Astronomy
A Galaxy Is Unmasked as a Pulsar—The Brightest outside the Milky Way
Using a technique to block certain wavelengths of light, researchers hope to discover many more hidden pulsars
Astronomy200 articles archived since 1845
Astronomy
Costly SOFIA Telescope Faces Termination after Years of Problems
NASA and the German space agency ground the telescope on a plane, citing the astronomy community’s concerns over cost and productivity
Astronomy
Ukrainian Astronomers Discover ‘Exocomets’ around Another Star
The alien comets could illuminate the history of their planetary system
Astronomy
China Is Hatching a Plan to Find Earth 2.0
A satellite will scour the Milky Way for exoplanets orbiting stars just like the sun
Astronomy
New Revelations Raise Pressure on NASA to Rename the James Webb Space Telescope
E-mailed exchanges show the space agency’s internal struggle to address pleas to change the controversial name of its latest, greatest observatory
Extraterrestrial Life
Researchers Made a New Message for Extraterrestrials
An updated communication could be beamed out for space alien listeners in hopes of making first contact
Astronomy
5,000 Exoplanets! NASA Confirms a Cosmic Milestone
Three decades after it began, the exoplanet revolution shows no sign of slowing down
Diversity
Women Are Creating a New Culture for Astronomy
A new generation of scientists are challenging the biased, hierarchical status quo
Astronomy
Cosmic Collisions Yield Clues about Exoplanet Formation
Low levels of bombardment reveal that the TRAPPIST-1 system probably grew quickly
Astronomy
Record-Breaking Supernova Is Part of a New Class of Objects
A recently spotted bright light in the sky is improving astronomers’ understanding of stellar death
Astronomy
Possible Third Planet Spotted around Proxima Centauri, Our Sun’s Nearest Neighbor Star
Proxima d might be only a quarter the mass of Earth, potentially making it one of the smallest worlds yet discovered beyond our solar system
Astronomy
How Measuring Time Shaped History
From Neolithic constructions to atomic clocks, how humans measure time reveals what we value most
Astronomy
Webb Telescope Reaches Its Final Destination Far from Earth
The ambitious observatory has arrived at its home—near a gravitationally stable spot called L2—for a premier view of the universe
Astronomy
SpaceX’s Starlink Satellites Leave Streaks in Asteroid-Hunting Telescope’s Images
Despite efforts to reduce light pollution from the satellites, their disruptions of astronomical observations are increasing at an alarming pace
Astronomy
Big Questions about Space, Time, Neandertals, Psychedelics and Reality
Why salamanders are so strange, why people jump to conclusions, and more in our February 2022 issue
Astronomy
It’s Time for a Global Ban on Destructive Antisatellite Testing
The orbital debris created in the explosions is dangerous, long-lasting and a threat to the growing space economy
Astronomy
Astronomers Have Found Another Possible ‘Exomoon’ beyond Our Solar System
Kepler-1708 b-i appears to be a giant moon orbiting a Jupiter-sized planet thousands of light-years from Earth
Astronomy
Landmark Webb Observatory Is Now Officially a Telescope
The observatory has flawlessly unfurled its mirrors and sunshield—although more steps are needed before the science can begin
Astronomy
James Webb Space Telescope Completes Crucial Sunshield Deployment
The successful unfurling of the five-layered, tennis court-sized assemblage is a major milestone for the new observatory
Astronomy
The James Webb Space Telescope Has Launched: Now Comes the Hard Part
After years of delay, the most ambitious observatory ever built has at last left Earth. It now faces a high-stakes series of deployments in deep space
