Portrayal of 'Oumuamua (1I/2017 U1)

Solar System

Explaining the Odd Behavior of Interstellar Object 'Oumuamua

It wasn't aliens after all — an astrochemist and an astronomer have teamed up to explain why the interstellar object 1I/'Oumuamua behaved the way it did.

Cutaway diagram of protoplanetary disk, which flares out away from star

Solar System

Water on Earth Might Predate the Solar System

Astronomers studying the water vapor around a newborn star find that it’s chemically similar to ice in solar system comets, a possible source of Earth’s oceans.

rainbow with black lines marking where different atoms have absorbed wavelengths of light

Solar System

What Is the Sun Made Of? New Data Deepens Debate

New data from a detector tucked under a mountain in Italy has shed light on what's inside the Sun.

Black field spotted with galaxies marks the JADES field

Galaxies

Webb's Galactic Distance Record Is Now Official

Spectroscopic measurements confirm Webb's distance record, with images revealing galaxies that existed just 330 million years after the Big Bang.

Radar examples

Solar System

Arecibo Legacy: New Data on Near-Earth Asteroids

The largest set of radar data for near-Earth asteroids will help us understand their origins and protect Earth from future impacts.

Map of stellar corpses throughout the galaxy

Stellar Science

Astronomers Map the Milky Way's "Underworld"

A simulated map of the Milky Way shows the location of our galaxy's stellar corpses — and they're not where you might think they'd be.

Betelgeuse lightcurve with artist's concept of mass ejection

Stellar Science

Betelgeuse's Great Dimming: The Aftermath

The Great Dimming occurred when Betelgeuse coughed out a huge chunk of material, and the ejection took a toll on the giant star.

Occator Crater on Ceres

Solar System

Asteroid Ceres Was Radioactive — and That Could Explain a Lot

Radioactive heating in this asteroid's early days may have destabilized the small world, creating asymmetric surface features.

Artist's impression of black hole binary

Black Holes

A Black Hole Lurks in a Galaxy Near Our Own

Astronomers have found a dormant black hole orbiting a massive blue star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.

a black dot at the center of a swirl of pink, purple, orange, grey, and other colors

Black Holes

Have We Found the First Rogue Black Hole in the Milky Way?

Hubble observations have revealed a stellar-mass compact object — a black hole or possibly a neutron star — wandering our galaxy.

rainbow with black lines marking where different atoms have absorbed wavelengths of light

Stellar Science

Mystery of the Sun's Chemical Makeup Lingers

Astronomers think they might have a solution to the conundrum of the Sun's chemical composition.

Europa's cracked-ice surface

Solar System

Icy Moon Europa May Host Water Near the Surface

Radar measurements of ice on Earth suggest that Jupiter's moon Europa might host water near its surface.

Neptune

Solar System

Summer on Neptune is Surprisingly Chilly

Even though Neptune is entering its version of summer, it's actually cooling down — except for its poles, which are mysteriously warming up.

Supermassive black hole binary animation

Black Holes

These Two Black Hole Behemoths Will Merge in 10,000 Years

Astronomers have discovered a pair of supermassive black holes that whirl around each other every two years.

a dark purple orb is half illuminated by a bright white, smaller orb to its left

Exoplanets

Astronomers Watch the Making of a Super-Earth

Gaseous mini-Neptunes may become rocky super-Earths when they lose their atmospheres. Now, astronomers have caught that process in action.

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