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Astrophysics

An impression of the large-scale structure of the universe, showing galaxy clusters and superclusters arranged in long filaments and concentrated at nodes.

An Enormous, Branching String of Galaxy Clusters Is the Largest Known Structure in the Universe, Scientists Say

The cosmic superstructure Quipu is more than 13,000 times the length of the Milky Way, and its mass is 200 quadrillion times that of the sun, according to preliminary research

Galaxy NGC 6505 and its surrounding Einstein ring, which represents light from a more distant galaxy behind it.

Cool Finds

Astronomers Discover Extremely Rare Einstein Ring in Early Euclid Telescope Data, Revealing Warped Space-Time

Such examples of gravitational lensing can help astronomers learn more about the properties of dark matter

The Schrödinger impact crater near the lunar south pole features two long canyons close by: Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck.

Two of the Moon’s Grand Canyons Were Formed in Just Ten Violent Minutes, New Study Suggests

Scientists say Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck—dramatic trenches near the lunar south pole—were carved in a blast that unleashed 130 times the amount of energy in Earth’s global nuclear weapons inventory

The MeerKAT radio telescope, part of a 64-antenna array located in South Africa, was used in the recent detection of long-wavelength gravitational waves.

Astronomers Suspect Colliding Supermassive Black Holes Left the Universe Awash in Gravitational Waves

Radio telescopes tracking signals from spinning, ultra-dense stars point to ripples in the fabric of space

The magnetic north pole, distinct from the geographic North Pole, is the point where Earth’s magnetic field lines converge.

Earth’s Magnetic North Pole Is Shifting Toward Siberia and Raising Questions About Unusual Movement

Scientists released an update to a model that maps the ever-moving pole and has significant implications for navigation systems

An artist’s visualization of WASP-127b

Astronomers Discover Supersonic Winds on a ‘Puffy’ Exoplanet, Forming a Record-Breaking Jet Stream

Moving at roughly 20,505 miles per hour along the distant world’s equator, it’s the fastest known jet stream that wraps around a planet

In 1986, Voyager 2 took this image of Uranus during its flyby.

New Research

Voyager 2 Measured a Rare Anomaly When It Flew Past Uranus, Skewing Our Knowledge of the Planet for 40 Years, Study Suggests

The roughly six-hour flyby in 1986 revealed Uranus’ protective magnetic field was strangely empty. Now, researchers say that the data could have been affected by a solar wind event

Analysis of the Bullet Cluster, which was formed after two large clusters of galaxies collided, supports the existence of dark matter.

After Decades of Searching, Are Physicists Closing In on Dark Matter?

With no conclusive laboratory results, researchers are turning to other methods to find the elusive substance

An illustration of a nova similar to T Coronae Borealis shows a binary system of a white dwarf and a red giant orbiting each other.

Astronomers Are Watching for a Once-in-a-Lifetime Nova Explosion. When Will We See It?

A recurrent nova, known as the Blaze Star or T Coronae Borealis, is predicted to soon appear in the night sky. But the exact timing of the rare eruption remains unknown

An artist's rendering of gamma-ray glows observed during the research, with gamma rays colored purple for emphasis

Scientists Use Cold War-Era Spy Plane to Find Unexpected Gamma Rays in Thunderstorms

The new findings bring storm researchers one step closer to solving the mystery of how lightning forms

Gears turn inside an antique watch.

World’s First Ultra-Precise Nuclear Clock Is Within Reach After Major Breakthrough, Researchers Say

The technology, enabled by thorium atoms, could keep time more accurately than atomic clocks and enable new discoveries about gravity, gravitational waves and dark matter

An artist’s illustration of the Porphyrion jet pair escaping a black hole and passing through voids in the cosmic web.

Astronomers Discover Record-Breaking Jets Escaping a Black Hole, the Longest Ever Seen

The energetic streams are together 23 million light-years in length—roughly as long as 140 Milky Way galaxies lined end to end

A scan of a color copy of the original computer printout bearing the Wow! signal, taken several years after the signal's 1977 arrival.

Mysterious ‘Wow!’ Radio Signal Might Finally Have an Explanation—and No, It’s Not Aliens

The infamous signal recorded in 1977 might have been a laser-like beam of radiation from a hydrogen cloud energized by a powerful, magnetic star, preliminary research suggests

The Penguin and the Egg are about 100,000 light-years apart.

James Webb’s Newest Image Shows a Giant Penguin and an Egg

NASA released the dazzling portrait to help celebrate the two-year anniversary of the release of Webb’s first images

During a major lunar standstill, the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset are at their farthest apart.

A ‘Major Lunar Standstill’ Is Happening This Year—and Friday’s Full Moon Offers ‘Dramatic’ View

From now through much of next year, the moon will periodically rise and set at its most extreme points, thanks to a rare celestial phenomenon that only occurs every 18.6 years

The planet-forming disk is made of gas and dust.

This Giant Cosmic ‘Butterfly’ Is a Planet-Forming Disk

New research has confirmed that the celestial object may be the biggest of its kind ever found

Euclid’s new image of star-forming region Messier 78, a nebula that lies in the constellation Orion.

See Five Dazzling New Images of the Cosmos, Captured by Europe’s Space Telescope

With its visible and infrared photography, Euclid—known as the “dark universe detective”—is helping astronomers better understand dark matter and dark energy

The environment surrounding the galaxy system where the two black holes are merging. The event is occurring in the distant universe, around 13 billion years ago.

James Webb Telescope Detects Earliest Known Black Hole Merger, Just 740 Million Years After the Big Bang

The new observations could help explain how black holes became so massive in the early universe

Where do we get the seeds for seedless fruit?

Where Do We Get Seeds for Seedless Fruit? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

An artist's concept of 55 Cancri e and its sun. The star is much closer to its sun than any planet in our solar system, so it is too hot to support life.

Astronomers Discover an Atmosphere on a Hot, Rocky Exoplanet With an Ocean of Magma

It’s the best evidence yet of an atmosphere on a rocky planet outside our solar system, researchers say, and studying the distant world could provide insight into Earth’s early days

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