Categories

Planets need more water to support life than scientists previously thought

Unfortunately for science fiction fans, desert worlds outside our solar system are unlikely to host life, according to new research from the University of Washington. Scientists show that an Earth-sized planet needs at least 20 to 50% of the water in Earth’s oceans to maintain a critical natural cycle that keeps water on the surface. […]

Alien life may hide in plain sight: Statistical patterns across exoplanets move beyond traditional biosignatures

A research team has developed a new approach to detecting life beyond Earth that does not rely on identifying specific biological markers. Instead, the study suggests that life may be detectable through patterns emerging across groups of planets, offering a new framework for astrobiology in situations where traditional biosignatures are ambiguous or unreliable.

Go to […]

Exploring the moon’s shadowy craters with nuclear-powered rovers

NASA and other space agencies are intent on sending astronauts back to the moon, and this time, to stay! A vital part of these plans for reducing costs and dependency on Earth is the process of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), using local resources for construction materials and meeting astronauts’ basic needs. This is why the […]

‘Bathtub ring’ hints at ancient Martian ocean

Caltech researchers have identified geological features on Mars that could point to the existence of a long-dried ocean that once covered a third of the Red Planet’s surface. The research was conducted by former Caltech postdoctoral scholar Abdallah Zaki and Caltech professor of geology Michael Lamb. The study is described in a paper appearing in […]

The Zhamanshin impact event was likely much more destructive than thought

Earth and the course of life on Earth have been shaped by impacts. Scientists have uncovered links between massive impacts and changes in climate that altered the planet forever. But the further scientists look into the past to try to understand these changes, the more difficult it is to link them together.

Go to Source

[…]

A 3D map of 47 million galaxies is redefining our view of the universe

For the last five years, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has been systematically scanning the night sky. Today marks the completion of its first map, which is the largest high-resolution 3D map of the universe ever made.

Go to Source

Dark volcanic ash has visibly reshaped Martian surface since 1976

Noticeable change on Mars often takes millions of years—but the European Space Agency’s Mars Express has captured a blanket of dark ash creeping across the planet in just decades.

Go to Source

Reading the moon’s buried past

The lunar south pole looks chaotic from orbit. Craters heaped upon craters, ancient basins, scarps and slopes tumbling in every direction, it is without doubt, one of the most geologically complicated terrains in the inner solar system. That aside, it’s exactly where we intend to send people, since understanding what lies beneath that battered surface […]

The universe’s most powerful telescope

SN 2025mkn is a Type II supernova and it wasn’t supposed to be visible at all. The violent death of a massive star that had exhausted its nuclear fuel and collapsed under its own gravity sits at a redshift of 1.371. That places it roughly 9 billion light years away. At that distance, an ordinary […]

Astronomers reveal always-changing multi-planet system

Astronomers at The University of New Mexico have published new research confirming three bodies orbiting the dynamic exoplanet system TOI-201. They include a super-Earth (TOI-201 d), a warm Jupiter (TOI-201 b), and a brown dwarf (TOI-201 c).

Go to Source

A monster black hole appeared first, then its galaxy began to grow around it

Using observations gathered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers have revealed that one supermassive black hole in the early universe must have formed before a galaxy developed around it. Publishing their results in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, a team led by Roberto Maiolino at the University […]

JWST spots methane on a giant exoplanet, but its star may be distorting the signal

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and elsewhere have observed a giant exoplanet known as HATS-75 b. Results of the new observations, published April 8 on the arXiv pre-print server, yield important information on the atmosphere of this planet.

Go to Source

Subaru telescope captures comet 3I/ATLAS composition change

The Subaru Telescope observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on January 7, 2026, after it made its closest approach to the sun. By observing colors in the coma around the comet, astronomers could estimate the ratio of carbon dioxide to water. This ratio is much lower than that inferred from earlier observations by space telescopes. These […]

Research helps power safe return of astronauts in historic Orion splashdown

When NASA’s Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean April 10, completing a successful Artemis II mission milestone, a critical piece of the spacecraft’s safe return traced back to research at Rice University.

Go to Source

Young stars dim quickly in their X-ray output, potentially benefiting orbiting planets

Scientists have found that young stellar cousins of our sun are calming down and dimming more quickly in their X-ray output than previously thought, according to a new study using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. A paper describing the results is published in The Astrophysical Journal. Unlike in the new movie “Project Hail Mary,” this quieting […]