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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Astronomy

    Spiral galaxy in the young universe

    Astronomers have identified a galaxy that had already begun to resemble the modern Milky Way when the universe was only 3 billion years old, one-fifth of its current age.

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  2. Astronomy

    Enlightened: Dark matter spotted after cosmic crash

    In the aftermath of a cosmic crash between two galaxies, researchers say they've detected invisible dark matter for the first time.

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  3. Astronomy

    Cosmic bigness

    Astronomers have found the largest structures ever discovered in the universe.

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  4. Astronomy

    New Solar System? Twelve planets and counting (Updated)

    According to a new proposal, the solar system has 12 planets instead of the familiar 9, with several dozen more to come.

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  5. Astronomy

    The Sun’s Halo in 3-D

    A new computer map of the sun's outer atmosphere and spacecraft ready for launch are expected to shed new light on the origin of solar eruptions and provide more accurate warning of their impact on Earth.

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  6. Astronomy

    Solar System Small Fry: Stellar blinks reveal tiny bodies near Pluto

    By measuring tiny dips in the intensity of X rays from a distant star, astronomers say they have detected more than 50 of the tiniest chunks of ice ever found in the outer solar system.

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  7. Astronomy

    Braking news: Disks slow down stars

    Astronomers have the first clear-cut evidence that rotating young stars are slowed by the planet-forming disks of gas and dust that surround many of them.

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  8. Planetary Science

    Titan’s Lakes: Evidence of liquid on Saturn’s largest moon

    New radar images strongly suggest that Saturn's giant moon Titan contains lakes of liquid hydrocarbons, marking the first time that researchers have found compelling evidence for bodies of liquid on the surface of any object beyond Earth.

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  9. Planetary Science

    Close look confirms two eyes on Venus

    A spacecraft that recently arrived at Venus has confirmed that the atmosphere above the planet's south pole harbors an unusual storm feature; a giant, double vortex.

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  10. Planetary Science

    Jovian storms of surpassing beauty

    A new near-infrared image of two giant, oval storms in Jupiter's southern hemisphere reveals that they are now brushing past each other closely, separated by only 3,000 kilometers.

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  11. Astronomy

    Double disks

    Astronomers have confirmed that the nearby star Beta Pictoris has two disks of dust orbiting it, each of which is generated by debris likely to be left over from planet formation.

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  12. Astronomy

    Black Hole Explorations

    What would it be like to orbit a black hole—or even to fall into one? You can find out by exploring the world of black holes in a Web site created by a team at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md. For a fully interactive multimedia experience, click “Journey to a Black Hole” […]

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