JWST’s Glimpses of Early Galaxies Could Shed Light on Dark Matter
Bold new simulations suggest the James Webb Space Telescope might be able to distinguish between competing dark matter models by studying primordial dwarf galaxies
At Last, Astronomers May Have Seen the Universe’s First Stars
Telltale evidence gathered by the James Webb Space Telescope suggests we’re closer than ever before to finding elusive Population III stars
Astronomers Have Spotted a Once-in-a-Decade Supernova—and You Can, Too
The death throes of a massive star in the galaxy M101, located just 21 million light-years away from Earth, are entrancing professional and amateur astronomers alike
Gravitational-Wave Search Resumes after Three Years and Lots of Headaches
Researchers still hope to discover hundreds of new binary black hole mergers despite technical setbacks that have sidelined key detectors in Italy and Japan
Six Gravitational-Wave Breakthroughs Scientists Can’t Wait to See
After years of downtime for upgrades, the world’s premier gravitational-wave observatories are coming back online with big hopes for transformative discoveries
JWST Will Hunt for Dead Solar Systems—And Much More—In Its Second Year of Science
White dwarfs, Earth-sized exoplanets, early galaxies and even Saturn’s moon Enceladus are on the agenda for JWST’s second year in space, but exomoons and others miss out
Mirror-Image Supernova Yields Surprising Estimate of Cosmic Growth
A new way to gauge the universe’s expansion rate has delivered a confusing result that may conflict with previous related measurements
JWST’s Newfound Galaxies Are the Oldest Ever Seen
We now know that the first galaxies in our universe formed shockingly fast, thanks to the latest results from the James Webb Space Telescope
Astronomers Spy a Giant Runaway Black Hole’s Starry Wake
A candidate “rogue” supermassive black hole may weigh as much as 20 million suns and has sparked a trail of star formation that is 200,000 light-years long
Dark Matter Hunters Need Fresh Answers
The hunt for dark matter is in crisis, and it’s time for radical new ideas to explain our universe
JWST’s Smashing Success Shifts Focus to Astronomy’s Blind Spots
Looming gaps in astronomers’ views of the heavens could undercut the revolutionary potential of NASA’s latest, greatest space telescope
Recent Gamma-Ray Burst May Be the Brightest Ever Seen
The “absolutely monstrous” cosmic blast is estimated to be a one-in-10,000-year event