Space

Sign up for our newsletter

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Planetary Science

    Tiny moon orbits dwarf planet

    Hubble Space Telescope images from April 2015 show that the dwarf planet Makemake has a tiny moon.

    By
  2. Astronomy

    Gas blasts from black holes show surprising alignment

    Unexpected alignment of galactic gas geysers might offer new insight into how galaxies and black holes arise from the cosmic web.

    By
  3. Cosmology

    Ancient dwarf galaxy was heavy-element factory

    A rare event in an ancient galaxy left traces of heavy elements in its stars.

    By
  4. Astronomy

    Hubble telescope snaps stunning pic for its 26th birthday

    For its 26th anniversary, the Hubble Space Telescope snapped a picture of star blowing bubbles in space.

    By
  5. Space

    Trying to find ET and our place in the universe

    Editor in Chief discusses the search for life beyond Earth.

    By
  6. Science & Society

    Humans have pondered aliens since medieval times

    People have been fascinated with extraterrestrials for centuries. If only aliens would get in touch.

    By
  7. Cosmology

    How to make gravitational waves ‘sing’

    A rapidly spinning black hole would make a unique pattern of gravitational waves when it sucks in a smaller companion.

    By
  8. Astronomy

    To find ET, look at who’s (maybe) looking at us

    To listen for aliens, two astronomers suggest that we focus on stars whose inhabitants can see Earth periodically cross in front of our sun.

    By
  9. Cosmology

    New sky map charts previously unknown gamma-ray sources

    A new map of the sky from the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory charts the cosmic origins of high-energy photons.

    By
  10. Planetary Science

    How alien can a planet be and still support life?

    Geoscientists imagine the unearthly mechanisms that could keep alien planets habitable.

    By
  11. Astronomy

    New telescopes will search for signs of life on distant planets

    Researchers are coming up with creative ways to pick up biosignatures in far-away planetary atmospheres.

    By
  12. Space

    Will we know extraterrestrial life when we see it?

    Desert varnish and certain minerals hint that life — here and elsewhere — may defy current criteria.

    By