Astronomy

The iconic star Polaris appears to be much younger than its true age. The secret: it’s eating another star

Instruments may fail, but humanity’s most distant sentinel will keep exploring, and inspiring us all

A supernova showering Earth with radioactive debris is a surprisingly common cosmic occurrence

The same massive sunspot cluster that gave Earth multiple nights of stunning aurora displays has now produced the largest flare of the current solar cycle

A giant sunspot cluster rivaling the one that caused the Carrington Event in 1859 could trigger a cannibal coronal mass ejection. But this is unlikely to cause major problems

Milestone observations from the James Webb Space Telescope reveal signs of an atmosphere on the inhospitably hot super-Earth 55 Cancri e

Alien worlds that glow like lightbulbs or harbor molten-rock rain are revealing planets’ profound cosmic diversity—and pointing the way toward finding those that truly resemble our own familiar Earth

The far side of the moon holds the keys to the future of radio astronomy. We must maintain its pristine silence to benefit everyone

Astronomy’s future may be slipping away—one climate disaster at a time

A multimillion-dollar digital camera could revolutionize astronomy. But first it needs to climb a mountain halfway around the globe

The search for a mysterious planetary body beyond Neptune has narrowed down its possible location—if it exists at all

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, a professional astronomer, talks about her own adventures in astrophotography—and offers tips and tricks for new amateur astronomers.