Astronomers have observed two planets forming in the disk around a young star named WISPIT 2. Having previously detected one planet, the team has now employed European Southern Observatory (ESO) telescopes to confirm the presence of another. These observations, and the unique structure of the disk around the star, indicate that the WISPIT 2 system could resemble a young solar system.

For the last few decades, researchers have been studying what the universe looked like in its first seconds. It is generally accepted that the universe expanded exponentially in the first fraction of a second after the Big Bang. Researchers use ns, the scalar spectral index, to characterize how primordial density fluctuations were distributed across different length scales in the early universe. The value of ns is a central observable in inflationary cosmology, since different inflationary scenarios predict distinct values for this quantity, making it a powerful discriminator between models.

Stellar streams are trails of stars that astronomers can study to solve mysteries about the history of our Milky Way galaxy and, potentially, the dark matter that helps shape the cosmos despite eluding direct observation. These streams have largely been left behind by small dwarf galaxies and globular clusters, which have since petered out of existence. But there is a rare and important third type of stellar stream: streams from globular clusters that still survive.

This March 16, 2026, image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope takes a closer look at the core of Messier 101, also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy.