Astronomers | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/astronomers/RSS feed for AstronomersenWed, 15 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000In a First, Astronomers Find Sugar in the Space Between Stars, Providing New Clues About the Origins of Life on Earthhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-astronomers-find-sugar-in-the-space-between-stars-providing-new-clues-about-the-origins-of-life-on-earth-180989122/Sugars are crucial components of RNA and DNA, the basis of all known organisms alive today. In a new study, the sugar erythrulose was detected in a gas- and dust-filled cloud near the center of our Milky Way galaxyWed, 15 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-astronomers-find-sugar-in-the-space-between-stars-providing-new-clues-about-the-origins-of-life-on-earth-180989122/Meet Sak Tahn Waax, a Maya Math Whiz Who Lived More Than 1,000 Years Ago and Left Behind a ‘Really Elegant, Complex’ Formulahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-sak-tahn-waax-a-maya-math-whiz-who-lived-more-than-1000-years-ago-and-left-behind-a-really-elegant-complex-formula-180989125/For the first time, archaeologists identified one of the culture’s famed Classic era mathematicians and astronomersWed, 15 Jul 2026 13:03:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-sak-tahn-waax-a-maya-math-whiz-who-lived-more-than-1000-years-ago-and-left-behind-a-really-elegant-complex-formula-180989125/A Rare Comet Made History as the Third Known Interstellar Object to Fly Through Our Solar System. Studies Are Now Revealing the Mysterious Conditions in Which It Formedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-rare-comet-made-history-as-the-third-known-interstellar-object-to-fly-through-our-solar-system-studies-are-now-revealing-the-mysterious-the-mysterious-conditions-in-which-it-formed-180989037/In the latest research, telescope observations of 3I/ATLAS examine its chemical structure and suggest that it took shape in a peripheral region of a relatively calm planetary systemMon, 29 Jun 2026 16:02:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-rare-comet-made-history-as-the-third-known-interstellar-object-to-fly-through-our-solar-system-studies-are-now-revealing-the-mysterious-the-mysterious-conditions-in-which-it-formed-180989037/Stay Up Late and Admire the Cosmos With This New ‘Stargazing Trail’ That Links Certified Dark Sky Destinationshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stary-up-late-and-admire-the-cosmos-with-this-new-stargazing-trail-that-links-certified-dark-sky-destinations-180988953/The initiative debuts as Colorado gears up to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its statehoodFri, 12 Jun 2026 21:29:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stary-up-late-and-admire-the-cosmos-with-this-new-stargazing-trail-that-links-certified-dark-sky-destinations-180988953/