Astronomy

Astronomy

Black hole silhouettes

Scientists attempt to image a shadow and its tumultuous ring.

Astronomy

Mars organics get new lease on life

More than three decades after the Viking mission failed to find compounds necessary for carbon-based life, a new analysis suggests they could actually be present at detectable levels in the planet’s soil.

Space

Mining for Missing Matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff.

Astronomy

Celestial wish list

A panel of astronomers ranks proposed astrophysics projects for the coming decade.

Astronomy

Heftiest stars discovered

At more than 200 times sun’s mass, this giant sets a new record.

Astronomy

The universe according to Planck

Science News editor in chief Tom Siegfried reports on a new image of the early cosmos from the Euroscience Open Forum meeting in Turin, Italy.

Planetary Science

Hubble hunting for Jupiter bruise

No scar found yet on planet from June 3 crash with unidentified object.

Astronomy

Black hole shoved aside, along with ‘central’ dogma

A new study has shoved aside the idea that supermassive black holes always reside smack-dab at the centers of their host galaxies.

Astronomy

Fast-moving star is a really big loser

The cosmic bullies that sent 30 Doradus 016 reeling must be even bigger, possibly upping the theoretical maximum heft of today’s stars.

Astronomy

Hubble’s new instant classic

NASA has released a stunning image of a nearby star-forming region to celebrate the telescope's 20th birthday.

Astronomy

Can you hear me now?

Astronomers reconsider how extraterrestrials could make contact.

Physics

Hogan’s noise

A cosmologist suggests a novel way to uncover the nature of spacetime on the smallest scales.