Astronomy

Latest about Astronomy

A submarine below the thick icy crust of Jupiter's Moon Europa would experience about the same pressure as a vehicle in the hadal zone.

Sinking ice on Jupiter's moon Europa may be slowly feeding its ocean the ingredients for life

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

"Most excitingly, this new idea addresses one of the longstanding habitability problems on Europa and is a good sign for the prospects of extraterrestrial life in its ocean."

Jupiter
An illustration of black hole seeds greedily feasting on gas and dust in the early universe

A black hole 'feeding frenzy' could help explain a cosmic mystery uncovered by the James Webb Space Telescope

By Robert Lea published

"It is exciting to think that Little Red Dots may represent the first direct observational evidence of the birth of the most massive black holes in the universe."

Black Holes
JWST image of the merged star LRN AT 2011kp in the galaxy NGC 4490

James Webb Space Telescope discovers what remains after two stars collide and explode as a red nova

By Robert Lea published

"Until now, it was unknown what type of star would remain after the merger."

Stars
A series of blue cloudy shapes against a starry background, with bright stars shining in red and pink amidst the background

Searching for newborn stars with CAFFEINE | Space photo of the day for Jan. 22, 2026

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

The Core And Filament Formation/Evolution In Natal Environments (CAFFEINE) survey is an "astronomer's best friend," according to the European Southern Observatory.

Stars
An illustration showing the gas giant planet HD 206893 B and its potential exomoon

Wobbling exoplanet hints at a hidden exomoon so massive it could redefine the word 'moon' altogether

By Robert Lea published

"In our solar system, the most massive moon is Ganymede, which is still extremely small compared to what we are inferring here."

Exoplanets
The Helix Nebula as seen by the JWST with its comet-like knots, fierce stellar winds, and layers of gas shed off by a dying star interacting with its surrounding environment.

'Eye of God' nebula looks like a cosmic lava lamp in new James Webb Space Telescope image

By Robert Lea published

It may be one of the most iconic sights in the night sky, but astronomers have never seen the Helix Nebula like this before.

Galaxies
An illustration shows a spiral of hot dark matter spewing forward from the Big Bang

You're getting warmer! Hot dark matter could refine cosmic game of hide and seek

By Robert Lea published

"Dark matter can be red hot when it is born, but still have time to cool down before galaxies begin to form."

Dark Universe
A field filled with stars and covered by clouds of gas and dust. In the centre, a thick column of dark black dust blocks light from stars that light it up from behind. More clouds behind those stars are illuminated in pale colours. Complex, layered filaments of red dust lie to the left and right. Blue, white and gold stars in various sizes can be seen around, within and through the colourful layers of dust.

Hubble sees baby stars in Large Magellanic Cloud | Space photo of the day for Jan. 21, 2026

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

The Large Magellanic Cloud, or LMC, is a key spot for astronomers to study star formation.

Hubble Space Telescope
(Left) the ringed gas giant Saturn (Right) Jupiter as seen by Hubble with a glowing polar vortex

Mysterious polar weather on Jupiter and Saturn could be key to understanding their insides

By Robert Lea published

"I don't think anyone's made this connection between the surface fluid pattern and the interior properties of these planets."

Solar System
A series of small blue planets swirl around a golden sun in the top left corner in deep space

How to make a super-Earth: The universe's most common planets are whittled down by stellar radiation

By Keith Cooper published

The origin of super-Earths and sub-Neptunes has been revealed in a system of four young planets that are dramatically losing their thick atmospheres.

Exoplanets
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