NASA scientists 'weigh' a white dwarf for the first time using a space-time trick predicted by Einstein By Briley Lewis published 7 February 23 NASA astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to measure the mass of a white dwarf, an important step for understanding how stars die.
Bright green laser lines shoot across night sky in Hawaii. What caused them? By Harry Baker published 7 February 23 A series of laser flashes recently lit up the night sky above Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Experts say the lasers were emitted by a NASA spacecraft.
'1-in-10-billion' star system is doomed to explode in a fiery kilonova By Stephanie Pappas published 4 February 23 Scientists have discovered an extremely rare star system that is doomed to explode in a 'kilonova' caused by the merger of two neutron stars.
Hidden tide in Earth's magnetospheric 'plasma ocean' revealed in new study By Harry Baker published 3 February 23 Researchers have detected fluctuations in Earth's magnetosphere created by the same tidal forces that the moon exerts on the oceans.
8 possible alien 'technosignatures' detected around distant stars in new AI study By Stephanie Pappas published 3 February 23 Eight signals from far-off stars probably aren't aliens, but the machine learning method that found them holds promise in the search for real extraterrestrials.
Scientists created a weird new type of ice that is almost exactly as dense as water By Stephanie Pappas published 2 February 23 Researchers have created a never-before-seen form of ice with a disorganized structure and a density almost exactly that of liquid water.
The full 'Snow micromoon' rises Feb. 5. Here's how to see it. By Stephanie Pappas published 2 February 23 The full moon will be quite distant from Earth on Feb. 5, making it a 'micromoon'.
Massive, volcano-like eruption may explain dead star's mysterious slowdown By Ben Turner published 2 February 23 A volcano-like eruption on the surface of a dead neutron star could explain its sudden slowdown and the slew of fast radio bursts that followed
Best astronomy books 2023: modern hits and classic titles By Elizabeth Howell last updated 2 February 23 Explore the cosmos and find your way around the night sky with this combination of classic titles and new entries, all in the best astronomy books.
New map of the universe's matter reveals a possible hole in our understanding of the cosmos By Ben Turner published 1 February 23 The cosmic web is a gigantic network of crisscrossing celestial superhighways that connects nearly everything in the universe.
Only filmed interview with Georges Lemaître, 'father of the Big Bang,' rediscovered after 60 years By Harry Baker published 1 February 23 The only known filmed interview with physicist and Catholic priest Georges Lemaître, who originally proposed the Big Bang theory, has been found on a video that was lost nearly 60 years ago.
Radioactive capsule found in Western Australia after frantic search By Ben Turner published 1 February 23 The capsule contains enough radioactivity to send out 10 X-ray bursts every hour
How to watch the rare green comet whiz past Earth tonight By JoAnna Wendel published 1 February 23 Tonight (Feb. 1), the green comet C/2022 E3 ZTF will make its closest approach to Earth since the age of the Neanderthals. Here's how to view it.
Mini sun with simulated gravity could help prepare us for deadly solar storms By Ben Turner published 31 January 23 The tiny sun used sound waves to simulate the sun's swirling mass of plasma
Gigantic 'alien' comet spotted heading straight for the sun By Ben Turner published 30 January 23 Scientists think it may have come from another solar system
Mars is about to be eclipsed by the moon. Here's how to watch. By Stefanie Waldek published 30 January 23 On Monday (Jan. 30), the moon will pass in front of Mars from the perspective of Earth in what's known as an occultation.
Green comet C/2022 E3 will make its closest approach to Earth in 50,000 years this week. Here's how to watch. By Brandon Specktor last updated 30 January 23 The green comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will make a close approach to Earth on Feb. 1/Feb. 2 before sailing off into deep space, possibly never to return.
10 sci-fi concepts that are possible (in theory) By Andrew May, Paul Sutter last updated 30 January 23 Some of the most common and unlikely sci-fi tropes could one day be science fact.
The universe is slightly hotter than it should be. 'Dark photons' could be to blame. By Paul Sutter published 29 January 23 Intergalactic gas clouds are slightly hotter than they should be, new research claims, and theoretical particles called 'dark photons' could explain it.
NASA spies Martian rocks that look just like a teddy bear By Brandon Specktor published 26 January 23 A broken hill, an ancient crater and the human tendency to find faces everywhere may explain the teddy bear on Mars.
