorite, weighing 17 pounds and containing the oldest material in the solar system, has been discovered in Antarctica, making it one of the largest ever found on Earth.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have conducted a study on triboelectric charging, or static electricity, to understand its mechanisms and applications.

A West Virginia University researcher, Piyush Mehta, warns that the rapidly expanding space economy, projected to reach one trillion dollars in a decade, faces significant risks from approximately two million pieces of space debris in low Earth orbit.

NASA astronomers have detected a faint 'ghostly glow' around our solar system using over 200,000 images from the Hubble Space Telescope, revealing residual light comparable to the glow of ten fireflies across the entire sky.

A study by researchers from Harvard Medical School has found no evidence supporting the old belief that rainy weather causes joint or back pain.

A study from researchers in the US and Germany indicates that food could be grown on Mars using hardy microorganisms like fungi, yeast, and soil bugs that could survive the journey from Earth.

New research from Penn State proposes that the Moon may have formed not from a giant impact, as traditionally believed, but through a process called binary-exchange capture, in which Earth captured the Moon from a pair of orbiting bodies.

A study led by astronomers from Western University and the University of Waterloo has effectively debunked fears that the asteroid Apophis, initially deemed a potential threat to Earth after its discovery in 2004, will collide with our planet.

A recent image captured by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter has evoked reflections on Earth's fragility, much like the iconic 'Pale Blue Dot' image from NASA's Voyager 1.

In a remarkable event over Europe, a tiny asteroid named Sar2667, approximately three feet wide, entered Earth's atmosphere around 3 a.m.

Astrophysicists in Spain have detected several black holes within the Hyades cluster, which is the closest open cluster to the solar system, marking the nearest detection of black holes to Earth.

NASA's Perseverance rover has discovered a unique, light-colored boulder named 'Atoko Point' during its exploration of Mars, particularly in the ancient river channel Neretva Vallis.

A recent study from the University of Central Florida critiques the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) 2006 definition of a planet, which led to Pluto's reclassification as a non-planet due to its failure to clear its orbit.

Scientists from the University of Kansas propose the recognition of a new geological epoch on the Moon, termed the Lunar Anthropocene, due to significant human impact on its environment since the first spacecraft landing in 1959.

A new study by Bolivian researchers from Universidad Católica Boliviana reveals that the hypergravity experienced during rocket launches may cause astronauts' blood cells to burst, leading to anemia.

A study by researchers at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with the American Geophysical Union, explores the potential impacts of asteroid strikes on Earth using a computer model.

New research from the University of Copenhagen suggests that life could exist on planets in binary star systems, where two stars orbit each other.

A total solar eclipse will be visible across parts of North America today, offering a rare spectacle as the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth.

A new study from Johns Hopkins University reveals that the exoplanet HD 189733 b, known for its extreme weather, also has an atmosphere that contains hydrogen sulfide, which emits a rotten egg smell.

A study by UC Riverside astronomers challenges claims that NASA's James Webb Space Telescope found signs of alien life on a distant planet.

Researchers from Imperial College London warn that large communication satellites, such as the BlueWalker 3, could obstruct astronomical observations by increasing light pollution and interfering with radio frequencies used by telescopes.

Recent research leveraging data from identical twins Scott and Mark Kelly has revealed that extended space travel may alter human genetic makeup.

Ben Tippett, a professor at the University of British Columbia, has developed a mathematical model for time travel, drawing on Einstein's theory of general relativity.

Astronomers have observed unexpected temperature fluctuations on Neptune, with the planet's stratosphere cooling by approximately 14 degrees Fahrenheit from 2003 to 2018, contrary to expectations of warming during its southern summer.

Scientists at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory have created a groundbreaking image of the Milky Way using neutrinos, tiny particles that convey astronomical data.

Astronomers have observed a supermassive black hole 8.5 billion light years away tearing apart a star, creating a bright flash identified as a tidal disruption event (TDE).

The James Webb Space Telescope has provided unprecedented insights into the exoplanet WASP-107b, a gas giant located about 200 light-years from Earth.

Researchers from Caltech have proposed a new theory suggesting that two massive blobs located deep within Earth's mantle, known as large low-velocity provinces (LLVPs), are remnants of an ancient planet that collided with Earth billions of years ago, possibly the planet Theia.

Researchers at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) have successfully recreated the phenomenon of 'diamond rain,' previously believed to occur deep within the icy gas giants Uranus and Neptune, in a laboratory setting for the first time.