Sign Up for Our Amazing Newsletter!
A daily update by email. Science news, great photos, sky alerts.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Witnessing the birth of today’s stars
Dust shrouds the era of distant galaxies, in which most of today's stars were born 10 billion years ago. Astronomers used radio telescopes to pierce the dust.
December 27, 2016
Super fast spin for supergiant Betelgeuse
This famous red star is spinning some 150 times faster than expected. Astronomers think it swallowed a companion star just 100,000 years ago.
December 25, 2016
Cold Neptunes an exoplanet sweet spot?
As astronomers explore distance solar systems, what can they expect to find? A new study suggests likely Neptune-mass worlds in solar systems' icy outer realms.
December 22, 2016
Spacecraft to search for Trojan asteroids
In February 2017, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will search for Earth-Trojan asteroids in the vicinity of Earth's L-4 point while on its outbound journey to the asteroid Bennu.
December 19, 2016
Scientists explore Ceres’ water wealth
Water ice in permanently shadowed craters on Ceres. Water ice everywhere, on or near the surface. Last week, Dawn spacecraft scientists presented 2 lines of evidence that Ceres is water-rich.
December 18, 2016
Ceres bright spots get names
The International Astronomical Union approved the new names on November 26, and scientists used them while discussing other findings about Ceres at this week's American Geophysical Union meeting.
December 17, 2016
Rosetta comet craft’s last words
One of Rosetta's final reports was of a large object in its field of view: the comet's horizon as the spacecraft was about to strike the comet.
December 17, 2016
Rover hits jackpot of Mars evidence
A cool animation showing now and long ago at Gale Crater, plus the path of the Curiosity rover on Mars today, and an update on Curiosity's findings.
December 17, 2016
Exoplanet has ruby and sapphire winds
The planet is so hot that these minerals would be vaporized. The clouds themselves would be visually stunning, these researchers said.
December 12, 2016
1st test of new theory of gravity
Eric Verlinde's new theory of gravity - an alternative to Einstein's theory - eliminates the need for dark matter. To test it, astronomers measured gravity around 33,000 galaxies.
December 12, 2016
