
JWST Spies a Giant Space Hamburger—and Maybe Planetary Origins, Too
It’s neither fast nor food, but a spectacular object called HH 30 looks appetizing for astronomers in a new image from the James Webb Space Telescope
JWST Spies a Giant Space Hamburger—and Maybe Planetary Origins, Too
It’s neither fast nor food, but a spectacular object called HH 30 looks appetizing for astronomers in a new image from the James Webb Space Telescope
The Most Energetic Neutrino Ever Seen Makes a Mediterranean Splash
A “ghost particle” discovered by a detector in the Mediterranean carried 30 times more energy than any neutrino observed to date
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World’s Largest Telescope Faces a New Dire Threat: Light Pollution from Renewable Energy
Observatories in Chile’s Atacama Desert, including the world’s largest optical telescope, could be blinded by light pollution and other unwanted side effects from the proposed construction of a renewable energy megaproject
Earth Sings with Mysterious Chorus Waves—And Deep Space Does, Too
Peculiar bursts of energy called chorus waves have been detected in deep space far from our planet, suggesting they could pose problems for long-distance space travel
This Supermassive Black Hole May Harbor a Bizarre Star That Refuses to Die
Strange x-ray pulses hint at a surprisingly long-lived white dwarf orbiting precariously close to a supermassive black hole
Largest Camera in the World Will Look for Planet Nine
Pluto was unseated as the ninth planet in our solar system. Will we find a real Planet Nine?
An Earth-Rocking Cosmic Explosion Turns 20
Twenty years ago today a magnetar’s epic tantrum made our planet ring like a bell from tens of thousands of light-years away
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Preps for Record-Breaking Christmas Eve Flyby
The Parker Solar Probe will swoop just 6.1 million kilometers above the sun’s surface on Christmas Eve. Scientists are thrilled at what we might learn
Behold! 2024’s Most Stunning Space Photos
See the year’s most striking images from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, NASA’s Mars rover and the best sky watching on offer
The Dawn of ‘Dark Ages’ Astronomy
The universe’s light-starved early epochs, as well as the first stars and galaxies, lie beyond the reach of conventional observatories but could be revealed by a new generation of radio telescope arrays
Why We Probably Won’t Find Aliens Anytime Soon
Odds are that we’re not truly alone in the cosmos. But practically speaking, we might as well be
A Science Breakthrough Too Good to Be True? It Probably Isn’t
The more exciting, transformative and revolutionary a science result appears, especially if it comes out of nowhere, the more likely it is to be dead wrong. So approach science headlines with a healthy amount of skepticism and patience