Astronomy

The more scientists try to understand dark energy, the more its mysteries seem to grow. NASA’s newest space telescope is custom-built to crack the case

On the 20th anniversary of Pluto’s infamous demotion, Mike “Pluto Killer” Brown explains why any reversal of that decision would be driven more by nostalgia than science

Claiming an exoplanet to be “Earth-like” is a trend that needs to bite the dust

Without drastic interventions, data centers in space could disrupt scientific observations and fragile ecosystems by adding almost innumerable new “stars” to the heavens above

The space agency’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which studied cataclysmic cosmic explosions, is expected to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere later this year

The SpaceX rocket fragment hit the moon at several times the speed of sound on August 5

From eclipse awe to vaccine debate, earthquake recovery and coffee’s benefits

Betelgeuse, the sky’s most famous red supergiant, is well studied but poorly understood

There’s a reason humans have been obsessed with these celestial events for millennia—they are beautiful

Relive the 2026 total solar eclipse, as seen by a drone over Spain

From a partial eclipse over Berlin to totality over Spain, see some of the incredible images of the August 12 total solar eclipse

A new study of the Helix Nebula shows a never-before-seen detail of how dying stars recycle elements. Researchers found it by accident