Astronomy

The latest star maps are rewriting the story of our Milky Way, revealing a much more tumultuous history than astronomers suspected

Volunteers can join several crowdsourced science projects during the total solar eclipse in April to contribute to research

Glowing methane on a brown dwarf dozens of light-years from Earth may signal the presence of a large lunar companion

Information theory can help us decode signs of biological activity hiding in the atmospheres of distant exoplanets

Our planet’s precession is scarcely noticeable during anyone’s lifetime, but across history, it has had enormous effects

The moon helps us keep time, inspires religions and shapes science, yet it still keeps secrets from us.

Here’s a calendar of cosmic events to keep your eyes on in the coming year

Unique studies of gravity waves, atmospheric holes and dazzling coronal displays will accompany April’s total solar eclipse across the U.S., Mexico and Canada

This year’s most interesting space images include infrared views of galactic “bones,” an asteroid’s double moon, Jupiter’s giant polar vortex, and more

How can the December solstice have the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere but neither the earliest sunset nor the latest sunrise? Earth’s orbital quirks offer answers

The James Webb Space Telescope caught its second glimpse of the year of Uranus and its bright-shining rings

The flare may have been accompanied by a plasma eruption now headed toward Earth