Latest articles by Keith Cooper
This might be the smallest clump of pure dark matter ever found
The discovery of what is potentially the smallest clump of dark matter ever seen strengthens the case for cold dark matter.
Scientists open untouched Apollo 17 lunar samples from 1972 — they may hold clues about the moon's violent origins
The isotopic ratio of sulfur-33 on the moon differs from that of Earth. Did the moon's sulfur instead come from the impactor that formed it?
How one scientist's wide-eyed dream of giant space cities was crushed by reality
As part of World Space Week, which is highlighting the theme of living in space, we look at one scientist's dream of gigantic space habitats.
6,000 and counting: The next 30 years in the search for exoplanets
After marking the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the first exoplanet around a sun-like star, we now look forward to what the next 30 years might offer.
The search for life on Venus just took another turn, thanks to JWST's brown dwarf discovery
JWST's detection of phosphine on a brown dwarf, also known as a "failed star," could have repercussions for the claimed detection of the molecule on Venus.
The exoplanet revolution at 30: 1st alien world was found around a sun-like star three decades ago
The discovery of the "hot Jupiter" exoplanet 51 Pegasi b on Oct. 6, 1995 changed the course of astronomical history.
Saturn's moon Enceladus is shooting out organic molecules that could help create life
The discovery strengthens the case for a new mission to orbit and land on Enceladus and search for evidence of life.
How excited should we be about the latest Mars potential biosignature discovery? 'It's arguably the best evidence we have so far'
What about those previously studied plumes of methane and meteorites potentially stuffed with the fossils of Martian microbes?
How do you build a moon? The James Webb Space Telescope has just given us our best look
The JWST has studied the chemical composition of a moon-forming disk circling a giant planet 625 light-years away.
Tumbleweed-inspired Mars rovers could be blown across the Red Planet
Scientists are testing prototypes of tumbleweed rovers in a wind tunnel that show that Mars' winds are strong enough to push them.
The Rubin Observatory's upcoming images may stack up to space telescope ones. Here's how
The algorithm has already been tested on images from the Subaru telescope and will now be used on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory once science results begin to flood in.
A tiny Apollo 17 moon rock is unlocking a secret lunar history
The small chunk of rock could be telling us that many of the moon’s largest impacts happened over 4.25 billion years ago.
James Webb Space Telescope peers deep into the heart of star formation in our Milky Way galaxy
The star-forming region called Sagittarius B2 contains half of the galactic center's stars, yet only 10% of the gas.
These 2 galaxies are falling into the Virgo Cluster at a staggering rate of 547 miles per second
Two galaxies connected by a bridge of hydrogen gas are falling into the Virgo Cluster.
Could astronauts travel to Mars on nuclear-powered rockets? These scientists want to make it happen
The team's design uses fission reactions involving uranium to heat propellant.
Can a spacecraft land on a teeny tiny asteroid? Japan's Hayabusa2 will certainly try
Hayabusa2's new target, asteroid 1998 KY26, is just 36 feet (11 meters) across, which will make landing on it challenging.
'The sun is slowly waking up': Scientists say a rise in solar storms awaits us
The turning point seems to have been after 2008, which had the lowest amount of solar activity on record.
New space junk removal idea: Using ion engine exhaust to knock debris out of the sky
With a modest amount of thrust and power, a new ion engine system could get rid of 1-ton pieces of space junk in less than 100 days. Here's how it works.
These 2 European telescopes use lasers to track potentially dangerous space junk (video)
The laser system provides real-time positional data on the huge cloud of space debris above our heads in low Earth orbit.
James Webb Space Telescope images enormous star shooting out twin jets 8 light-years long
The James Webb Space Telescope caught the birth of an enormous star with particle beams cutting across a stretch of interstellar space.
Spacecraft launcher named for robot in 'Interstellar' could help us reach another star system. Here's how
A new low-cost concept for interstellar travel combines solar power with a slingshot, but it would take a long time to reach the stars.
Triple star system burns bright in new image from the James Webb Space Telescope
One member of the cluster was previously believed to be the most massive star known, but is actually a triple star system of huge stars, all of which will go supernova.
Could a unique rectangular telescope be the key to finding Earth 2.0?
A new concept for a next generation space telescope could provide an affordable breakthrough in the hunt for Earth's twin.
