Space & Physics

Still from computer-animated film depicting the Cassini spacecraft conducting a fly-by through the plumes of Enceladus

Extraterrestrial LifeOctober 1, 2025

Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Has Complex, Life-Friendly Chemistry

A fresh analysis of old data has found rich organic chemistry within the hidden ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus

Jacek Krywko

A looped animation of three different design concepts for NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory showing the architecture of each including sensors, mirrors and sun shields

Extraterrestrial LifeSeptember 30, 2025

NASA’s First-Ever Alien-Hunting Space Telescope Could Enlighten Our New Dark Age

The Habitable Worlds Observatory is poised to tell us whether Earth-like planets are common—if it can get off the ground

Nadia Drake, Lee Billings

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Fragments radiate outward in the aftermath of a deep-space collision between two asteroids. The Sun can be seen in the distance as a small yellow orb.

The UniverseSeptember 26, 2025

Asteroid ‘Families’ Reveal Hidden Histories and Impact Risks across the Solar System

Many asteroids are related, but their family trees can be hard to trace

Phil Plait

The Full Moon is pictured setting below Earth's horizon from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Pacific Ocean

Planetary ScienceSeptember 23, 2025

The Moon Is Rusting—Thanks to ‘Wind’ Blown from Earth

Lunar minerals can rust when bombarded with high-energy oxygen particles, experiments show

Alexandra Witze, Nature magazine

ExoplanetsSeptember 23, 2025

This Blazing Exoplanet Breaks All the Rules about Alien Atmospheres, JWST Finds

Hot, small and old—exoplanet TOI-561 b is just about the worst place to look for alien air. Scientists using JWST found it there anyway

Elise Cutts

Illustration of a meteorite as a ripped piece of paper shooting through space

Planetary ScienceSeptember 22, 2025

The Sordid Mystery of a Somalian Meteorite Smuggled into China

How a space rock vanished from Africa and showed up for sale across an ocean

Dan Vergano

A traditional Italian spaghetti cacio e pepe dish, featuring al dente pasta coated in a creamy blend of Pecorino Romano cheese and freshly ground black pepper

CultureSeptember 19, 2025

Tipsy Bats and Perfect Pasta Win Ig Nobel Prizes for Weird Science Research

Winners of the annual Ig Nobel awards include the science of tipsy bats and the physics of cacio e pepe

Chris Simms, Nature magazine

An artist's concept showing a grid of dozens of diverse exoplanets against a dark background. The planets vary in color, size, and texture, illustrating the vast variety of worlds discovered beyond our solar system

ExoplanetsSeptember 19, 2025

Astronomers’ Exoplanet Haul Tops 6,000 Alien Worlds

It’s a crowded galaxy, the latest exoplanet tally shows

Sarah Lewin Frasier

A jagged rainbowlike spectrum produced by Hubble Space Telescope observations of the core of the galaxy M84. Blue coloration (left) and red coloration (right) indicates where motions of stars and gas were towards and away from our solar system, respectively. These features can collectively be used to weigh the hidden supermassive black hole at M84's heart.

The UniverseSeptember 19, 2025

How Do You Weigh a Black Hole?

Gauging the mass of a black hole is tricky, but astronomers have devised multiple methods to measure the heft of these galactic gluttons

Phil Plait

A time crystal as seen under a microscope.

Materials ScienceSeptember 16, 2025

Weird ‘Time Crystals’ Are Made Visible at Last

Time crystals, a state of matter once thought physically impossible, could soon be on a banknote

Elizabeth Gibney, Nature magazine

Illustrated cross section of a traditional doughnut-shaped tokamak fusion reactor.

Nuclear energySeptember 16, 2025

See How Fusion Energy Could Power the Future

Inertial confinement reactors, stellarators and tokamaks each have pros and cons

Clara Moskowitz, Matthew Twombly

Illustration of a starship in outerspace

Space ExplorationSeptember 16, 2025

How a Billionaire’s Plan to Reach Another Star Fell Apart

An abandoned plan to visit another star highlights the perils of billionaire-funded science

Sarah Scoles

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