James Webb Space Telescope catches monster black hole napping after 'overeating' in the early universe
The James Webb Space Telescope has caught a napping monster black hole in the early universe. The cosmic giant is slumbering after a massive meal like a reveler on Christmas Day.
Auroras could light up the skies on Christmas, thanks to a powerful solar flare heading toward Earth
A display of auroras is expected to light up the skies on Christmas Day, thanks to a powerful M8.9 solar flare enroute to Earth.
'Like nothing we've seen before': James Webb telescope spies a mysterious asteroid-comet hybrid lurking past Jupiter
The James Webb telescope has focused its attention on an oddball space rock lurking between Jupiter and Neptune. The unusual "centaur," named 2060 Chiron, has features of both comets and asteroids.
Is the moon a planet?
The moon is a round, rocky body, but is it a planet? The answer, scientists say, is complicated.
'There's no real competitor': Theoretical physicist Marika Taylor on how black holes could help us to find a theory of everything
An artist's abstract illustration of cosmic strings.
Everything you need to know about digiscoping
Use your digital camera to take photos through a spotting scope, and you can capture up-close images of faraway subjects (without having to break the bank).
Space photo of the week: James Webb and Chandra spot a cosmic 'Christmas Wreath' sparkling in the galaxy next door
There's a cosmic 'Christmas Wreath' hanging in the Small Magellanic Cloud, the James Webb and Chandra telescopes revealed in a sparkly new image.
Do black holes really evaporate — and how do we know?
In 1974, Stephen Hawking proposed that black holes could evaporate. But do we understand how this might happen?
James Webb telescope solves 20-year-old Hubble conundrum — and it could finally explain why the universe's oldest planets exist
The James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed 20-year-old Hubble observations that could finally explain how ancient stars can host massive planets.
Scientists discover 2 stars dancing around the Milky Way's black hole — and they could point to a type of planet never seen before
Astronomers have discovered a pair of young stars near the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy. Studying them can offer a rare glimpse into how stars can endure — at least briefly — the immense gravity exerted by such cosmic behemoths.
Ancient volcanic ash could be protecting signs of Martian life
Researchers believe dark rocks at the site of a future Mars rover landing mission may be left over from ancient volcanic eruptions, and may be protecting signs of life — if there ever was life on Mars.
Meteor strikes on the moon! Astronomer captures possible Geminid lunar impacts
A Japanese astronomer captured several impacts on the moon during the Geminid meteor shower.
James Webb telescope uncovers massive 'grand design' spiral galaxy in the early universe — and scientists can't explain how it got so big, so fast
Galaxies in the early universe tend to be clumpy, but the new JWST discovery of a "grand design" spiral galaxy just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang has scientists stumped.
Surprise discovery in alien planet's atmosphere could upend decades of planet formation theory
The odd atmosphere of a fledgling exoplanet is causing astronomers to question leading theories of how planets form.
Boeing Starliner astronauts could spend nearly 300 days stuck in space — is that a new record?
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will spend at least nine consecutive months aboard the International Space Station after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth empty. Is their extended spaceflight record-setting?
NASA astronauts' return to Earth delayed until at least 'late March' 2025
Due to a delay with SpaceX's Dragon capsule, NASA's Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were meant to spend 10 days in space in June 2024, will now not return to Earth until late March 2025 at the earliest, NASA announced.
James Webb telescope spies stunning 'Firefly Sparkle' galaxy — a baby clone of the Milky Way being 'assembled brick by brick' in the early universe
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured an image of a baby, Milky Way-like galaxy that formed more than 13 billion years ago. This "Firefly Sparkle" galaxy could reveal how our own galaxy evolved.
New study confirms the moon is older than we realized — and reveals why we previously got it wrong
Scientists have shown that a "remelting event" more than 4.3 billion years ago "reset" the internal clock of most lunar rocks, which has helped obscure the moon's true age.
Winter solstice 2024: When does winter start?
When does winter start in 2024? Here's the science of the winter solstice, and why its the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Scientists followed a mysterious signal — and found 2 black holes gorging on something like never before
While investigating a mysterious radiation signal unlike any seen before, astronomers may have uncovered a rare pair of binary supermassive black holes with a truly monstrous appetite.