ASTRONOMY

NASA's Curiosity rover discovers a critical clue explaining why Mars is uninhabitable

Central to the research is NASA's Curiosity rover's discovery of carbonate-rich rocks that, like limestone, absorb and sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Jul 9, 2025

NASA's Mars Sample Return mission could be saved by new Lockheed Martin proposal

To retrieve the valuable Martian samples from the Perseverance rover, Lockheed Martin has introduced a significantly more cost-effective mission design.
Jul 9, 2025

Climate scientists raise concerns as the U.S. announces plans to stop sharing vital satellite data on sea ice

Losing access to this ongoing data severely limits scientists' capacity to monitor climate change and assess the escalating threat of sea-level increases.
Jul 7, 2025

Earth is predicted to spin faster than usual on three specific dates in July and August

Scientists are predicting Earth will continue its trend of record-setting rapid rotations in 2025, with notably shorter days expected around July 9, July 22, and August 5.
Jul 5, 2025

Citizen astronomers discover more than 10,000 eclipsing binary star systems with NASA's help

Out of the 10,000-plus systems, a majority of them had never been discovered by astrophysicists in the past.
Jul 5, 2025

Astronomers uncover 'cosmic fossil' galaxy offering glimpse into early universe's seven-billion-year history

Like Earth's dinosaur fossils that unlock secrets of prehistoric life, the galaxy KiDS J0842+0059 provides an extraordinary look at the universe's initial stages.
Jul 4, 2025

NASA and SpaceX prepare for a late July to early August liftoff of Crew-11 mission from Kennedy Space Center

This flight is the eleventh crew rotation to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
Jul 3, 2025

AI assistant may help astronauts solve emergencies in space

Daphne-AT is a virtual assistant that uses a blend of logic and real-time spacecraft data to pinpoint issues, determine their cause, and offer astronauts solutions for informed decision-making.
Jul 1, 2025

If we spent one second per galaxy, it would take 634 years to see all the galaxies Vera Rubin will capture in 10 years

The observatory is expected to document 20 billion galaxies over its ten-year lifespan, accounting for about one-tenth of the visible universe's estimated galactic population.
Jun 29, 2025

Astronomers finally uncover how 'double hot Jupiters' form in distant star systems

'Double hot Jupiters' are extremely rare instances where two massive, scorching gas planets, similar to or larger than Jupiter, each orbit a star within a binary system.
Jun 28, 2025

Mercury, Moon and Gemini twins aligned for rare viewing opportunity in June

On July 4, Mercury will reach its greatest elongation from the Sun, allowing it to ascend to its highest point above the west-northwest horizon.
Jun 27, 2025

Post SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch, a glowing spiral stunned skywatchers — here's what caused it

Stargazers in Europe photographed the unexpected celestial display on the night of June 23.
Jun 26, 2025

Telescopes in Chile make historic detection of earliest cosmic light — revealing the Universe's 'Cosmic Dawn'

New advancements enable ground-based telescopes to push cosmic observation boundaries.
Jun 18, 2025

European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission delivers first images of artificial solar eclipses

New images from the European Space Agency's innovative 'eclipse machine' debuted on June 16, are causing scientists to rethink the actual rarity of total solar eclipses.
Jun 17, 2025

NASA astronauts share stunning video of Northern Lights dancing over Earth from the space station

This stunning phenomenon was captured by Col Anne McClain from the Cupola, while she was aboard the SpaceX Dragon, docked at the ISS.
Jun 15, 2025

SpaceX takes over rival’s old launch site in a power move to support near-daily flight goals

Space Launch Complex-37 (SLC-37), which hosted the final flight of ULA's Delta IV Heavy rocket just over a year ago, is being demolished to be repurposed for SpaceX's Starship.
Jun 14, 2025

Trump-Musk feud prompts NASA and Pentagon to seek SpaceX alternatives

Elon Musk's threat to halt SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft flights particularly alarmed officials.
Jun 11, 2025

125 mph 'Flying Banana' mistaken for aurora by skywatchers as lasers light up sky

Initially, amateur astrophotographer Mary McIntyre considered the blue light she saw on May 1 might be a rare aurora, but its rapid movement quickly led her to dismiss that idea.
Jun 10, 2025

EU Space Act nears a monumental launch, aiming to unify rules governing space operations

The European space industry will be strengthened under a legislative effort by this draft law, which can help regulate space services.
Jun 9, 2025

Elon Musk announced plans to decommission SpaceX's Dragon amid Trump fued — then he 'cooled off'

Musk's decision for the drastic measure was in retaliation to President Trump's public statements to revoke government contracts from his businesses.
Jun 6, 2025