Space

Physics

Julian Muñoz has a ‘ruler’ that could size up the early universe

The measurement tool could lay out a distance scale for cosmic dawn —and offer clues to the nature of dark matter.

Astronomy

50 years ago, a search for proof that the Maya tracked comets came up short

The mystery of whether the ancient civilization tracked comets endures, but recent evidence hints the Maya tracked related meteor showers.

Astronomy

A star cluster in the Milky Way appears to be as old as the universe

Globular cluster M92 is about 13.8 billion years old, a new calculation suggests. Getting the age right could help resolve a bigger cosmic conundrum.

Astronomy

‘Under Alien Skies’ imagines what the sky looks like on other planets

Astronomer Philip Plait’s new book takes readers on a thrilling ride to Mars, Pluto and even a black hole.

Astronomy

Alien life may be possible even at the Milky Way’s edges

Phosphorus detected far from the Milky Way’s center seems to extend the zone where life could exist in the galaxy by thousands of light-years.

Math

Here’s how we could begin decoding an alien message using math

A new mathematical approach looks for order in strings of bits – without relying on human assumptions.

Astronomy

In a first, JWST detected starlight from distant galaxies with quasars

Until JWST’s sharp infrared eyes came along, it wasn’t possible to see the galaxies hosting extremely bright supermassive black holes called quasars.

Astronomy

A supermassive black hole orbiting a bigger one revealed itself with a flash

A supermassive black hole binary system has puzzled astronomers for decades. Now they’ve finally seen direct signals from the smaller of the two.

Astronomy

Jupiter-sized planets are very rare around the least massive stars

A six-year search of 200 nearby low-mass red dwarf stars found no Jupiter-like planets, boosting the standard theory for how such planets form.

Space

A cyclone has been spotted swirling over Uranus’ north pole for the first time

Voyager 2 hinted at a cyclone at Uranus’ south pole. Now Earth-based observations give the first direct evidence of a storm at the ice giant’s north pole.

Planetary Science

JWST captured Enceladus’ plume spraying water nearly 10,000 kilometers into space

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals the rate at which Saturn’s moon Enceladus spews water and where that water ends up.

Neuroscience

Brain cavities that swell in space may need at least 3 years to recover

MRI scans of astronauts show that duration in space and time between flights affect how much the brain’s fluid-filled cavities expand during missions.