X-Ray Pulse Casts Black Holes in a New Light
Astronomers have noticed an X-ray pulse near a black hole that was recently observed tearing apart a star, uncovering new information about the physical properties of black holes.
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‘Farout’: Images Confirm Farthest Known Object in Solar System
More than 100 times farther than the Earth is from the sun, a pink dwarf planet nicknamed Farout was recognized by astronomers Monday as the most-distant body ever observed in our solar system.
Read moreStudy: Water Is Buried Beneath Martian Landscape
A huge lake of salty water appears to be buried deep in Mars, raising the possibility of finding life on the red planet.
Read more12 New Moons Discovered Around Jupiter
After a year of peering deep into the outer edge of space, Carnegie scientists have discovered 12 new moons orbiting Jupiter.
Read moreAstronomers Report 1st Image of Baby Planet Being Formed
Astronomers say they’ve captured the first confirmed image of a planet forming in the dust swirling around a young star.
Read moreFirst Interstellar ‘Immigrant’ Discovered Orbiting Jupiter
A newly discovered asteroid in Jupiter’s orbit “immigrated” from another solar system and is orbiting in the opposite direction of nearly everything else in our solar system, according to new astronomical research.
Read moreHelium Detected in Exoplanet’s Atmosphere for First Time
Helium has been detected in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system for the first time, a team of astronomers reported Tuesday.
Read moreGalaxy-Detecting Software Used to Protect Endangered Species
A new detection system aims to protect endangered species from poachers by incorporating software and techniques designed to detect and study stars and galaxies.
Read moreSaturn’s Greatest Storm
Unlike other planets in the solar system, Saturn stores up huge amounts of energy over many Earth decades, and then unleashes it all at once in the form of an awesome, swirling, massive electrical storm that lasts for months. Scientists don’t know why Saturn behaves this way, but it’s a once-a-year occurrence on the ringed planet. Once a Saturnian year, that is: a year there is 30 Earth years.
Read moreChemical ‘Sleuths’ Hunt for Life’s Building Blocks in Space
Researchers have reconstructed the chemical steps that lead to the formation of complex hydrocarbons in space, presenting routes to forming 2-D carbon-based nanostructures in a mix of heated gases.
Read moreSupercomputers Uncover Mystery of Rosette Nebula
New research offers an explanation for the discrepancy between the size and age of the hole at the center of a rose-shaped interstellar cloud and its central stars.
Read moreAstronomers Discover ‘Nearby’ Planet That Could Support Life
A newly discovered nearby – in cosmic terms – exoplanet could support life, scientists report Wednesday.
Read moreAs Seen in Space: Solar Filaments
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory came across an oddity this past week that the spacecraft has rarely observed before: a dark filament encircling an active region. Solar filaments are clouds of charged particles that float above the sun, tethered to it by magnetic forces.
Read moreAs Seen by Cassini: Saturn’s Rings & Tiny Moon Prometheus
As the 13-year international Cassini mission to explore Saturn draws to a close, the spacecraft has been diving between the gas giant and its innermost rings to explore uncharted territory before finally plunging one final time into the planet on Sept. 11.
In this photo, Saturn’s tiny moon Prometheus – just 53 miles wide – can be seen as a faint speck near the planet’s narrow and ghostly F-ring.
Read moreClass Claims Amazon Sold Shoddy Eclipse Glasses, Partially Blinding Them
In a federal class action, two South Carolinians claim they were partially blinded by watching the Great American Eclipse through defective Solar Eclipse Glasses they bought from Amazon.com.
Read moreMoon’s Shadow on Earth
European Space Agency astronaut Paulo Nespoli took this photo of the moon’s shadow over North America during the total solar eclipse on Monday. From Nespoli’s perch on the International Space Station 248 miles above Earth, he and his fellow astronauts crossed the path of the eclipse three times during their 90-minute orbits around the planet.
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North American Total Eclipse: ‘A Magnificent Twilight’
The moon’s shadow hit North America at 10:15 a.m. on Monday, bathing the Oregon coast in daytime darkness before gliding east across the nation and disappearing over the Atlantic Ocean.
Read moreUnusual White Dwarf Star May Be Supernova Leftover
An unusual white dwarf star in the Milky Way galaxy may be the first example of the byproduct of a recently discovered, fainter type of supernova.
Read moreSupermassive Black Holes Found to Feed on ‘Jellyfish’ Galaxies
New research has uncovered active supermassive black holes in six out of seven “jellyfish” galaxies reviewed, a surprising trend the reveals a previously unknown mechanism by which these cosmic enigmas are fed.
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As Seen From Hubble: the Hockey Stick Galaxy
The Hubble Telescope captured this image of galaxy NGC 4656, also known as “The Hockey Stick Galaxy.” Located in the constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs), the galaxy is shaped like an elongated warped stick stretching through space before curling at one end to give it its common name.
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