Space

Planetary Science

Saturn’s ‘Death Star’ moon may not conceal ocean after all

A lack of cracks on Mimas suggests that the icy moon of Saturn doesn’t conceal a subsurface ocean of liquid water.

Astronomy

Black hole enjoys fantastically long stellar feast

A supermassive black hole about 1.8 billion light-years away has been gorging on the same star for a record-breaking decade.

Astronomy

Seven Earth-sized planets orbit nearby supercool star

A planetary system called TRAPPIST-1 has seven Earth-sized planets, three in the habitable zone, researchers report.

Microbes

Microbes survived inside giant cave crystals for up to 50,000 years

Microbes trapped in crystals in Mexico's Naica mine may represent some of the most distinct life-forms found in Earth so far.

Planetary Science

Europa lander mission takes another step toward reality

NASA is working on a possible lander mission in which the main science goal would be to search for signs of life on Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Planetary Science

Juno spacecraft won’t go into shorter orbit around Jupiter

Juno will remain in its 53-day orbit around Jupiter due to an issue with two helium check valves, NASA reports.

Astronomy

Citizen scientists are providing stunning new views of Jupiter

A camera aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft is giving citizen scientists a crack at discovering never-before-seen features of Jupiter.

Planetary Science

Ceres harbors homegrown organic compounds

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has detected organic matter — the building blocks of life — on the dwarf planet Ceres, a new study suggests.

Astronomy

Supernova spotted shortly after explosion

Early observations of exploding star could indicate that stars become unstable as they near death.

Astronomy

Middling black hole may be hiding in star cluster

A black hole with about 2,200 times the mass of the sun has been detected. If confirmed, it could represent a new type of gas-starved black holes and hint at how supermassive ones may form.

Astronomy

Supernova story continues, just like science journalism

Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill discusses science's enduring legacy and that of Science News.

Astronomy

Observers caught these stars going supernova

Thirty years ago, astronomers witnessed a nearby stellar explosion, but it wasn’t the first. Humanity has been recording local supernovas for nearly two millennia.