Special Report
Life in the Cosmos
Exploring the mysteries of the universe
Life in the Cosmos
How Astrophysicists Found a Black Hole Where No One Else Could
A new method could help scientists peer inside universe's densest star clusters to find undiscovered black holes
The Story of the Astrolabe, the Original Smartphone
Prosperous times likely paved the way for this multifunctional device, conceptual ancestor to the iPhone 7
Introducing the Global Effort to Map the Night Sky
How astronomers around the world are piecing together a patchwork quilt of celestial activity
The Hidden Connections Between Darwin and the Physicist Who Championed Entropy
These magnificently bearded men both introduced a dose of randomness and irreversibility into the universe
The Search for Life
A New Analysis Raises Doubts About Potential Hints of Life Recently Detected on a Distant Exoplanet
Astronomers published evidence of possible biosignatures on the planet K2-18b earlier this month, but another look at the data suggests the finding could be statistical noise
Chemical Hints on a Distant Planet Offer ‘Strongest Evidence Yet’ for Life Outside Our Solar System, Astronomers Say
The James Webb Space Telescope spotted possible signatures for life in an exoplanet’s atmosphere. Still, researchers caution it’s far too early to call the findings definitive
From Worlds That Look Like Cotton Candy to Others Covered in Volcanoes, These Are the Strangest and Most Captivating Exoplanets
Scientists are using an array of instruments to detect other planets, some of which may harbor life—and others that most definitely don’t
Curiosity Rover Discovers Largest Organic Compounds Ever Found on Mars, a Possible Sign of Ancient Life
The molecules may be remnants of fatty acids, which form cell membranes in Earth’s organisms, though they might have formed through a non-biological process
NASA’s New Space Telescope Launches to Explore the Origins of the Universe After a Series of Delays
Called SPHEREx, the instrument will map 450 million galaxies and search for water molecules that may be clinging to space dust
Past, Present, Future
The Story of the Astrolabe, the Original Smartphone
Prosperous times likely paved the way for this multifunctional device, conceptual ancestor to the iPhone 7
The Hidden Connections Between Darwin and the Physicist Who Championed Entropy
These magnificently bearded men both introduced a dose of randomness and irreversibility into the universe
Astronomers Have Found the Brightest Supernova Yet
The powerful blast is so weird that it could be a whole new kind of star explosion
Watch the Universe Evolve Over 13 Billion Years
A new computer simulation, called Illustris, can take you on an epic journey through space and time
What Does the Future of the Universe Hold?
The collision of our galaxy with the Andromeda galaxy is billions of years away, but it’s never too early to wonder what will happen
How We Explore
India Lands a Spacecraft Near the Moon’s South Pole, a First in Lunar Exploration
No other mission has successfully touched down in this scientifically interesting moon region, which contains water ice in lunar craters
NASA Releases First Breathtaking Images Taken by James Webb Space Telescope
The five pictures from the most powerful space observatory ever launched offer a deep look back in time and the promise of stellar things to come
Introducing the Global Effort to Map the Night Sky
How astronomers around the world are piecing together a patchwork quilt of celestial activity
The Hunt for High-Energy Photons Takes Place From a Mountaintop in Mexico
A new telescope built from water tanks might help answer some of the biggest questions in astronomy
The Detection of Gravitational Waves Was a Scientific Breakthrough, but What’s Next?
Scientists are sitting on top of the world after this monumental discovery and are eager to keep exploring the universe
Galaxies, Quasars, Clusters
Scientists Detect ‘Unexpected’ Oxygen in the Most Distant Galaxy Ever Found, Defying Ideas About the Early Universe
The findings suggest galaxies formed much more quickly than astronomers assumed
Mysterious Dark Energy Might Be Weakening—and That Could Upend Predictions About the End of the Universe
Astronomers thought dark energy was a constant. But now, findings from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument provide even more evidence that it may be fluctuating
James Webb Space Telescope Reveals That Most Galaxies Rotate Clockwise
This preferred direction of spin might be due to one of two reasons: either our entire universe exists in a black hole, or astronomers have been measuring the universe’s expansion incorrectly
Understanding the Cosmos
Astronomers Discover a Giant, Glowing Molecular Cloud Hidden in Earth’s Cosmic Neighborhood
The cloud, named Eos after the Greek goddess of dawn, had eluded researchers because it contains very little carbon monoxide
Scientists Detect ‘Unexpected’ Oxygen in the Most Distant Galaxy Ever Found, Defying Ideas About the Early Universe
The findings suggest galaxies formed much more quickly than astronomers assumed
James Webb Telescope Confirms the Universe Is Expanding Faster Than We Thought—and Scientists Still Don’t Know Why
The findings suggest that astronomers’ widely accepted cosmology models might be missing something—meaning the longstanding mystery known as the “Hubble tension” continues