U.S. Astronomers Ponder Science Priorities for the 2020s and Beyond
The Astro 2020 Decadal Survey kicks off amid turmoil and uncertainty
Stories by Lee Billings
Finding Alien Life May Require Giant Telescopes Built in Orbit
Scientific American reports on new efforts from NASA and other federal agencies seeking to service and assemble large structures—such as life-finding telescopes—in space
A Frozen Super-Earth May Orbit Barnard's Star
At just six light years away, the candidate planet would be the second-closest world known beyond our solar system—and a prime target for future studies
The Milky Way's Monster, Unveiled
Astronomers have come closer than ever before to seeing our galaxy’s mysterious supermassive black hole
Clara Is a Story of Exoplanets, Existential Longing—and Real Science
A conversation with the director and a science advisor behind a new film on the search for extraterrestrial life
Astronomers Tiptoe Closer to Confirming First Exomoon
Signals seen by the Hubble Space Telescope suggest a Neptune-size moon may orbit a gas-giant planet around a star some 8,000 light-years from Earth
"Optical Tweezers" and Tools Used for Laser Eye Surgery Snag Physics Nobel
The award’s recipients include the first female physics laureate in 55 years
Pulsar Discoverer Jocelyn Bell Burnell Wins $3-Million Breakthrough Prize
The award recognizes not only the astrophysicist’s transformative discovery, but also her subsequent work to promote equality and diversity in science
Deep within Mars, Liquid Water Offers Hope for Life
Radar observations have revealed what appears to be a buried lake on Mars, the first ever stable reservoir of liquid water found on the planet
Giant Black Hole Swallows a Star and Belches Out a Superfast Particle Jet
A decade-long international effort to track a star’s death by black hole could lift the veil on galaxy formation in the early universe
Alien Anthropocene: How Would Other Worlds Battle Climate Change?
The problem would likely plague every technological civilization throughout the universe, says astrophysicist Adam Frank
Astronomers Spot Potential "Interstellar" Asteroid Orbiting Backward around the Sun
The three-kilometer-wide object is near Jupiter; future spacecraft could visit if its status is confirmed
Cosmic Conflict: Diverging Data on Universe's Expansion Polarizes Scientists
A disagreement between two canonical measures of intergalactic distances could signal a renaissance in physics—or deep flaws in our studies of cosmic evolution
Mars Lander Will Peer Inside the Red Planet
The InSight Mission will look at Mars's seismic activity and latent heat to find out more about how planets get made--and how humans might live there.
The Milky Way, Revealed as Never Before
As a major new catalogue of our galaxy's stars from the Gaia space mission reverberates through the scientific community, astronomers are rushing to make revolutionary discoveries
Q&A: 3-D Printing Rockets with Relativity Space CEO Tim Ellis
After years of stealthy activity, the start-up is making big moves and revealing its plans to overturn more than a half century of tradition in aerospace manufacturing
Astronomers Spy Swarms of Black Holes at Our Galaxy's Core
Anticipated but never before seen, the existence of tens of thousands of these dark objects at the galactic center could have far-reaching implications for astrophysics
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Slips to 2020, and Astronomy Suffers
Damaged thrusters and a torn sunshield are keeping the telescope grounded perhaps until May 2020—and throwing astronomy and astrophysics into turmoil
Looking for Planet Nine, Astronomers Gaze into the Abyss
Two years on, the search for our solar system’s missing world is as frenzied as ever—and the putative planet is running out of places to hide
Juno Peers Deep into Jupiter's Abyss to Reveal Weird Winds
Breakthrough measurements of Jupiter’s hidden interior could revolutionize our understanding of giant planets
