Astronomy
A Possible Crisis in the Cosmos Could Lead to a New Understanding of the Universe
Several unexplained measurements are threatening to upend scientists’ understanding of the universe’s origin and fate
Astronomy209 articles archived since 1845
Astronomy
Astronomers May Have Witnessed Worlds in Collision
A planet-vaporizing impact is the leading explanation for a distant star’s curiously fluctuating light
Astronomy
JWST Detects Quartz Crystals in an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere
Astronomers have found high-altitude clouds formed from quartz crystals on the gas-giant world WASP-17b
Astronomy
Stunning Images Reveal Rogue Planets of the Orion Nebula
The James Webb Space Telescope’s infrared gaze sheds new light on the Orion nebula, an icon of the night sky
Astronomy
The Sun’s Magnetic Poles Are Vanishing
The sun’s magnetic poles are about to reverse as part of a regular 11-year sunspot activity cycle
Astronomy
How Would We Know There’s Life on Earth? This Bold Experiment Found Out
Thirty years ago, astronomer Carl Sagan convinced NASA to turn a passing space probe’s instruments on Earth to look for life — with results that still reverberate today
Astronomy
The Milky Way May Be Missing a Trillion Suns’ Worth of Mass
Slow-moving stars at the Milky Way’s outskirts suggest our galaxy may be far lighter than previously believed, with profound implications for dark matter
Astronomy
Euclid Space Telescope Rescued from Mission-Threatening Glitch
The European Space Agency says a software patch restored stability to its cosmos-mapping Euclid spacecraft — but slower operations could extend the mission
Astronomy
The Sky Is Full of Stars—and Exoplanets, Too
Of the thousands of stars visible to the eye, only a few hundred are known to have planets. But that number may be far higher in reality
Astronomy
Giant Satellite Outshines Most Stars in the Sky
At times, the enormous BlueWalker 3 telecommunications satellite is brighter than some of the most iconic stars visible from Earth
Astronomy
How to See the ‘Ring of Fire’ Annular Solar Eclipse of October 14
This annular solar eclipse will only reveal its full glory to a select few, but onlookers across much of the Western Hemisphere can catch a partial glimpse of the dazzling phenomenon
Astronomy
The Loss of Dark Skies Is So Painful, Astronomers Coined a New Term for It
Astronomers have a new term to describe the pain associated with the loss of access to dark skies: noctalgia
Astronomy
The Equinox Is Not What You Think It Is
The equinox is not when day and night have equal lengths. Instead it’s something more nuanced but no less glorious
Astronomy
NASA’s Gorgeous New Moon Image Paints Shackleton Crater in Light and Shadow
A new NASA instrument allows researchers to view the bright and permanently shadowed portions of the moon’s Shackleton Crater at the same time
Astronomy
Can You Spot a Satellite?
Thousands of spacecraft circle Earth. Seeing them from the ground is surprisingly easy—and a lot of fun
Astronomy
The Science of Shooting Stars
Earth is bombarded by millions of bits of cosmic debris every day. Here’s how to distinguish between the different types
Astronomy
Mistranslation of Newton’s First Law Discovered after Nearly 300 Years
A new interpretation of Isaac Newton’s writings clarifies what the father of classical mechanics meant in his first law of motion
Astronomy
What Color Is the Sun?
Yellow, white or maybe even green—the sun’s hue depends on how you see it
Astronomy
The Last Super Blue Moon until 2037 Rises Tonight. Here’s How to See It
August gets not only a second full moon but a rare super blue moon
Astronomy
Will the Universe Ever Stop Expanding?
Scientists debate what the future of the cosmos looks like and whether space will ever stop getting bigger and bigger
