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Researchers uncover the first bubble in an intergalactic stew

Researchers have found the earliest evidence of parts of the universe that were heated to temperatures more characteristic to the intergalactic gas medium where most atoms reside in the universe today.

March 15, 2023 Read more

Webb Telescope captures rarely seen prelude to supernova

The rare sight of a Wolf-Rayet star - among the most luminous, most massive, and most briefly detectable stars known - was one of the first observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope in June 2022. Webb shows the star, WR 124, in unprecedented detail with its powerful infrared instruments.

March 14, 2023 Read more

Mix-and-match kit could enable astronauts to build a menagerie of lunar exploration bots (w/video)

Robotic parts could be assembled into nimble spider bots for exploring lava tubes or heavy-duty elephant bots for transporting solar panels.

March 14, 2023 Read more

3D Bioprinter to print human meniscus on the ISS

To improve patient care on Earth and develop more effective ways of treating torn tissues, researchers are turning to the microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory.

March 13, 2023 Read more

Astronomers detect radio recombination lines of carbon/oxygen ions for first time

Scientists detected radio recombination lines of ions heavier than helium for the first time. These lines were assigned to carbon and/or oxygen ions.

March 6, 2023 Read more

New NASA DART data prove viability of asteroid deflection as planetary defense strategy

Astronomers offer new insight into how deflection missions can protect the planet from future Earth-bound asteroids and comets.

March 1, 2023 Read more

To new worlds with quantitative spectroscopy

Astronomers spectroscopically surveyed more than 1000 bright stars that potentially host exoplanets.

February 28, 2023 Read more

Spiral pattern gives clue to how high-mass stars form

New observations have revealed a spiral pattern in a disk of material around a still forming, but already high-mass, baby star. This indicates that there is gravitational instability in the disk, which has important implications for how high-mass stars form.

February 28, 2023 Read more

Astronomers discover metal-rich galaxy in early universe

While analyzing data from the first images of a well-known early galaxy taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers discovered a companion galaxy previously hidden behind the light of the foreground galaxy - one that surprisingly seems to have already hosted multiple generations of stars despite its young age, estimated at 1.4 billion years old.

February 27, 2023 Read more

A mysterious object is being dragged into the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way's center

Astronomers think the object, X7, might be debris cloud from a stellar collision

February 25, 2023 Read more

Unusual atom helps in search for Universe's building blocks

Scientists say the unusual atom - made up of an ordinary caesium atom and an elementary particle called a muon - may prove essential in better understanding the Universe's fundamental building blocks.

February 24, 2023 Read more

Galaxies 'too big to even exist' discovered using James Webb Space Telescope

Using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have observed massive candidate galaxies at the beginning of time, up to 100 billion times the mass of the Sun which, if confirmed, would contain more mass than was thought to exist in the whole Universe at that time.

February 22, 2023 Read more

Is there life on Mars? Our rovers might not be able to tell

Scientific instruments currently deployed on Mars may lack the sensitivity to identify possible traces of life in this environment.

February 21, 2023 Read more

Unknown class of water-rich asteroids identified

New astronomical measurements in the infrared range have led to the identification of a heretofore unknown class of asteroids. They are located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and are - similar to the dwarf planet Ceres - rich in water.

February 20, 2023 Read more

The perfect explosion in space - the mystery of the spherical kilonova

When neutron stars collide, they produce an explosion that, contrary to what was believed until recently, is shaped almost like a perfect sphere. Although how this is possible is still a mystery, the discovery may provide a new key to measuring the age of the Universe.