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Astronomy

Enceladus is one of Saturn's 293 known moons.

Could Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Host Alien Life? Earth Microbes Can Live in Its Simulated Environment, Boosting Its Potential Habitability

Enceladus is covered in ice, but that layer might hide a subsurface ocean. Researchers have long wondered if the salty body of water has the right conditions to host life, and now, a team suggests that an Earthly, heat-loving organism could thrive there

Galaxy NGC 1386, which hosts an active supermassive black hole that was analyzed in a new study

Active Supermassive Black Holes May Be Engines of Star Formation, Not Just Destruction, Study Suggests

Scientists mapped out the structure of nine bright cores of galaxies located near the Milky Way and revealed common patterns that could shed light on how the universe evolved

Venus is one of only two planets in our solar system that lack a moon. (Mercury is the other.)

Billions of Years Ago, Venus May Have Had a Moon—Which the Planet Promptly Gobbled Up, Study Suggests

Scientists have puzzled over why the planet dubbed “Earth’s twin” doesn’t have a moon. Computer simulations hint that if Venus ever did have one, it probably would’ve cannibalized its companion

Observations by amateur astronomers and imagery from the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed a ten-sided shape around Saturn’s south pole.

A Mysterious Decagon Unexpectedly Appeared Around Saturn’s South Pole. The Ten-Sided Shape Seems to Be a Wave in the Atmosphere

Decades ago, scientists found a hexagon around Saturn’s north pole. Now, recent images reveal a decagon in the planet’s southern hemisphere—and it seems to have recently formed

NASA has been planning and developing the Roman Space Telescope for 16 years.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launches to Find Exoplanets and Unravel Mysteries of Dark Matter and Dark Energy

The new observatory will complete three surveys of the universe in five years, although it’s designed to function at least twice as long. Its data could change scientists’ basic understanding of the cosmos

Many stars orbit the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole. But S301's orbit, shown in red, is the only one known to be close enough to feel the effects of the black hole's theorized spin.

This Star Orbits Our Galaxy’s Heart at a Record-Breaking Speed—and Could Help Uncover Secrets About the Behemoth Black Hole There

The speedster travels at up to 56 million miles per hour, or about 8 percent the speed of light. It also gets very close to the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way

The deep partial lunar eclipse will peak on August 28 at 12:13 a.m. Eastern time.

Turn Your Eyes to the Night Skies This Week to See a Near-Total Lunar Eclipse. It’ll Temporarily Turn the Moon Red

During the peak, 96 percent of the moon will be within the darkest part of our planet’s shadow. The orb will take on an eerie glow because of how sunlight gets filtered through Earth’s atmosphere

The Helix Nebula with bow shocks on the upper left

A New Telescope Still Under Construction Accidentally Reveals How a Dying Star Returns Matter to Space

Researchers captured an unprecedented image of the stellar recycling process while calibrating a Chile-based instrument called MOTHRA, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2026

A view of Pluto from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft shows the planet’s signature heart-shaped feature.

Once the Solar System’s Ninth Planet, Pluto Was Reclassified 20 Years Ago. Here’s Why Planetary Scientists and the Public Alike Love the Small, Icy Body

Pluto is now the most well known of the outer worlds beyond Neptune—and the darling of the solar system

An artistic rendering of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which is now falling after watching the sky for more than 20 years.

NASA-Funded Mission to Rescue a Falling Space Telescope Officially Ends in Failure

The commercial LINK spacecraft was supposed to give NASA’s Swift observatory a boost, pushing it higher into orbit to extend its life. But after launch, LINK experienced several problems. Swift is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up by the end of this year

A map of the galaxy J0148-4214 with dots showing the locations of the three supermassive black holes.

In a First, Astronomers May Have Spotted a Galaxy in the Early Universe With Three Behemoth Black Holes

The galaxy’s light took about 12.5 billion years to reach the James Webb Space Telescope, meaning the instrument saw the black holes a little more than one billion years after the Big Bang. Two of the black holes seemed on track to merge, illustrating how the objects grow

Illustration of a black hole star, an enormous black hole surrounded by dense hydrogen gas

Astronomers Peered at the Early Universe and May Have Discovered a New Kind of Celestial Object: Black Hole Stars

Since the James Webb Space Telescope started collecting data in 2022, it has found puzzling objects dubbed little red dots. A new study suggests they might be giant black holes with some characteristics of stars

Streaks of light from Venus and satellites

An Aerospace Startup Just Got Approval to Test Beaming Sunlight to Earth. Here’s Why Experts Are Worried—and Petitioning

By 2035, Reflect Orbital aims to launch up to 50,000 satellites equipped with mirrors to provide sunlight to Earth-based solar panels. Critics are concerned about impacts on wildlife, astronomy research and human health

Totality reveals the solar corona over San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain.

See Magnificent Photos of the Total Solar Eclipse Over Europe That Showcase the Sun’s Beauty and the Wonder of Skywatching

The moon’s shadow swept over Earth on Wednesday, captivating millions across the planet. It was the first total solar eclipse since the North American eclipse of April 2024

The highest-resolution image of the sun's surface ever captured

Stunning New Images Reveal Whirlpools on the Sun’s Surface. The Swirling Structures Might Help Power Solar Flares

Observed directly in the solar photosphere for the first time, the vortices might braid magnetic fields, thought to be responsible for energy buildups and eventual outbursts. The features also offer clues about why the sun’s outer atmosphere is millions of degrees hotter than its surface

The total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, will be the first time totality has occurred on Earth in 28 months.

How to Watch the Total Solar Eclipse on a Livestream, Witnessing the Rare View of the Sun’s Corona From Your Own Home

Wednesday’s eclipse will bring dark skies to parts of Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Portugal and Spain. But with these online broadcasts, you can view the spectacle from anywhere

Meteors from the Perseids streaking above Inyo National Forest in Bishop, California, in 2024.

The Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks This Week Amid Ideal Viewing Conditions. Here’s How to Watch the Event’s Bright Shooting Stars

The much-anticipated annual event peaks on the night of August 12 into the next morning. This year, the moon won’t crash the party, as our natural satellite will be in its dark new moon phase

The crew of the Artemis 2 mission captured this image of a total solar eclipse just after rounding the far side of the moon on April 6.

‘Like a Hole in the Universe’: Artemis 2 Astronaut Victor Glover Reflects on Seeing a Total Solar Eclipse While Flying by the Moon

The four astronauts who rounded Earth’s natural satellite in April got an extremely rare view of the dark lunar disk blocking out the sun. Researchers say the observations provide unique scientific value for understanding our star’s mysteries

The Falcon 9 rocket's upper stage left its mark on the moon's surface. 

A SpaceX Rocket Part Just Slammed Into the Moon, Creating a Dust Plume and Crater. Here’s What Some Scientific Instruments Saw

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute captured before-and-after images of the impact site, and a telescope in Chile detected signs of the plume. However, no one was able to watch the collision live

A 2022 image of Neptune, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera

Neptune May Have Once Witnessed a Lunar Massacre That Turned Its Original Moons ‘Inside Out’

A new study identifies an unexpected mineral in two of the planet’s inner moons, pointing to a destructive past in which a large object got pulled into the system and obliterated the former, larger satellites

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