Latest articles by Robert Lea
Space science has come a long way since July 4, 1776. Here's a look back at the saga
Celebrating America's 250th birthday, Space.com looks back at what our understanding of space was like in 1776 and what major developments occurred to change our thinking.
Infant stars celebrate their independence with cosmic fireworks| Space photo of the day for July 3, 2026
Infant stars celebrate their independence with cosmic fireworks in a stunning new image from the James Webb Space Telescope.
'Stellar death is not the end': James Webb Space Telescope glimpses the fate of the solar system in a weird exoplanet orbiting a dead star
"It's like using a time machine to peer into the distant future of our solar system."
This weird 'hot Jupiter' exoplanet has a hotspot in the wrong place, and astronomers aren't sure how
Astronomers have discovered a curious new exoplanet that challenges assumptions about hot Jupiters, some of the most extreme planets in the universe.
Rubin Observatory begins filming the 'greatest cosmic movie ever' beginning a new era of astronomy
"With the launch of the ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the Rubin Observatory is opening a new window on the universe."
The James Webb Space Telescope peered into one of the universe's oldest galaxy clusters, and scientists can't explain what they saw
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have spotted a massive and densely packed galaxy cluster at "cosmic noon" before such structures were thought to be possible.
Black hole's 'point of no escape' studied with the loudest gravitational waves ever heard
The loudest crash of gravitational waves ever heard provides an intriguing way of studying event horizons, the boundaries at which nothing can escape the grip of these cosmic titans.
Two 'super-puff' cotton candy exoplanets are the lightest gas giants ever discovered
Astronomers have discovered two "super-puff" exoplanets orbiting the same star that have densities lower than cotton candy, making them the lightest worlds ever seen.
This is the largest and most detailed image of our Milky Way — with over 60 million stars and 50 exoplanet systems
The ESA's dark universe detective spacecraft Euclid, has studied the heart of the Milky Way, creating the largest and most detailed photo of this region ever made.
This 'improbable' exoplanet system is so wonky because of a weird object within
"This discovery provides a crucial insight into how planets form even around massive, eccentric objects."
Dark energy is still accelerating the expansion of the universe, and astronomers are relieved. 'Thankfully, we have averted this crisis'
The expansion of the universe is still accelerating under the influence of dark energy, despite recent claims to the contrary averting a cosmological crisis, according to new research.
Our sun is destined to 'kick and spit' its way across the solar system when it dies
Scientists have discovered that dying stars don't go down without a fight, with red giants spitting out blobs of plasma and receiving a corresponding "kick."
James Webb Space Telescope captures the star-forming clouds of Orion A in stunning detail | Space photo of the day for June 22, 2026
The Orion A region has never looked as colorful and vibrant.
A mysterious gamma-ray stream comes from the Milky Way's center. Could dark matter have something to do with it?
New research has failed to rule out self-annihilating dark matter as the source of a hotly debated gamma-ray emission known as the Galactic Center Excess radiating from the heart of the Milky Way.
Supermassive black holes may be surrounded by dark matter clusters, new 'echo map' technique suggests
A technique called echo mapping suggests supermassive black holes, like that at the heart of the Milky Way, are surrounded by clusters of dark matter.
Scientists trace high-energy ghost particle to the 'Shadow Blaster' galaxy
"If confirmed, Shadow Blaster would be the first-ever individual dusty star-forming galaxy directly linked to a high-energy neutrino event."
James Webb Space Telescope finds a salty surprise on famous 'Pink Planet'
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered that one of the coldest exoplanets ever discovered, the so-called Pink Planet, harbors a salty surprise.
Sun-like star may have swallowed an exoplanet with help from a mysterious companion: 'You are what you eat, right?'
"That's what makes this field so exciting. You really are solving a mystery."
One of these twin stars has likely been snacking on exoplanets
Astronomers have discovered chemical differences between binary stars that indicate one has devoured at least one planet.
James Webb Space Telescope discovers extreme exoplanet being roasted by its home star
Who ordered the roasted exoplanet? Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope found a world that really puts the "hot" in "Hot Jupiter."
NASA X-ray spacecraft catches jet erupting from 1st supermassive black hole imaged by humanity
"We could already see changes in the jet, but never with this level of detail in X-rays."
NASA X-ray spacecraft discovers supernova wreckage at the heart of the Milky Way
NASA's Chandra X-ray spacecraft has detected the supernova wreckage of a dead star that erupted 1,700 years ago and ejected debris at 2 million miles per hour.
We have 4 fundamental forces of nature. 'Quantum gravity' could help lead us to a mysterious 5th
Scientists think a new framework for quantum gravity could offer clues about a mysterious 5th fundamental force of nature.
