Universe

Some of the faintest objects ever observed suggest that small galaxies were responsible for clearing the “fog” pervading the early cosmos

Scientists have proposed a new way to learn whether hypothetical particles called axions really exist—and whether axions make up most of the universe’s dark matter

Researchers have created ultraheavy versions of elements that have never existed before on Earth

The quasar, as bright as 500 trillion suns, has evaded astronomers for over 40 years because of its incredible luminosity

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will open a new era in astronomy that brings scientists to the brink of studying gravitational waves from the beginning of time

Rather than ripping up our fundamental models of the universe, the unexpectedly big and bright galaxies spied in the early universe by JWST probably have astrophysical explanations

Images of possible planets around white dwarf stars suggest that some gas-giant worlds survive the deaths of their stellar host

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna could discover gigantic ripples in spacetime from merging supermassive black holes and more

The Dark Energy Survey has released a long-awaited analysis based on more than 1,500 supernovae. It suggests our laws of gravity just might be correct after all—or perhaps not

A ghostly giant galaxy called Nube may become a testbed for esoteric theories of dark matter

A serendipitously discovered object nearly as massive as the Milky Way appears to be made of primordial gas that has formed almost no stars

This year’s most interesting space images include infrared views of galactic “bones,” an asteroid’s double moon, Jupiter’s giant polar vortex, and more