Optics

A new investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena could have bigger impacts on atmospheric science than on astrobiology

Deep-field images of “empty” regions of the sky from JWST and other space telescopes are revealing more of the universe than we ever thought possible

Starting in 2023, control of the summit will shift from the University of Hawaii to an 11-member oversight authority that includes Native Hawaiian voices

Breathtaking pictures that include the deepest-ever infrared view of ancient galaxies offer a preview of the spectacular science in store for the most powerful space observatory in history

A new galaxy-packed picture from the James Webb Space Telescope offers a chance to rekindle our wonder about the universe

Images from Japan’s Himawari-8 spacecraft shed light on the red supergiant star’s remarkable fading

The impact has slightly degraded one of the observatory’s mirror segments, but NASA says the telescope has sustained no significant damage

In the far future, we could reveal detailed views of distant worlds by turning our home star into a gravitational lens

NASA and the German space agency ground the telescope on a plane, citing the astronomy community’s concerns over cost and productivity

More than 100 employees at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center were surprised when a test project allowing them to add their pronouns to their agency identifiers was abruptly canceled

A new, more robust approach to creating these bizarre constructs brings them one step closer to practical applications

Weighing in at seven times the mass of our sun, the dark object is by far the best-yet candidate for a free-floating stellar-mass black hole