An illustration of a Dyson sphere surrounded by a star (Image credit: Marc Ward/Stocktrek Images/Getty) Dyson spheres, theoretical megastructures that advanced alien civilizations could use to envelop a star and extract its energy, have a serious flaw: They are horribly…
A new study has found that lichens can withstand the intense ionizing radiation that hits the surface of Mars. (The lichen in this photo is Cetraria aculeata.) (Image credit: Pensoft) A recent study suggests that organisms known as lichens may…
Venus will reach its brightest in the morning sky on April 24, 2025. (Photo credit: Orchidpoet via Getty Images) Head outside an hour before sunrise on Thursday, April 24, and if the weather is clear, you’ll see a spectacular sight…
Planetary nebula NGC 1514 as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, NASA-JPL, Caltech, UCLA, Michael Ressler (NASA-JPL), Dave Jones (IAC)) What is it: NGC 1514, a planetary nebula. Location: 1,500 light years away…
The Curiosity rover took this selfie on June 15, 2018, while in Gale Crater on Mars, which corresponds to the 2,082nd Martian day, or sol, of its mission. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS) The longest molecules ever discovered on Mars have been found…
This week’s science news contains hints of life on a distant planet, and information about a ‘useless’ female organ that isn’t. (Image credit: Apperson, K.D. et al., 2017; A. Smith, N. Madhusudhan (University of Cambridge)) Jump to: This week’s science…
The rate of expansion of the universe appears to vary depending on the objects used to measure it. A new model could resolve this discrepancy by suggesting that the universe rotates very, very slowly. (Image credit: Digital Art via Getty…
An illustration of a nova exploding after a white dwarf has sucked too much material from its more massive stellar partner. (Image credit: Gemini International Observatory Garlick, M. Zamani) Breakthrough observations of a repeating explosion in space, the repeating nova…
The triple conjunction of two planets and a crescent moon resembles a smiling face in the sky. (Image credit: Jackyenjoyphotography via Getty Images) NASA astronomers predict that if you look up at the sky early on April 25, you might…
An artist’s impression of the halos of ionized gas surrounding the Milky Way (center). These gas halos may contain significantly more of the universe’s normal matter than previously thought. (Image credit: NASA; NASA/CXC/Ohio State/A Gupta et al) The Universe’s missing…
An artist’s illustration of Gale Crater on Mars beginning to receive morning light. (Image Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) NASA’s Curiosity rover has found some of the most compelling evidence yet that Mars may have harbored…
A new paper suggests that the mysterious 100-year solar cycle known as the Gleissberg Centennial Cycle may have just “flipped over.” (Image credit: NASA/SDO/AIA/LMSAL) A new study suggests that the unexpected increase in solar activity during the current solar maximum…