Astronomy
Why Venus Is So Bright Right Now
Our planetary neighbor Venus becomes a brilliant beacon in the sky each time it reaches its greatest orbital distance from the sun
Astronomy163 articles archived since 1845
Astronomy
Astronomers Have Spotted a Once-in-a-Decade Supernova—and You Can, Too
The death throes of a massive star in the galaxy M101, located just 21 million light-years away from Earth, are entrancing professional and amateur astronomers alike
Astronomy
Saturn’s Youthful Rings and Newfound Moons Put It in Stargazing Spotlight
Saturn’s surprisingly young rings and record-breaking bounty of moons make the planet a ripe target for springtime sky watchers
Astronomy
JWST Will Hunt for Dead Solar Systems—And Much More—In Its Second Year of Science
White dwarfs, Earth-sized exoplanets, early galaxies and even Saturn’s moon Enceladus are on the agenda for JWST’s second year in space, but exomoons and others miss out
Astronomy
What Created This Mini Book-Shaped Rock on Mars?
A book-shaped rock spotted by the Curiosity rover on Mars is the result of an interplay of wind, water—and the human brain
Astronomy
Elon Musk’s Starship Won’t Save Astronomy from Satellites Cluttering the Sky
Launching a fleet of space telescopes is not the solution to the Starlink problem
Astronomy
Betelgeuse’s Brightening Raises Hopes for a Supernova Spectacle
Betelgeuse, the red star at the shoulder of the constellation Orion, has been acting strange, raising hopes for the spectacle of a lifetime
Astronomy
Did JWST Just Find Water on a Rocky Exoplanet?
Hints of water vapor on a world called GJ 486 b could just as well come from the planet’s host star
Astronomy
JWST Sees Alien Asteroid Belt around Nearby Star
The first asteroid belt ever found outside the solar system is more complex than expected
Astronomy
Citizen Science Art Showcases Jupiter’s Beauty
Jupiter shines in images made by citizen scientists using data from NASA’s Juno probe
Astronomy
JWST Spots Planetary Building Blocks in a Surprising Galaxy
Planets might be more common throughout the universe than previously thought, results from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest
Astronomy
How Magnetic Fields Control Galactic Growth
Our galaxy’s enormous scaffolding is shaped by complex magnetic fields
Astronomy
Our Sun Was Born in a Stellar Family Far, Far from Here
We only have a few clues about where the sun was born. Some new ones point to a crowded origin story for our nearest star
Astronomy
A Mission to Jupiter’s Strange Moons Is Finally on Its Way
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) and Europa Clipper missions will search for signs of habitability on three of Jupiter’s potentially ocean-bearing moons.
Astronomy
New Planet-Hunting Technique Finds Worlds We Can See Directly
A promising combination of exoplanet-finding methods pinpoints details about its first world
Astronomy
JWST’s Newfound Galaxies Are the Oldest Ever Seen
We now know that the first galaxies in our universe formed shockingly fast, thanks to the latest results from the James Webb Space Telescope
Astronomy
Most Planets in the Galaxy Orbit Stars You Can’t Even See
Red dwarfs are dim bulbs but host more Earth-like planets than any other kind of star
Astronomy
Science Has New Ideas about ‘Oumuamua’s Weirdness
Our first known interstellar visitor is now long gone, but new research has some ideas about why it moved the way it did while it was in our cosmic neighborhood.
Astronomy
JWST’s Smashing Success Shifts Focus to Astronomy’s Blind Spots
Looming gaps in astronomers’ views of the heavens could undercut the revolutionary potential of NASA’s latest, greatest space telescope
Dark Matter
Vera Rubin Lives On in Lives of the Women She Helped in Astronomy
The “mother of dark matter” was a force of nature—and a forceful advocate for other women who wanted to dedicate their career to the cosmos.
