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Astrophysics
Just 12 million light-years away, the galaxies Messier 81 and 82 offer a nearby preview of the Milky Way-Andromeda merger.
Is the Universe finite or infinite? Does it go on forever or loop back on itself? Here's what would happen if you traveled forever.
Besides offering an incredibly cool way to get stuff into space, SpinLaunch promises to reduce the cost of a launch by 20-fold.
There are an estimated two trillion galaxies within the observable Universe. Most are already unreachable, and the situation only gets worse.
Hubble's deepest views of space revealed fewer than 10% of the Universe's galaxies. James Webb will change that forever.
Shooting star or piece of space dust?
In terms of the planets we've discovered, super-Earths are by far the most common. What does that mean for the Universe?
It is time to give the Russian cosmologist the credit he deserves.
With a new telescope on the horizon, we reflect on the best pictures of space that came before.
If you want to understand what the Universe is, how it began, evolved, and will eventually end, astrophysics is the only way to go.
In 1990, we only knew of the ones in our Solar System. Today, we know of thousands, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
On December 19 1972, astronauts Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt and Ronald Evans splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, ending the Apollo 17 lunar mission. They were the last people to travel […]
Coupled with 3D printing, biomining the Moon or Mars with microbes could sustain human colonies without constant re-supply from Earth.
The search for worlds outside our solar system has just turned up a planet, TOI-2257 b, with a truly extreme orbit.
We frequently say it's 2.725 K: from the light left over all the way from the Big Bang. But that's not all that's in the Universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope finally could answer the age-old question of whether we are alone in the universe.
There are two fundamentally different ways of measuring the Universe's expansion. They disagree. "Early dark energy" might save us.
The first supernova ever discovered through its X-rays has an enormously powerful engine at its core. It's unlike anything ever seen.
The Solar System isn't a vortex, but rather the sum of all our great cosmic motions. Here's how we move through space.
Some stars burn through their fuel as expected, and die of natural causes. But others, instead, get murdered. Here's their story.
Space missions in 2022 will include massive rockets and asteroid collisions. This is also the year space tourism starts to hit its stride.
A levitating vehicle might someday explore the moon, asteroids, and other airless planetary surfaces.
With advanced laser technology and an appropriate sail, we could accelerate objects to ~20% the speed of light. But would they survive?
New technology is helping physicists move forward in the search for the Theory of Everything.
In movies and TV shows, aliens look like pointy-eared humans. Is this realistic? If evolution is predictable, then it very well might be.
From before the Big Bang to the present day, the Universe goes through many eras. Dark energy heralds the final one.
Known as primordial black holes, they could thoroughly change our Universe's history. But the evidence is strongly against them.
For many, it was just a successful launch like any other. But for scientists around the globe, it was a victory few dared to imagine.
Water on Mars is key for human survival on the Red Planet, not just for drinking but for growing food and making fuel and oxygen.
Even with leap years and long-term planning, our calendar won't be good forever. Here's why, and how to fix it.