DART collision alters path of a near-Earth asteroid
Scientists tested planetary defense technology by slamming a spacecraft into an asteroid in an attempt to alter its course. They used…
Category: Astronomy
Creating a cosmic family tree
Astronomers traced the genealogy of a kilonova explosion by using models to find its most likely parent stars.
How to spot colorful life on icy exoplanets
In recent decades, astronomers have discovered more than 5000 planets orbiting stars beyond our solar system, with nearly 9000 more…
When life detoxifies itself, it leaves behind a helpful sign
Scientists found that a methylated gas produced by life as a waste product of detoxification could serve as a remotely observable sign of…
How do we choose which planets to search for life?
Scientists used computer models to determine how likely a planet is to be habitable by its age, size, and distance from its sun.
A detailed look at a rare meteorite
A carbonaceous meteorite that fell in Costa Rica holds organic compounds that are preserved from the earliest stages of our solar system,…
Using radio signals from exoplanets to detect magnetic fields
An observational technique called ‘beam-forming’ detects exoplanetary radio emissions that allow researchers to calculate exoplanets’…
Mysterious gas found near Milky Way’s center
A mysterious cold gas shooting out of the center of the Milky Way galaxy has left scientists puzzled.
A different kind of child star
Maybe you didn't have a stellar childhood, but stars definitely did. (Get it?) Learn about a major research project that investigated one…
A new understanding of weather on Saturn
The Cassini spacecraft revealed the atmosphere of Saturn has large regions that don’t cycle to the poles and that the atmosphere is filled…