New Milky Way survey reveals billions of objects

Astronomers at NOIRLab, using the Dark Energy Camera in Chile, have released a new Milky Way survey showing billions of objects in the galactic plane.

Rubble pile asteroids are hard to destroy

Scientists discovered that rubble pile asteroids have been around since the beginning of the solar system and are very hard to destroy. Read more.

Permanently shadowed crater captured by ShadowCam

NASA's ShadowCam instrument on the Danuri lunar orbiter has sent back its 1st image. It shows details inside a permanently shadowed crater on the moon.

Life on Io? An astrobiologist says it’s possible

Could there be microbial life on Io? Jupiter's hostile volcanic moon seems an unlikely home, but astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch says it's not impossible.

On Saturday … Closest new moon in 1,337 years

The new moon of January 21, 2023 will be the closest new moon to Earth in a period of 1,337 years. Read more about the closest new moon here.

Discovery of opal on Mars boosts chances for life

NASA's Curiosity rover has found water-rich opal on Mars. Its presence indicates that there was an extensive and potentially habitable subsurface environment.

Milky Way’s farthest stars reach halfway to Andromeda

Astronomers have discovered the Milky Way's farthest stars in our galaxy's huge stellar halo. The most distant stars are almost halfway to the Andromeda galaxy.

When a black hole swallows a star

Hubblesite reports on what happens when a black hole swallows a star. The hungry black hole twists the star into a donut shape.

What is a variable star?

What is a variable star? It's a star that brightens and dim in a cycle that might last hours, or weeks, or months, or longer. Astronomers know millions!

Europa Clipper gets its gas-sniffing ‘nose’

NASA has receieved an advanced mass spectrometer for the Europa Clipper mission. It will analyze gases for clues about the ocean moon's habitability.