Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Astronomers May Have Found the Closest Black Hole to Earth
At just 1,000 light-years away, an object in a nearby star system could be our nearest known black hole—but not everyone is convinced -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Astronomers find closest black hole to Earth
A team of astronomers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and other institutes has discovered a black hole lying just 1000 light-years from Earth. The black hole is closer to...
Stars and scientists call for world not to 'go back to normal'
A host of celebrities and scientists including Madonna, Robert de Niro and a clutch of Nobel Prize winners have called for radical change in the world rather than "a return...
Mission Impossible to Mission Control: Tom Cruise to film in space
Tom Cruise will film his next Hollywood blockbuster on location—250 miles up in the air and orbiting the Earth once every 90 minutes.
China plans to complete space station by 2022
China plans to send four crewed space missions and the same number of cargo craft to complete work on its permanent space station within about two years, officials said after...
Liquid metal research invokes 'Terminator' film—but much friendlier
Pu Zhang likes to compare his team's research on liquid metals to the Terminator—specifically 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day, in which a killer robot sent from a grim future can...
New York Jets signing veteran RB Frank Gore
The New York Jets agreed to terms Tuesday with veteran running back Frank Gore on a one-year contract.
Decoding the skies: The impact of water vapor on afternoon rainfall
On days when wind blows in little atmospheric moisture, afternoon rainfall is more likely to occur over wetter soils or higher relative humidity. On days when wind introduces lots of...
Scientists explain magnetic pole's wanderings
The North Magnetic Pole has been racing across the top of the world, from Canada towards Siberia.
Bands of Clouds Swirl Across Brown Dwarf’s Surface
Astronomers have detected what appear to be bands of clouds streaking across the surface of a cool star-like body known as a brown dwarf. The bands, resembling those that stripe...
For $39, Frontier Airlines will let passengers keep their distance
Fliers can pay to social distance on their next flight aboard Frontier Airlines.
Trump visits Arizona respirator mask production facility
President Donald Trump arrived in Arizona Tuesday, starting his most extensive trip away from the White House since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March.
Help Test a New NASA Citizen Science Project about Exoplanets!
Would you like to be one of the firsts to participate in and test drive a new NASA citizen science project before it launches? We don't want to give away too...
Astronomers find Jupiter-like cloud bands on closest brown dwarf
A team of astronomers has discovered that the closest known brown dwarf, Luhman 16A, shows signs of cloud bands similar to those seen on Jupiter and Saturn. This is the...
Watch: Possible cougar caught on camera in Chicago suburb
A resident of a Chicago suburb captured security camera footage of a large cat that an expert said could be a wandering cougar.
'Magnetic Star' Radio Waves Could Solve the Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts
The surprise detection of a radio burst from a neutron star in our galaxy might reveal the origin of a bigger cosmological phenomenon -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Help Test a New NASA Citizen Science Project about Extrasolar Planets!
Would you like to be one of the firsts to participate in and test drive a new NASA citizen science project before it launches? We don't want to give away too...
Scientists observe bacteria tumble their way out of surface traps
While tracing the movement of Escherichia coli, a team of French researchers noticed that near solid surfaces, the bacteria run in circles. Loop after loop, the tracing almost looks like...
China successfully launches new spacecraft
China launched a newly designed spacecraft on Tuesday as part of its program to build an orbiting space station, furthering its aspirations to rival the U.S., Russia and private companies...
New ultrafast camera takes 70 trillion pictures per second
Just about everyone has had the experience of blinking while having their picture taken. The camera clicks, your eyes shut, and by the time they open again, the photo is...
Could dark matter be hiding in existing data?
A new study suggests new paths for catching the signals of dark matter particles that have their energy absorbed by atomic nuclei.
Strong X-ray pulsations detected from pulsar 3A 0726-260
Using AstroSat satellite, Indian astronomers have detected strong X-ray pulsations from an X-ray binary pulsar known as 3A 0726-260. The discovery, presented in a paper published April 26 on the...
Building satellites amid COVID-19
During these unprecedented times of the COVID-19 lockdown, trying to work poses huge challenges for us all. For those that can, remote working is now pretty much the norm, but...
Pursuing the future of lunar habitation
Shirley Dyke doesn't see the moon as a crater-covered sphere. She expects lunar dwellings to begin emerging in a decade, helping reach out to further space habitation.
China launches spacecraft via largest carrier rocket: CCTV
China on Tuesday successfully launched its largest carrier rocket, which was carrying a new-generation spacecraft, state broadcaster CCTV said.
China launch of key new space rocket 'successful'
Chinese state media reported the "successful" launch of a new rocket on Tuesday, a major test of its ambitions to operate a permanent space station and send astronauts to the...
Planet Nine Could Be a Mirage
Mysterious patterns in orbits of small bodies in the outer solar system could arise from the gravity of a massive disk of icy debris rather than an undiscovered giant world --...
Life might survive, and thrive, in a hydrogen world: study
As new and more powerful telescopes blink on in the next few years, astronomers will be able to aim the megascopes at nearby exoplanets, peering into their atmospheres to decipher...