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an illustration showing the hypothetical Planet 9 with blue rings and a question mark over it, with stars and a galaxy in the background
Planet Nine: Is the search for this elusive world nearly over? Astronomers have been scouring the outer solar system for signs of a hypothetical ninth planet for almost a decade, without success. However, we may finally be on the cusp of finding it, experts say.
Each bright spot in this image, the first all-sky image by eRosita, is black hole or a neutron star.
5 space discoveries that scientists are struggling to explain From "runaway" black holes shooting across the cosmos to secret planets in our own backyard, space is overrun with mysterious objects that scientists are clamoring to explain. Here are five of the strangest sights in the universe, as well as their possible origins.
An illustration of a large, round asteroid having a close encounter with the blue Earth
NASA's most wanted: The 5 most dangerous asteroids to Earth What is the most dangerous asteroid, how probable is an impact, and how much destructive power would a collision with Earth have? Here are 5 big space rocks that NASA is watching closely.

Latest about Space

A small black meteorite on an acrylic stand

Meteorite found in a drawer at university contains 700-million-year-old evidence of water on Mars

By Stephanie Pappas published

The Lafayette meteorite was discovered in a drawer at Purdue University in 1931, with no clear indication of how it got there. A new analysis of the rock reveals evidence of liquid water on Mars 742 million years ago.

Meteoroids
An animation showing glimmering lights across the night sky

Where do fast radio bursts come from? Astronomers tie mysterious eruptions to massive galaxies.

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

Fast radio bursts — powerful and poorly understood cosmic eruptions — tend to occur in massive galaxies that host long-dead stars known as magnetars, a new study suggests.

Astronomy
An illustration of exoplanet l 98-59 d

'Unique and extreme': James Webb telescope detects possible alien world bubbling over with volcanoes

By Agnibha Banerjee published

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected possible signs of gases released by volcanic activity on a distant exoplanet.

Exoplanets
A photograph of thousands of stars in a nebula

'The bottom line is, I told you so': JWST observations upend standard model of how galaxies form, new study claims

By Ben Turner published

The James Webb Space Telescope's discovery of unusually bright and massive galaxies soon after the Big Bang has cast doubt on the standard model of galaxy evolution and bolstered a rival theory for how physics may work on large scales, according to a team of astronomers.

Cosmology
These two pictures of Uranus were compiled from images recorded by NASA Voyager 2 on Jan. 1O, 1986. This view is toward the planet pole of rotation, which lies just left of center. The image on the right is a false-color image.

We've been wrong about Uranus for nearly 40 years, new analysis of Voyager 2 data reveals

By Ben Turner last updated

Voyager 2's 1986 flyby of Uranus, the main source of our knowledge of the icy planet, could have come at the same time as a weird plasma burst from the sun.

Planets
The three red monsters and their locations in the early universe.

James Webb Space Telescope discovers mysterious 'red monster' galaxies so large they shouldn't exist

By Ben Turner published

The James Webb telescope has spotted three gigantic "red monster" galaxies that were spawned soon after the Big Bang. They're so large they could rewrite the laws of galactic evolution.

Space
An artist's interpretation of universes next to each other in the multiverse

It would be easier to find aliens in a parallel universe than in our own, new multiverse study claims

By Harry Baker published

A new model based on the famous alien-hunting Drake equation suggests that some parallel universes within the hypothetical "multiverse" could have higher chances of containing extraterrestrial life than our universe.

Extraterrestrial Life
A spray of orange material with a milky blue splash running through its center.

3D map reveals our solar system's local bubble has an 'escape tunnel'

By Robert Lea published

A 3D map of our cosmic neighborhood has revealed hot and cold regions as well as an "escape tunnel" from our local bubble.

Astronomy
A diagram showing the asteroid's trajectory in the solar system

An asteroid hit Earth just hours after being detected. It was the 3rd 'imminent impactor' of 2024

By Brett Tingley published

A small asteroid burned up in Earth's atmosphere off the coast of California just hours after being discovered and before impact monitoring systems had registered its trajectory.

Asteroids
A photo of Pluto

Why is Pluto not considered a planet?

By Joanna Thompson published

Pluto was demoted from a planet to a dwarf planet in 2006. So why is its status still so controversial today?

Planets
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