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![An image of the Arecibo Observatory's iconic radio telescope as seen between two serious cable failures that preceded the facility's collapse.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Yqw9CEuMhf7KnJjEx6nLXn-320-80.jpg)
Collapsed Arecibo telescope offers near-Earth asteroid warning from beyond the grave
By Brandon Specktor published
The famous Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico completely collapsed in 2020. Now, scientists going through its final observations offer a major new asteroid report.
![Three dark coronal holes make the sun appear as though it's smiling in this satellite image.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ikouytXLPZqMjsTuCdkS4U-320-80.png)
Adorable 'smiling' sun could batter Earth with geomagnetic storms this weekend
By Brandon Specktor published
With three dark blotches popping up in the sun's atmosphere, our closest star seems to 'smile' even as it pelts our planet with charged-up solar wind.
![NASA has launched a 9-month study into UFOs, also called unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), beginning Oct. 24, 2022.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WQzNeAmHr35omfMtHFQv4j-320-80.jpg)
UFOs are finally getting the big NASA study they deserve
By Brandon Specktor published
Following years of increased government interest in unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), NASA has officially launched a nine-month investigation into uncovering their mysteries.
![This image shows a methane plume 2 miles (3 kilometers) long that NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation mission detected southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WdFKrgfCrUf8fvrzKT4JvR-320-80.jpg)
New map of methane 'super-emitters' shows some of the largest methane clouds ever seen
By JoAnna Wendel published
A NASA instrument designed to study dust has revealed that some of the largest methane clouds ever seen are floating over the US, Iran and elsewhere.
![An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured this stunning aurora over Earth in 2016.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BQaXpEcAFasxcRsvKCi45b-320-80.jpg)
Massive 'proton aurora' blasted a 250-mile-wide hole in Earth's ozone layer
By Brandon Specktor published
In June 2015, a little-known type of aurora cut a Grand-Canyon-size ozone hole in Earth's mesosphere. Scientists have finally assessed the damage.
![Birds sit on a branch in from of a partial solar eclipse on Oct. 25, 2022](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Fz3GwwGDYa5ZAPkKWg3qMU-320-80.jpg)
Stunning (and spooky) photos of the final solar eclipse of 2022
By Brandon Specktor published
On Tuesday, Oct. 25, half the world saw the moon's shadow creep over the surface of the sun in the year's last partial solar eclipse.
![A new James Webb Space Telescope image shows the stunning 'pillars of creation,' brightly glowing tendrils of gas and dust within the Milky Way](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jTNKUAeoKHeoaCcHkrKsxC-320-80.jpg)
Stunning 'pillars of creation' shine like never before in new James Webb Telescope image
By Brandon Specktor published
The towering pillars of creation, captured by the James Webb Telescope, are a nursery of newborn stars that’s been slowly destroying itself for millions of years.
![Image of the gamma-ray burst from the Swift observatory, showing a bright center surrounded by bands of orange circles.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AZf2koxkXB5x5xg4y4kWfN-320-80.jpg)
Gamma-ray burst may represent the most powerful cosmic explosion ever recorded
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers stunned by 'brightest of all time' gamma-ray burst reckon it could be the most powerful space explosion since the Big Bang
![A jet of particles blasts out of a black hole at near-light-speed. A similar jet was just detected from a pair of colliding neutron stars, seemingly breaking the laws of physics.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mKdgKydhjPxMoggHUvT84e-320-80.jpg)
Energy jet traveling 7 times the speed of light appears to break the laws of physics
By Brandon Specktor published
A jet of particles released by two colliding stars appears to be moving seven times faster than the speed of light — but astronomers blame a cosmic illusion known as superluminal motion.
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