Samantha Mathewson

New infrared observations reveal that the rare interstellar visitor known as comet 3I/ATLAS has dramatically brightened during its farewell tour of the solar system.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has spotted a young star flinging heat-formed crystals outward on a cosmic conveyor belt, offering a new clue to how comets evolve.

Jupiter harbors more oxygen than the sun, a new study finds, giving astronomers a crucial clue about how our solar system's planets formed.

The image was captured in November 2025, showing how lighting changes throughout the day on Mars.

The 247th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS 247) is being held Jan. 4 to Jan. 8 and will feature remarkable findings in exoplanet research and discussions shaping the future of astronomy.

From astronauts looping around the moon to spacecraft reaching Mercury and asteroids near Earth, 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for space exploration.

A rare interstellar comet has been caught in X-rays by two space telescopes, revealing how its gases interact with charged particles from the sun as it travels through the inner solar system.

A strange, spider-like scar on Jupiter's icy moon Europa may mark where salty water once surged up through its fractured crust.

A novel "X-arithmetic" technique reveals how black holes shape the universe's largest structures.

For the first time, we can see and hear lightning-like discharges in Mars' thin atmosphere.

Frequent flares from the nearby star TRAPPIST-1 could offer new clues in the search for habitable planets beyond Earth.

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is now fully assembled and ready to begin launch preparations this summer.

The Very Large Telescope's SPHERE instrument captured unprecedented images of 51 dusty rings shaping young planetary systems.

A new view of Mars showcases a dramatic impact crater on the Red Planet with its debris wings unfurling across the surface like a butterfly in flight.

This infrared view offers the clearest look yet at how dwarf galaxies merge, evolve, trade gas and ignite waves of new stars.

Astronomers have spotted a distant world "shedding" its atmosphere into space in real time, creating a giant cloud of helium gas that sweeps across its parent star well before the planet itself.

A newly discovered tectonic "regime" may explain why Earth has active plates while Venus remains stagnant.

NASA's OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft captured stunning new images as it whipped past Earth during a high-speed slingshot maneuver, sending the probe on a fast track toward the asteroid Apophis.

Though it generated beautiful auroras around the world, the Gannon solar storm in 2024 was also a little dangerous.

New images from the Mars Express orbiter reveal evidence of a past ice age at Mars's mid-latitudes and shine light on the planet's dynamic climate history.

New observations from the Virtual Telescope Project reveal 3I/ATLAS's sharply defined ion tail, highlighting increased activity as the interstellar comet moves through the inner solar system.

Some of Earth's oldest rocks buried deep in Western Australia may hold new clues about the dramatic event that gave rise to our moon.

Astronomers have unveiled the largest low-frequency radio color image of the Milky Way ever created, offering a sprawling, interactive cosmic panorama with unprecedented detail.

Scientists have developed a laser-based ice drill concept that could enable deeper, low-power exploration of ice on moons and planets in our solar system.

An unexpected monster black hole was found hiding inside one of the Milky Way’s tiniest neighbors, rewriting what scientists thought they knew about how small galaxies hold themselves together.