Astronomers Confirm the Low Density of Kepler Exoplanets
The Kepler mission and its extension, called K2, discovered thousands of exoplanets. It detected them using the transit technique, measuring the dip in light intensity…
Biologists Reveal Previously Unrecognized Immune Cell Behavior
What makes healthy cells change and become dysfunctional to the point of causing disease? In addition to a disruption in genes that regulate cells, there…
Astronomers Discover Cool Halo Gas Spinning Like Galactic Disks
A group of astronomers led by Crystal Martin and Stephanie Ho of the University of California, Santa Barbara, has discovered a dizzying cosmic choreography among…
Physicists Develop New Tool for Identifying Phases of Matter
Even if you’re not a physicist, phases of matter … really matter. They’re the distinct physical forms taken on by all the “stuff” in the…
NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock Will Transform Space Exploration
What Is an Atomic Clock? The clock is ticking: A technology demonstration that could transform the way humans explore space is nearing its target launch…
Hubble Image of the Week – Irregular Galaxy IC 10
This image shows an irregular galaxy named IC 10, a member of the Local Group — a collection grouping of over 50 galaxies within our…
Moon Contains Clues to the Ancient Mysteries of the Sun
The Sun is why we’re here. It’s also why Martians or Venusians are not. When the Sun was just a baby four billion years ago,…
Martian Dust Storms Can Regenerate and Sustain Themselves
Dust is a critical component in the Martian atmosphere. It influences the atmosphere’s circulation by heating or cooling it and is in turn redistributed around…
New Class of ‘Cold Quasars’ Was Unknown Until Now
Astronomers have discovered a new class of “cold quasars” that could change our perception of how galaxies mature. The discovery was announced June 12 at…
Astronauts View an Aurora From the International Space Station
Aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Christina Koch snapped this image of an aurora, saying: “Years ago at the South Pole, I looked up…
SOFIA Reveals What May Be Keeping Milky Way’s Black Hole Quiet
Supermassive black holes exist at the center of most galaxies, and our Milky Way is no exception. But many other galaxies have highly active black…
Inward Migration of Mimas Helped Shape Saturn’s Rings
The Solar System’s second largest planet both in mass and size, Saturn is best known for its rings. These are divided by a wide band,…
Hubble Image of the Week – An Explosive Galaxy
When massive stars die at the end of their short lives, they light up the cosmos with bright, explosive bursts of light and material known…
Simulations Reveal How Acids Behave in Ultracold Interstellar Space
Solvated acids tend to release a proton. However, they display more complex behaviour under space conditions. Bochum-based researchers from the Cluster of Excellence Ruhr Explores…
Scientists Trace Co-Evolution of Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes
The formation and growth of galaxies in the early universe is a key research topic for future giant telescopes like the Giant Magellan Telescope and…
Scientists Solve the Mystery of the Galaxy with No Dark Matter
A group of researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has clarified one of the mysteries of 2018 in the field of extragalactic…
View of Venus at Sunrise From the International Space Station
From the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Christina Koch snapped and posted this image of the planet Venus at sunrise. The blue glow of Earth’s…
Astronomers Discover Ring Around Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole
Through decades of study, astronomers have developed a clearer picture of the chaotic and crowded neighborhood surrounding the supermassive black hole at the center of…