SUNSET: 
Replay of Star’s Death Sheds Light on Universe’s Expansion
A cosmic lens magnified the light of an exploding star. Now, astronomers are using observations of that supernova to calculate the universe’s current rate of expansion.
Distorted Galaxy Hints at the Nature of Dark Matter
Astronomers analyzed the gravitationally lensed image of a distant galaxy to test the nature of dark matter.
What the Discovery of Massive Early Galaxies Could Mean for Cosmology
JWST's detection of early galaxies that are far more massive than astronomers had expected could mean we need to rewrite our understanding of the cosmos.
The First Stars Weren’t Born Alone
New evidence suggests the first stars to shine in the universe formed in groups.
The Universe Is Too Smooth By Half
Results from a complex new analysis support cosmologists’ suspicions that something is missing from our understanding of the universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope Is Finding Too Many Early Galaxies
Images and spectra from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest that the first galaxies in the universe are too many or too bright compared to what astronomers expected.
Tentative Evidence of the First Generation of Stars
Scientists have detected something unusual around a distant quasar — perhaps the first real evidence of a first-generation star.
Webb Telescope Shatters Distance Records, Challenges Astronomers
Distant galaxies in Webb images suggest we need to rethink star and galaxy evolution in the early universe.
Dark Matter Remains Elusive – For Now
The first run of a new dark matter experiment turns up nothing — but that still tells us something.
Hubble Image Reveals Possible Quasar Forerunner
A distant object in a deep Hubble Space Telescope field could be in transition from ordinary galaxy to brilliant beacon of light.
Meet Earendel, the Most Distant Star Astronomers Have Observed
The Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a single star whose light has traveled for 12.9 billion years to Earth — the most distant star known.
No Signal from Cosmic Dawn
Four years after one experiment found tentative signs of the "cosmic dawn," the era of the first stars, another experiment finds nothing.
How Galaxies Lose Their Dark Matter
A careful study of cosmological simulations shows that dark matter–less galaxies aren't impossible — just really rare.
Astronomy in Pictures: Largest 3D Map of Our Universe and a Stellar Intruder
This week astronomers have announced the completion of the largest 3D map of galaxies across the cosmos, plus exquisite radio observations show what happens when a stellar intruder interrupts planet formation.
No Release for the Hubble Tension
New data and analysis show that a long-standing discrepancy in the measurement of the current expansion rate of the universe is real — even as the reason for it remains a mystery.
Twisters in the Cosmic Web
Astronomers have found that the largest structures in the universe spin, making twister-like strings of galaxies and dark matter in the cosmic web.
Dark Energy Survey Catalogs 226 Million Galaxies
The latest release from the Dark Energy Survey catalogs millions of galaxies, mapping the history of galaxy clustering across space and time.
New Studies Agree: The Universe Is Expanding Faster Than Expected
Measurements of elliptical galaxies provide a new way of calculating the current expansion rate of the universe. And the results are adding to a growing controversy.
Astronomers Spot Galaxies Clustering in Early Universe
Astronomers have discovered a cluster of galaxies coming together just 770 million years after the Big Bang.
What New Horizons Found in Deep Space — And Why It Matters
NASA’s mission to the outer solar system has found more light than expected. That could mean more galaxies in the visible universe than we thought— or less, depending on who you talk to.