Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
SpaceX captures the flag, beating Boeing in cosmic contest
The first astronauts launched by SpaceX declared victory Monday in NASA's cosmic capture-the-flag game.
U.S. astronauts welcomed at International Space Station after historic launch
Two NASA astronauts became the first Americans sent into space by a private company, SpaceX. This was the first manned launch from American soil in almost a decade. Mark Strassmann...
Scientists shed light on growth of black holes
Scientists at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and the Black Hole Initiative (BHI), have shed light on how black holes grow over time by developing a new...
Astronomers find hot stars peppered with massive magnetic spots
Astronomers have discovered giant magnetic spots on the surfaces of hot stars hidden away in stellar clusters.
Class of stellar explosions found to be galactic producers of lithium
Astrophysicists have combined theory with both observations and laboratory studies and determined that a class of stellar explosions, called classical novae, are responsible for most of the lithium in our...
Class of stellar explosions found to be galactic producers of lithium
A team of researchers, led by astrophysicist Sumner Starrfield of Arizona State University, has combined theory with both observations and laboratory studies and determined that a class of stellar explosions,...
Asymmetry found in spin directions of galaxies
The patterns formed by spiral galaxies show that the universe may have a defined structure and suggest that the early universe could have been spinning, according to a computational astronomer.
Study finds that patterns formed by spiral galaxies show that the universe may have a defined structure
An analysis of more than 200,000 spiral galaxies has revealed unexpected links between spin directions of galaxies, and the structure formed by these links might suggest that the early universe...
Watch: Twice releases 'More & More' EP, video
K-pop stars Twice released the new mini album "More & More" and a video for the lead single of the same name.
‘Oumuamua may be a hydrogen iceberg
‘Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object to pass through Earth’s solar system, has been called many things: a comet, an asteroid, a cigar-shaped spaceship. Now it has a new description:...
The Milky Way has one very hot halo, astronomers find
The halo that surrounds our own Milky Way galaxy is much hotter than scientists once believed - and it may not be unique among galaxies.
Hot stars are plagued by giant magnetic spots, ESO data shows
Astronomers have discovered giant spots on the surface of extremely hot stars hidden in stellar clusters. Not only are these stars plagued by magnetic spots, some also experience superflare events,...
A new type of matter discovered inside neutron stars
A research group has found strong evidence for the presence of exotic quark matter inside the cores of the largest neutron stars in existence. The conclusion was reached by combining...
Telescope instrument is poised to begin its search for answers about dark energy
Even as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI, lies dormant within a telescope dome on a mountaintop in Arizona, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DESI project has moved...
Hot stars are plagued by giant magnetic spots
Astronomers using European Southern Observatory (ESO) telescopes have discovered giant spots on the surface of extremely hot stars hidden in stellar clusters. Not only are these stars plagued by magnetic...
The Milky Way has one very hot halo, astronomers find
The halo that surrounds our own Milky Way galaxy is much hotter than scientists once believed—and it may not be unique among galaxies.
First SpaceX astronauts to speak from the International Space Station
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley made history as they successfully arrived on the ISS Sunday, becoming the first to do so on a commercial spacecraft.
Astronomers find cosmic golden needle buried for two decades
Determined to find a needle in a cosmic haystack, a pair of astronomers time traveled through archives of old data from W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauankea in Hawaii and...
How to make the food and water Mars-bound astronauts will need for their mission
If we ever intend to send crewed missions to deep-space locations, then we need to come up with solutions for keeping the crews supplied. For astronauts aboard the International Space...
Scientists reveal energy exchange between troposphere and ionosphere in Congo Basin
The Earth's ionosphere, extending about 80 to 1,000 km above the Earth's surface, connects outer space and the middle atmosphere. It's an important part and key layer in the whole...
New sunspots potentially herald increased solar activity
On May 29, 2020, a family of sunspots—dark spots that freckle the face of the sun, representing areas of complex magnetic fields—sported the biggest solar flare since October 2017. Although...
Study investigates the nature of binary system 7 Vulpeculae
An international team of astronomers has conducted spectroscopic and photometric observations of a binary star known as 7 Vulpeculae. The new study, described in a paper published May 22 on...
New properties of cosmic rays, silicon, magnesium and neon found by Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer aboard ISS
A very large team of researchers from around the globe has found new properties of the cosmic rays silicon, magnesium and neon using data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer aboard...
A new theorem predicts that stationary black holes must have at least one light ring
Black holes, regions in space with such an intense gravitational field that no matter or radiation can escape from them, are among the most mysterious and fascinating cosmological phenomena. Over...
A secret military space plane is carrying an experiment to harvest power from space
Bob McDonald's blog: A pizza-box sized prototype will demonstrate the possibility of solar power satellites, which have been a long-held dream of space enthusiasts.
A weird cosmic flare called the ‘Cow’ now has company
First, astronomers discovered the “Cow.” Now they’ve rounded up a small herd. A short-lived celestial flare-up with a bovine nickname has been joined by two similarly unusual outbursts. The mysterious events were brighter...
SpaceX drops off two astronauts at the International Space Station
SpaceX made history once again on Sunday, when the "Dragon Endeavour" dropped off two NASA astronauts at the International Space Station as part of a historic mission on board a SpaceX...
Half the matter in the universe was missing. We found it hiding between galaxies.
Diligence, technological progress, and a little luck have together solved a 20-year mystery in the cosmos. (CSIRO/Alex Cherney/)J. Xavier Prochaska is a professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa...