Scientists have been probing our solar system for extraterrestrial life.
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The Universe is expanding, but we, our planet, solar system and galaxy all aren’t. Here’s why. Take a look out at almost any galaxy in the Universe, and you’ll find it’s […]
Humanity has mapped the Milky Way better than ever with ESA’s Gaia. But 1.7 billion stars later, there are still no Dyson spheres. Perhaps the greatest ‘holy grail’ in all of […]
Each year, lightning kills 24,000 people around the world. These maps show which regions get hit more than others.
It’s the fastest orbit found in space so far.
It’s time to bust one of the biggest myths about where the night sky’s most spectacular, seasonal shows come from. Meteor showers are one of the night sky’s most spectacular sights […]
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft taught us more than we ever imagined about Saturn. Could we do something similar for Uranus and Neptune? From where we are in the Solar System, looking out […]
As the Event Horizon Telescope prepares to release its first results, we can expect not just one, but two black hole images. What does a black hole actually look like? For […]
Including where to go, and when, for the most spectacular views. Against the backdrop of a dark, clear night sky, you can see the Moon, planets, stars, the Milky Way, […]
The first serious scientific study of STEVE, the ribbons of white and purple light in northern skies, reveals they’re not auroras—they’re something new and unexplained.
The ultimate fate of the universe is a mind-bogglingly thing to think about. So what’s the final outcome for it all?
From newborn planets to entire galaxies, we’re seeing the Universe as never before. The idea of a modern telescope is simple: collect light from a distant object, at high resolution, and […]
There’s a halo of dark matter permeating every galaxy, and that means its particles pass through us, too. The Universe, despite all the planets, stars, gas, dust, galaxies, and more we […]
Most basic form of data, meet most basic form of matter.
NASA announced the five winners of the latest phase of its 3D-Printing Habitat Competition for designing the structures to be used by humans on Mars.
It will take further study to confirm the star’s iron influx came from a planet or two, but the initial theory is quite compelling.
The possibilities were almost limitless, so why does everything line up? Our Solar System is an orderly place, with the four inner planets, the asteroid belt, and the gas giant worlds […]
What should a black hole look like? Our theoretical predictions are about to meet our first observations. In science, there’s no moment more exciting than when you get to confront […]
The ICARUS Initiative aims to track migratory animals from space using special transmitters and antennae. The data retrieved from the project will help us conserve biodiversity but has the potential to promote human well-being and prosperity, too.
How fast is the Universe expanding? The results might be pointing to something incredible. If you want to know how something in the Universe works, all you need to do […]
Physicists prove a core part of the theory of general relativity by using the whole Earth and the most precise clocks ever.
There’s something very special inside a proton and neutron that holds the key. There are few things in the Universe that are as easy to form, in theory, as black holes […]
The cosmic records we have are meant to be broken, but oh, have we ever gone so far. The great cosmic abyss contains more that humanity can ever hope to see, […]
Our future fate is likely already determined. If we end in a Big Crunch, what does that mean? The ultimate fate of the Universe is one of the biggest existential questions […]
The Big Bang happened everywhere at once, but stars are a different story. The Universe, back at its inception, was almost perfectly identical everywhere. It was the same high temperature […]
If you thought LIGO’s recent discoveries were profound and unusual, wait until you meet OJ 287. Recently, LIGO has revolutionized our knowledge of the Universe by discovering merging black holes. The […]
In a sense, a proton acts very much like a star.
Astronomers were using images taken by Hubble Space Telescope to study a supernova when they detected an unusually strong source of light later determined to be a star.
One of the night sky’s most famous sights isn’t what it appears to be. Perhaps the most famous sight of a dying star is the Ring Nebula, known since 1779. The […]
It would be disappointing and surprising if Earth were the only template for habitability in the Universe.