Astronomy200 articles archived since 1845

Digital Access Is Not Universal, but a 10-Year Plan Can Help

Prioritizing infrastructure, smarter regulations and better training will make digital technology more inclusive

Bad Weather Forces Delay in Launch of James Webb Space Telescope

The launch will now occur no earlier than Christmas Day

The Nail-Biting Journey of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Is About to Begin

Before it can study the first stars and galaxies, the observatory must endure a sea voyage, a rocket launch and an all-or-nothing deployment sequence in deep space

James Webb Space Telescope Launch Delayed to Christmas Eve—or Later

A communications glitch between the observatory and its launch vehicle forced the delay, NASA officials say

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Is Fueled for Late December Launch

After some two decades of development, the orbital observatory is set to at last reach space on December 22

New Views across the Galaxy

When Did Life Start in the Universe?

Interstellar xenia, or the welcoming of cosmic strangers, could solve this mystery

Scientists Plan Private Mission to Hunt for Earths around Alpha Centauri

A privately funded telescope called Toliman will seek habitable worlds in our nearest neighboring star system, potentially sparking a new wave of exoplanetary exploration

The Milky Way Is Destined to Collide with Andromeda, and We Know What It Will Look Like

Solar superflares, emotion-detecting artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and more in our December issue

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Goes Dark Due to Glitch

The space agency is working to bring the observatory’s science instruments back online

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Will Face ‘29 Days on the Edge’

The observatory must complete about 50 major deployments after liftoff

‘Auroral’ Exoplanets Could Help Boost Searches for Alien Life

Four candidate worlds found via flashes of radio emission may be the first of many revealed by a new planet-hunting technique

NASA Won’t Rename the James Webb Space Telescope—and Astronomers Are Angry

The agency found no evidence that the flagship observatory’s namesake was involved in anti-LGBT+ activities, but some say that Webb bears responsibility

This Supernova Will Make a Ghostly Reappearance in 2037

A chance celestial alignment is allowing astronomers to witness a distant star’s explosive death, again and again

Chinese Astronomers Eye Tibetan Plateau Site for Observatory Project

Years of weather monitoring suggest a high-altitude locale in Qinghai Province could host future telescopes

This Report Could Make or Break the Next 30 Years of U.S. Astronomy

A battle for the future of American stargazing is about to begin—and the stakes are sky high

Astronomer Vera Rubin Taught Me about Dark Matter—and about How to Live Life

The groundbreaking scientist ushered in a revolution in how we think about the universe. She also lived by a set of principles that made her an exceptional human being

Avi Loeb’s Galileo Project Will Search for Evidence of Alien Visitation

With nearly $2 million in private funding, the controversial new initiative is targeting unidentified phenomena in Earth’s skies and beyond

Why an Asteroid Strike Is like a Pandemic

Both are low-probability but catastrophic events—and both can be mitigated if we act early enough

Highest-Energy Particles Yet Arrive from Ancient Crab Nebula

Astronomers have observed record-breaking photons that strain classical theories of acceleration