Astronomy

Astronomy

Large rocky planets excel at ocean building

Rocky planets a few times as massive as Earth may build deeper oceans – and sustain them for longer – than smaller worlds.

Astronomy

Hubble telescope captures panorama of Andromeda galaxy

The Hubble Space Telescope captured a panoramic mosaic of the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, mapping the light from over 100 million stars.

Astronomy

Pair of black holes prepare to take the plunge

A pair of supermassive black holes in a distant galaxy will likely collide in the next million years.

Astronomy

Kepler telescope discovers another 554 possible planets

Extra year of Kepler telescope data adds 554 possible planets and eight confirmed ones that might be able to host life.

Astronomy

Hubble telescope snaps new images of iconic stellar nursery

Hubble's new view of the Pillars of Creation, a star-forming region in the Milky Way, hints at how the nebula has changed over the last 20 years.

Astronomy

Europa’s geysers play hard-to-see

Follow-up observations of Europa failed to confirm the existence of geysers venting the Jupiter moon’s hidden ocean into space.

Astronomy

Hubble telescope spots our galaxy’s newest neighbor

The Milky Way galaxy has a new neighbor, Hubble images show.

Astronomy

Revived Kepler telescope finds first exoplanet

NASA’s Kepler space telescope finds its first planet — a possible super-Earth — since getting a second chance at life.

Planetary Science

Rosetta may have spotted comet’s primordial ingredients

Photos taken by the Rosetta spacecraft may show pristine material that formed the solar system’s comets, asteroids and planets roughly 4.6 billion years ago.

Astronomy

Year in review: Dust obscures possible gravitational wave discovery

A possible signal from moments after the Big Bang may be due to dust in the Milky Way galaxy.

Planetary Science

Year in review: Rosetta mission hits its target

The Rosetta spacecraft and its lander Philae are providing an intimate look at the life of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Astronomy

Gamma-ray bursts may repeatedly wipe out life

Brief bursts of high-energy radiation may sterilize most planets across the universe, hampering the chances for widespread intelligent life.