Paul Sutter

The goal of the Parker Solar Probe mission is to investigate the mysteries of the sun's corona, its outer atmosphere. What has it learned so far?

Magnetic fields are everywhere in the universe. But where do they come from?

When stars explode as supernovas, they can cause serious cosmic carnage. Is Earth in any danger from any nearby stars?

While such organisms may or may not exist in the universe, the research has important implications for future human endeavors in space.

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) famously demoted Pluto to a dwarf planet. Things have been a bit of a mess since then — so is it time to redefine the planet?

Space mysteries Black hole mergers are beautiful — and some of the most violent events in the cosmos. Here's how the process unfolds.

Using a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, it might be possible to use the sun as a gigantic telescope to peer deep into space.

The cause of mysterious methane spikes on Mars may be a strange form of alien life — or it may just be interesting chemistry. Either way, something odd is happening on the Red Planet.

A long-lost moon could explain why Mars is so different from the other rocky planets in the solar system.

Every so often, astronomers detect a supernova explosion that's 100 times brighter than it should be. A new paper may reveal the strange source of these "superluminous" supernovas.

A tiny fraction of known black holes emit X-ray signals that resemble a human "heartbeat." Now, new research may finally explain the strange phenomenon.

Astronomers combed through an ancient Hindu text and discovered that it referenced a total solar eclipse that occurred roughly 6,000 years ago, making it the oldest known mention of an eclipse.

Space tourism is controversial, and there are a multitude of reasons why.

Reference The Local Bubble is a region of surprisingly low-density gas that surrounds our solar system and other nearby regions of our galaxy — and it has a violent history.

Do dead stars glow? A strange gravitational phenomenon could be generating enormous amounts of light around neutron stars, new research suggests.

While headlines around the world claimed that these galaxies were "breaking" our understanding of the Big Bang, the truth is much more nuanced — and much more interesting.

It's a fun question to tackle because it lets us dig into the messy, complicated, beautiful process of galaxy formation.

Mysterious dark matter could slosh over our planet like a wave. If it does, it may produce telltale radio waves in Earth's atmosphere, new theoretical research suggests.

Space mysteries Is there a center of the cosmos, and if so, where is it?

Space mysteries If you're in the mood to destroy an entire galaxy, you have several options, depending on your desired level of destructiveness.

Special relativity is beyond weird. Among its many statements are that moving clocks run slow and that moving rulers shrink. But how are we supposed to make sense of this?

Leftover light from the young universe has a major flaw, and we don't know how to fix it. It's the cold spot. It's just way too big and way too cold.

New research shows how disruptions to binary star systems could be the key to detecting space's most confounding substance — dark matter.

Space mysteries Astronomers are especially interested in the habitability of these kinds of planets, which always face their star with the same side, because they are incredibly common in the universe.

Space mysteries The Apollo program put humans on the moon in 1969. So why haven't we sent any more since?