Pulsars or dark matter? The Milky Way’s central glow just got more puzzling
For over a decade, a dim but persistent glow near the center of the Milky Way has confused…
Could humans build floating cities on Venus?
The dream of living on another planet has intrigued scientists, engineers, and explorers for a long time. Now,…
Moon’s largest impact crater helps explain why the near side and far side look so different
As astronauts prepare for south-polar landings, a new look at the Moon’s biggest crater points to a pivotal…
Titan’s icy surface hides a chemical mystery that could explain how life began
For decades, chemistry students have learned a simple truth: polar and nonpolar substances don’t mix. Water and oil…
Earth’s magnetic field is shifting — and satellites are feeling it
More than a decade of satellite monitoring has mapped Earth’s magnetic field as it subtly altered between 2014…
Astronomers detect million-solar-mass object in distant universe
Astronomers have detected one of the darkest objects ever seen at a record cosmic distance—only with the assistance…
Astronomers confirm the presence of water on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
For millions of years, a frozen traveler drifted in silence through the stars, carrying secrets from another world.…
Dark matter may end our universe in a ‘Big Crunch’
Astrophysicists have presumed for nearly a century that the universe will just keep expanding for all eternity, driven…
Red dwarf stars are unlikely to host planets with advanced life and civilizations
For all the talk about life across the cosmos, Earth remains the only confirmed example. That single data…
Venus’s clouds contain massive reservoirs of water and iron
Venus has long been called a dry, hellish planet veiled in clouds of liquid acid. But new study…
The asteroid belt is slowly vanishing, shedding dust and rocks
Lying between Mars and Jupiter is a massive ring of rock debris—the asteroid belt. Now thin, it’s fading…
How a planetary crash with Theia brought water and life to Earth
About 4.6 billion years ago, the Solar System formed from a cloud of dust and gas collapsing in…