Science & Astronomy

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Artist's illustration of dark energy showing dark filaments filling a vast space and a bright blue light towards the left side of the image.

What is dark energy?

By Robert Lea published

Reference The dominating form of energy in the cosmos dark energy is driving the accelerating expansion of the universe, but its nature remains a mystery.

Reference
a large silver diamond shape with a beam connecting it to a rock, all against a starry background

NASA's Artemis 1 launched a solar sail cubesat to an asteroid. It may be in trouble.

By Meghan Bartels published

A tiny asteroid explorer that launched on NASA's moon mission last week still hasn't phoned home.

Jay Pasachoff views an annular solar eclipse in 2016. (Pasachoff is wearing solar viewing glasses, not regular sunglasses).

Astronomer and solar eclipse expert Jay Pasachoff dies at age 79

By Robert Lea published

Jay Pasachoff perhaps witnessed more solar eclipses than anyone else. But his greatest contribution to science may have been his public outreach and inspiration of future generations of scientists.

a robotic arm in the foreground, a reddish brown rocky landscape in the background

NASA's Perseverance rover opens a window to Mars' watery past

By Briley Lewis published

The Perseverance rover is approaching its one-year anniversary since landing on Feb. 18, 2021 — one Mars year, that is.

swirling disk with jet shooting forward

X-ray view shows how supermassive black holes speed up particles in jets

By Keith Cooper published

Observations with NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer spacecraft have shed light on how particles are accelerated to nearly the speed of light in a blazar's jet.

yellow-brown planet in front of star

This scorching 'super-Earth' exoplanet is one of the most massive ever discovered

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

The newly-discovered planet is coated in molten magma, has a "year" that lasts half a day, and boasts gravity three times stronger than Earth's.

The Hyades star cluster (pink) curls across the sky amid well-known constellations (green). The cluster is at the center of a controversial new study proposing an alternative to Newton's theory of gravity.

Lopsided star cluster may disprove Newton and Einstein, controversial new study claims

By Tom Metcalfe published

An uneven distribution of stars in several nearby clusters may offer evidence of MOND — a controversial theory of gravity that disputes Newton and rejects the existence of dark matter.

NASA's Juno probe captured this image of Jupiter's atmosphere and the moons Io (above) and Callisto (below) during a close flyby on Nov. 29, 2021.

Juno spacecraft snaps gorgeous photo of Jupiter's atmosphere, 2 big moons

By Andrew Jones published

A flyby of Jupiter by NASA's Juno spacecraft has delivered a stunning image of the gas giant's cloud tops and moons Callisto and Io.

NASA's CAPSTONE probe arrived in lunar orbit on Nov. 13, 2022. This is an artist's illustration of the cubesat.

NASA's CAPSTONE cubesat reaches final orbit around the moon

By Mike Wall published

NASA's tiny CAPSTONE spacecraft has settled into its final lunar orbit, shifting into the operational phase of its pioneering moon mission.

An artist's depiction of the exoplanet WASP-39b.

James Webb Space Telescope reveals alien planet's atmosphere like never before

By Tereza Pultarova published

The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed an exoplanet's atmosphere in unprecedented detail, allowing scientists to understand the planet's past and test methods for detecting alien life.

An artist's impression of an ancient Mars rich in water.

Mars' water may have come from ancient asteroid impacts

By Keith Cooper published

Isotopic evidence points to carbonaceous chondrite asteroids bringing enough water to Mars that it could have formed a global ocean some 1,000 feet deep.

Composite image of the galaxy cluster Abell 2255.

Turbulent 'cosmic web' binds cluster of galaxies in new radio telescope images

By Robert Lea published

New radio telescope images show the galactic cluster Abell 2255 in unprecedented detail and hint at the physical processes occurring in this region of space 1 billion light-years away.

view down at cracked, rocky surface, with one wheel visible at left of image

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover hunts tantalizing bedrock that could hide evidence of life

By Robert Lea published

Continuing its mission to search for signs of ancient life on Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover has reached Jezero Crater's Yori Pass.

lunar eclipses are made up of several stages here they are arranged in a question mark shape.

What are lunar eclipses and how do they occur?

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference Lunar eclipses occur when Earth blocks the sun and casts a shadow over the surface of the moon. We explore the different types of lunar eclipses here.

Reference
Photograph of a solar eclipse

Solar eclipses: What are they?

By Joe Rao, Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference Solar eclipses are one of nature's most spectacular events. Here we explore what they are and the different types of solar eclipses.

Reference
A timelapse image of a fireball event over Canada on Nov. 19 from start to finish.

Astronomers spot small space rock just hours before it drops meteorites over Canada

By Tereza Pultarova published

A small space rock was discovered on Saturday (Nov. 19) just a few hours before hitting Earth's atmosphere and landing in Canada's Lake Ontario.

a mountain and surrounding rock in yellow with darker rock around it

Vast volcanic eruptions may have turned Venus from paradise into hell

By Keith Cooper published

Though hot and suffocating today, Venus may have once been a temperate world before massive volcanism changed it forever.

a glowing yellow twisting shape against a starry background

3D intergalactic map will reveal details about dark matter, black holes and stars

By Robert Lea published

The first data release from WALLABY reveals a 3D map of hundreds of galaxies, hinting at impressive observations to come.

spiral galaxy photo

Hubble Space Telescope's mesmerizing views of enormous spiral galaxy could help solve one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy

By Andrew Jones published

The Hubble Space Telescope has been taking an extended look at a spiral galaxy to help solve one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy.

rocky structures covered by dots and blobs

Surprise finding at Arctic vent site could help in the search for extraterrestrial life

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

A vent deep under the Arctic ice is surprisingly similar to what may occur on Saturn's icy moon, Enceladus.