Sunspots captured in 2014. Spots this size are difficult to detect on distant stars because they cause brightness variations that are too small to be interpreted as noise. However, a new approach may have just revealed a large spot on…
A false-color image of the Apep Nebula taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. (Image credit: Han et al./White et al./Dholakia; NASA/ESA) The James Webb Space Telescope has created a stunning new image of two dying stars surrounded by a…
The illustration shows a trans-Neptunian object that orbits in alignment with Neptune (Image courtesy of Robert Lee (created with Canva)). Astronomers have discovered that an unusual space rock at the edge of the solar system is in rhythmic interaction with…
Artist’s impression showing the planet-forming disk around the star V883 Orionis. (Image credit: ESO Calçada Müller (MPIA/HdA)) Astronomers have discovered vital elements that are the building blocks of life orbiting a distant young star, suggesting that life in space is…
The crescent moon and Mars will be close in the night sky on July 28. (Image credit: drcooke via Getty Images) An attractive crescent moon will appear near Mars after dark on Monday, July 28. The astronomical pair will begin…
The orbit of the newly discovered dwarf planet Ammonite (2023 KQ14, in red) compared to the orbits of three other known sednoids (in white). (Image courtesy of NAOJ) Astronomers have discovered a possible new dwarf planet orbiting far beyond the…
Betelgeuse (orange) has a newly identified companion star, just visible on the left against a dark blue background. Betelgeuse’s brightness fluctuates in a predictable pattern that has puzzled astronomers for centuries; scientists now say it’s likely due to its companion.…
3I/ATLAS is an interstellar comet currently hurtling toward the Sun on a one-way trip through the Solar System. (Image credit: Darryl Seligman et al.) Comet 3I/ATLAS is approximately 7 miles (11.2 kilometers) wide, making it the largest interstellar object ever…
The massive exoplanet TOI-2109b collides with its star and breaks apart. (Image credit: NASA Weiss) A giant planet caught in a deadly spiral around its star may lift the veil on some of the mysteries of star systems. However, the…
Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun. (Image courtesy of NASA) Researchers have found that Uranus radiates its own internal heat — even more than it receives from sunlight — a discovery that contradicts data collected by NASA’s Voyager 2…
The Anders Earthrise crater, featured in the famous image, has helped the European Space Agency’s JUICE spacecraft improve its tools for searching for extraterrestrial life. (Image credit: Earthrise image: NASA, annotation added by ESA; RIME radargram: ESA/Juice/RIME) The lunar crater…
An illustration of an exoplanet passing in front of its star. The square grid represents individual pixels taken by NASA’s TESS satellite. (Image credit: Nikolai Berman/University of California, Irvine) The roughly 200 exoplanets outside our solar system discovered by astronomers…