Newly discovered 1666 manuscript may trace four-lens telescope experiments to Galileo

A potentially history-altering finding by a University of Limerick researcher may provide the most detailed technical analysis of a telescope demonstrably made by the famous astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei.

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Photo: NASA’s Hubble spies superbubble scene

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a sprawling cosmic vista in the Large Magellanic Cloud, or LMC, the largest of the small galaxies that orbit our Milky Way galaxy. At just 160,000 light-years away, the LMC offers a close look at highly active star-forming sites like the one in this image. This photogenic nebula, […]

Why doesn’t Venus have a moon? A new study may have the answer

Venus is one of the solar system’s most unusual planets. It may sometimes be called “Earth’s twin” because of its similar size and density, but it rotates on its axis in the opposite direction of most planets, has surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead and lacks a moon.

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A pair of spacecraft draw closer to Mercury after nearly decade-long voyage

Two Mercury-bound spacecraft left their mother ship behind on Thursday and headed down the home stretch of their nearly decade-long voyage to the solar system’s smallest and closest-to-the-sun planet.

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The biggest black hole merger ever observed could be less massive than it appears

Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime created when pairs of black holes spiral into each other and eventually merge. But if this ripple has been warped by another massive object on its way to Earth, a new analysis suggests that these black holes might appear far larger than they really are.

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Hubble tracks new decagon encircling Saturn’s south pole

Recent observations with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have revealed a giant, evolving, 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn’s south pole. This discovery marks the first time a large, regular-sided jet pattern has been observed in the planet’s southern hemisphere. The feature appears remarkably similar to Saturn’s famous hexagon at its north pole but is also distinctly […]

Cluster’s final reentry strengthens data for safer, more sustainable satellite design

The Cluster mission danced its final dance as Tango reentered the atmosphere Sept. 1 at 11:30:31 p.m. CEST. The end of the Cluster mission in 2024 marked the start of the reentry data-collection campaign. After four targeted reentries, this is now a proven method of safe end-of-life disposal. It also enabled repeated observation of the […]

NASA rocket takes first multi-point look inside radio-disrupting clouds

High above Earth, thin veils of metallic haze drift through the edge of space. Known as sporadic E layers, these high-altitude “clouds” form from the vaporized dust of burned-up meteors, earning their name from the unpredictable way they emerge and then dissipate. Now, new results from a NASA sounding rocket—a suborbital research rocket—that flew five […]

Young sunlike system reveals comets may carry water toward forming planets

Astronomers at Lund University in Sweden have found evidence of exocomets—comets in other solar systems—orbiting a young star similar to our sun. The observations point to a possible mechanism for how water might be transported from the cold outer regions of the planetary system to regions where planets form.

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Hawai’i high school students name image of glittering galaxy pair

Nā ʻUhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola is the Hawaiian name given to NGC 7253—a pair of spiral galaxies caught in each other’s gravity. Captured by the Gemini North telescope on Maunakea in Hawai’i, the image created a spectacular symbolic display for this year’s interns participating in Project Hōkūlani.

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A 13-meter rocket hit the Moon: Tasmanian researchers helped track it there

A 13-meter (43-foot) Falcon 9 rocket stage struck the moon last month, leaving a crater about 20 meters (66 feet) wide. In the days before impact, University of Tasmania researchers from the School of Natural Sciences were the first in the world to detect the object by radar, helping refine predictions of where it would […]

More than 120 molecular species found in giant cloud near Milky Way’s center

Astronomers have discovered a second interstellar cloud near the center of the Milky Way that is extraordinarily rich in complex molecules, including several molecules associated with prebiotic chemistry. The newly studied cloud, G+0.633-0.0604, or G+0.633, contains more than 120 identified molecular species and is the first confirmed chemical twin of another famous molecule-rich cloud. Their […]

Blue Origin’s New Glenn explosion shows infrasound can detect rocket accidents from up to 1,700 kilometers away

When Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicle accidentally exploded during a static test fire in May 2026, the explosion generated low frequency soundwaves below the range of human hearing.

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Many space missions are searching for life beyond Earth, but are we prepared for the fallout if they succeed?

Microbes from space have fueled the plots of science fiction mainstays like “Project Hail Mary” and “The Andromeda Strain.” But with more space missions launching each year, finding extraterrestrial life in a microbial form is becoming more plausible. What will the response be back here on Earth if—or when—scientists discover extraterrestrial microbes? Will the international […]

Giant impact could have formed an intact moon within five hours, simulations suggest

New Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) modeling, conducted in collaboration with scientists at the University of Arizona, shows fundamental differences in how the moon may have formed from the giant impact that created the Earth–moon system. The new results used state-of-the-art computational techniques that factor in the material strength of the two colliding planets. These impact […]