Space

  1. A simulation image of filaments and clusters shown in blue lines and pink dots.
    Cosmology

    Astronomers spotted shock waves shaking the web of the universe for the first time

    Studying these elusive shock waves could give scientists a better look at the mysterious magnetic fields that permeate the cosmic web.

    By Elise Cutts
  2. A view of the Earth from space with several white dots, representing Starlink satellites, forming a ring around it.
    Astronomy

    Half of all active satellites are now from SpaceX. Here’s why that may be a problem

    Of the roughly 7,300 active satellites in Earth orbit, about 3,600 are part of SpaceX’s growing fleet of Starlink internet satellites.

    By Lisa Grossman
  3. A photo of the Golden Record and its cover from the Voyager spacecraft.
    Space

    50 years ago, Earth’s chances of contacting E.T. looked slim

    In 1973, a researcher calculated that it could take millions of years to contact aliens. But that hasn’t stopped scientists from trying.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  4. the Rosette Nebula, shown as a dense cloud of red, yellow, orange and blue, with bright white spots
    Astronomy

    The Milky Way may be spawning many more stars than astronomers had thought

    Glowing radioactive debris from massive stars indicates our galaxy mints 10 to 20 new stars a year — double to quadruple the standard number.

    By Ken Croswell
  5. Six images from the James Webb Space Telescope with three on top and three on the bottom. Each shows a different bright, red, dot that is a galaxy.
    Astronomy

    The James Webb telescope found six galaxies that may be too hefty for their age

    The galaxies formed in the universe’s first 700 million years and may be up to 100 times more massive than predicted.

    By Lisa Grossman
  6. NASA Rover Perseverance takes a selfie on Mars
    Space

    What has Perseverance found in two years on Mars?

    NASA's Perseverance rover has turned up volcanic rocks, signs of flowing water and some of the materials necessary for life.

    By Liz Kruesi
  7. An illustration of the James Webb Space Telescope deployed in space.
    Astronomy

    The James Webb telescope spotted the earliest known ‘quenched’ galaxy

    A galaxy dubbed GS-9209 ceased forming stars more than 12.5 billion years ago after a 200-million-year-long sprint.

    By Lisa Grossman
  8. An illustration of the dwarf planet Quaoar.
    Astronomy

    The Kuiper Belt’s dwarf planet Quaoar hosts an impossible ring

    Quaoar’s ring lies outside the Roche limit, an imaginary line beyond which rings aren’t thought to be stable.

    By Lisa Grossman
  9. A photo of a giant, 3,200-year-old statue of King Ramses II inside the Grand Egyptian Museum with constructions workers milling about.
    Science & Society

    Here are 7 new science museums and exhibitions to visit in 2023

    The Grand Egyptian Museum is slated to open, as well as new exhibitions dedicated to space travel, the Galápagos Islands and more.

    By Erin Wayman
  10. An illustration of the Kepler-35 system with a planet in the foreground and two stars in the background.
    Astronomy

    Lots of Tatooine-like planets around binary stars may be habitable

    A new simulation suggests that planets orbiting a pair of stars may be plentiful, and many of those worlds could be suitable for life.

    By James R. Riordon
  11. aerial photo of San Francisco at night
    Astronomy

    New data show how quickly light pollution is obscuring the night sky

    Tens of thousands of observations from citizen scientists spanning a decade show that the night sky is getting about 10 percent brighter every year.

    By Lisa Grossman
  12. A chain of craters on Enceladus looks like a Saturnian snowman.
    Planetary Science

    Enceladus is blanketed in a thick layer of snow

    Pits on the Saturnian moon reveal the surprising depth of the satellite’s snow, suggesting its plume was more active in the past.

    By Lisa Grossman