Astronomers Have Found the Star/Exoplanet Combo That’s the Best Twin to the Sun/Earth
At times, it seems like there's an indundation of announcements featuring discoveries of "Earth-like" planets. And while those announcements are…
Is the Concept of a Habitable Zone Too Wide?
Exoplanets are often considered potentially habitable if they could have liquid water. But the necessities of biology set the habitability…
Rocks on Bennu are Cracking Because of the Constant Day/Night Cycling
Asteroid Bennu is blanketed by rocks and huge boulders. And now that the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is taking a close look…
At the Heart of the Milky Way, Stars Come Close to Each Other All the Time
A new study provides new estimates on how often stars near the center of our galaxy experience "close encounters," which…
Gamma Rays Detected Coming From the Crab Nebula
Most people with any interest in astronomy know about the Crab Nebula. It's a supernova remnant in the constellation Taurus,…
Practical Ideas for Farming on the Moon and Mars
Recent research supported by NASA shows how algae-growing greenhouses could lead to colonies on the Moon and Mars that are…
There are powerful magnetic fields at the core of the Milky Way, driven by the supermassive black hole
The center of the Milky Way is home to a giant black hole, but new research suggests that it isn't…
Much of the Lithium Here on Earth Came from Exploding White Dwarf Stars
The Big Bang produced the Universe's hydrogen, helium, and a little lithium. Since then, it's been up to stars (for…
The Milky Way is surrounded by a huge hot halo of gas
Our Milky Way galaxy isn't just a disk of stars and nebulae - it's surrounded by a cloud of hot,…
A New Telescope is Ready to Start Searching for Answers to Explain Dark Energy
Back in 2015, construction began on a new telescope called the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). Later this year, it…