Latest articles by Brandon Specktor
Ignoring climate change will yield 'untold suffering,' panel of 14,000 scientists warns
A new report signed by 14,000 scientists assesses Earth's 'vital signs,' and finds 'untold suffering' awaits if climate change isn't dealt with soon.
No life will survive the death of the sun — but new life could be born after, new research suggests
When Earth's sun grows into a red giant 5 billion years from now, solar wind will shred our planet's magnetic field to bits.
Hubble telescope revived after a grueling month of darkness. Here's what went wrong.
After more than a month in safe mode, the Hubble Space Telescope is back online. A wonky power regulator circuit may be to blame.
Rare 'teardrop' star and its invisible partner are doomed to explode in a massive supernova
Astronomers detected a rare teardrop-shaped star that is being ripped apart by an invisible white dwarf, pushing the pair toward an inevitable supernova explosion.
A 'wobble' in the moon's orbit could result in record flooding in the 2030s, new study finds
Coastal flooding could quadruple in the US in the 2030s, a new study of the lunar cycle and sea level rise finds.
June 2021 smashed heat records in North America
Satellite data finds that June 2021 was the hottest June ever recorded in North America.
Rare 'hypernova' explosion detected on fringes of the Milky Way for the first time
Researchers found evidence of an elusive magneto-rotational hypernova explosion for the first time ever.
The edge of the solar system is a blob, 3D map reveals
Scientists used solar wind to make the first 3D map of the heliosphere, which protects Earth from deadly cosmic radiation.
Earth's core is growing 'lopsided' and scientists don't know why
New seismic models show that Earth's inner core may be growing faster in the east than in the west, creating a 'lopsided' pattern at the center of our planet.
Distant star drowns its partner in gas, forming gorgeous 'Necklace Nebula'
NASA shared an image of the stunning Necklace Nebula, created by two stars locked in a dance of mutually assured destruction.
First bottle of wine 'aged in space' is for sale at Christie’s
A bottle of merlot that spent a year aboard the International Space Station is up for sale at Christie's auction house. It is expected to earn roughly $1 million
Earth's crust is way, way older than we thought
Earth's continents have been leaking nutrients into the ocean for at least 3.7 billion years, new research suggests.
Russia wants to build its own space station to replace the ISS, state officials say
Russia is building modules for a new space station, which could potentially replace the International Space Station by the year 2025, officials said.
Spooky 'spiders on Mars' finally explained after two decades
Enormous "spiders" cover the Martian south pole, and scientists finally have experimental evidence to show how they're created.
Astronomers see a ghostly 'radio jellyfish' rise from the dead in the southern sky
Astronomers discovered a radio structure that looks like a gigantic jellyfish, though it only glows in certain wavelengths.
A 'lump' of dark matter may be ripping apart Taurus' face
The Hyades — the closest star cluster to our sun — is being stretched by an invisible 'lump,' researchers say.
The moon has a tail, and Earth wears it like a scarf once a month
The tail is invisible to the naked eye but appears on all-sky cameras during every new moon.
First-ever 'space hurricane' detected over the North Pole
Astronomers detected the first-known 'space hurricane' raging over the North Pole for 8 hours in 2014, a new study found.
Mysterious stripes spotted over Russia in satellite images — and NASA is perplexed
Scientists can't agree on why these hills in the Russian Arctic ripple with stripes.
Martian dust storms may spark electric purple glow
Colliding dust particles on Mars probably produce static electricity, a new experiment reveals.
World's largest iceberg disintegrates into 'alphabet soup,' NASA photo shows
The world's largest iceberg has disintegrated into an 'alphabet soup' of mini ice island, new NASA imagery shows.
Earth is about to lose its second moon, forever
Minimoon SO 2020, a rocket booster that has been orbiting Earth for about 60 years, will drift off forever next month.
NASA finds 'Lost Galaxy' shining out of Virgo's bosom
This hazy spiral galaxy is one of the largest in the Virgo cluster — a collection of more than 2,000 galaxies.
