The most distant quasar ever found is hiding a seriously supermassive black hole By Chelsea Gohd Scientists have found the most distant quasar yet known — and it's home to a seriously supermassive black hole.
NASA's InSight Mars lander may 'hear' Perseverance rover's landing next month By Mike Wall The landing of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover next month will make serious waves, some of which may help scientists better understand the Red Planet's structure.
Astronomers spot the fastest spinning magnetar ever seen By Chelsea Gohd About 21,000 light-years from Earth, far-off in the Milky Way galaxy, astronomers have spotted the fastest-spinning (and possibly the youngest) magnetar ever seen.
Scientists are getting closer in race to find gravitational wave background and dark matter By Charles Q. Choi Astronomers may be getting closer to discovering as-yet hidden cosmic secrets, such as the nature of dark matter and the presence of widespread distortions in space-time.
Rocky 'super-Earth' planet spotted orbiting one of the Milky Way's oldest stars By Samantha Mathewson A rocky exoplanet known as TOI-561b was found circling one of the oldest stars in our Milky Way galaxy. The exoplanet is about 50% larger than Earth.
It's really there! Kepler space telescope's 2nd-ever exoplanet candidate finally confirmed. By Mike Wall Astronomers just confirmed the existence of KOI-5Ab, which was first flagged as a potential planet by NASA's pioneering Kepler space telescope way back in 2009.
Japanese asteroid-sampling probe begins long trek to next space rock By Mike Wall Just a month after returning asteroid samples to Earth, Japan's Hayabusa2 probe is officially on the move toward another space rock.
'Super Bowl of Astronomy' kicks off online due to global pandemic By Elizabeth Howell The American Astronomical Society (AAS) is making the most of online opportunities during its 237th meeting, which will fully take place virtually this week due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Curious Kids: How does the sun make such pretty colours at sunsets and sunrises? By Jake Clark, Nataliea Lowson We love watching all the pretty colours of sunsets and sunrises. But why does this happen, when most of the time the sky is just blue?
A mysterious 'wobble' is moving Mars' poles around By Brandon Specktor Like a teetering top, Mars refuses to rotate on a straight axis.
Wandering polar vortex may cause a wild, snowy winter By Laura Geggel A polar vortex disruption may cause snowy, cold weather in about two weeks.
An alien machine already visited us, Harvard astrophysicist still contends By Rafi Letzter Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has reignited a debate about whether alien life can explain an object that visited the solar system in 2017 in a scathing new book.
Sunquakes likely triggered deep beneath solar surface By Samantha Mathewson Scientists have uncovered new details about the mysterious origin of seismic activity on the sun during solar flares.
Future astronauts could make methane rocket fuel on Mars By Chelsea Gohd How will future astronauts get back home to Earth from Mars? According to a new study, they could make rocket fuel from the methane that's already on the Red Planet.
The Stingray nebula is fading fast, Hubble telescope photos reveal By Samantha Mathewson Photos from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope show the Stingray nebula fading at an unprecedented rate.
How satellites are stopping deforestation in Africa By Chelsea Gohd Satellites are helping to reduce deforestation across Africa.
Astronomers reevaluate the age of the universe By Chelsea Gohd Scientists have taken a fresh look at the observable (expanding) universe and have estimated that it is 13.77 billion years old (plus or minus 40 million years).
Earth is whipping around quicker than it has in a half-century By Stephanie Pappas It could mean a "negative" leap second.
We've already blown past the warming targets set by the Paris climate agreement, study finds By Rafi Letzter A new study shows that due to pollution already released, Earth will eventually blow past Paris goals. But that doesn't mean all is lost.
From squarks to gluinos: It's not looking good for supersymmetry By Paul Sutter According to a recent report, there have been no signs of supersymmetry, and the theory is looking a little shaky.
