More often than not, astronomers have a specific something they’re looking for when searching the cosmos. But the universe is achingly huge and mysterious, leading to discoveries no one ever set out to find. These unexpected catches often end up being way cooler and more significant than what astronomers intended to explore. Here are ten […]
New Discovery Reveals Just How Different the Moon’s Two Sides Really Are
The Moon is seriously two-faced. The near and far sides of Earth’s only natural satellite are so unlike each other, it’s a wonder they’re located on the same celestial sphere. Now, new research suggests they’re even more different than astronomers thought. A study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Geoscience found evidence to suggest that […]
Most Powerful Fast Radio Burst Ever Detected Hits Telescopes Across North America
For almost two decades, astronomers have detected extremely powerful, millisecond-long flashes of radio waves known as fast radio bursts (FRBs) from beyond our galaxy—and had no clue where they came from. Now, a team of scientists has detected the brightest-ever FRB and finally pinpointed its origin to a nearby galaxy. Researchers have long suspected that […]
Meteorite Crashes Into Georgia Home, Turns Out to Be 20 Million Years Older Than Earth
On a clear June day in Georgia, a blazing fireball suddenly fell out of the sky over the Atlanta metro area. The source of this spectacle was a 1-ton meteor that exploded in mid-air, sending a cherry tomato-sized fragment shooting through the roof of a McDonough home. Though no one knew it then, this space […]
Astronomers Discover the Earliest Black Hole Ever Confirmed
An international team of astronomers has identified the earliest black hole ever confirmed, an ancient behemoth that existed just 500 million years after the Big Bang. The discovery could offer new clues to a mysterious class of ancient galaxies that confounded prevailing theories of cosmology. In a new paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, […]
Scientists Recreated the Universe’s First Molecule
Seconds after the Big Bang, the newborn universe gave rise to the first elements—ionized forms of hydrogen and helium. These particles combined, forging helium hydride—the first ever molecule. It would take another several hundred million years for the first stars to be born, and scientists have long puzzled over the exact nature of the chemical […]
Astronomers Spot Companion Star in Orbit Around Iconic Star Betelgeuse, Confirming Suspicions
In 2024, astronomers surmised that Betelgeuse might have a stellar “buddy.” If this hypothetical companion existed, it would help answer some questions about the red supergiant’s strange glowing patterns. As it turns out, these suspicions were correct. After numerous false signals and empty search results, astronomers with NASA’s Ames Research Center have confirmed that Betelgeuse does, […]
An Interstellar Comet Is Here, and Its Age Is Mind-Bending
This article was updated at 9:00 a.m. ET on Friday, July 11, to include new information. After defending his PhD thesis on modeling interstellar objects on Monday, June 30, Matthew Hopkins intended to take some well-deserved time off. It would appear the universe had other plans for him. The very next day, the Atlas Terrestrial-impact […]
A Bold Mission to Hunt for Aliens on Venus Is Actually Happening
A UK-based mission is aiming to settle, once and for all, whether life exists on Venus. The mission plans to send a probe to the planet in search of microbial life, not on the surface, of course, but in the Venusian clouds. Over the past half-decade, scientists have detected the presence of phosphine and ammonia—two […]
Only the Third Ever Detected Interstellar Object May Be Whizzing Through Our Solar System Right Now
Astronomers are scrambling to gather data on a mysterious object that’s currently hurtling through the solar system. Preliminary observations suggest it came from interstellar space, and if confirmed, it would mark the third discovery of an interstellar object in history. The cosmic visitor—tentatively named A11pl3Z—first appeared in data collected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert […]