Astronomy
Rare ‘Pinwheel’ Stars Are a Beautiful Astronomical Puzzle
The doomed class of stars named Wolf-Rayets produce mysterious pinwheel shapes
Astronomy188 articles archived since 1845
Astronomy
How to Survive Mercury in Retrograde
If you want to make it through the trials and tribulations of Mercury in retrograde, it’s easy: don’t do anything. You’ll be fine
Astronomy
Arecibo Observatory Shuts Down Its Science
Although Arecibo Observatory is slated to become an education center, astronomers hope research might one day return to the site
Astronomy
Earendel, the Most Distant Known Star, Reveals Its Secrets to JWST
A new view of a record-shattering distant star shows it to be twice as hot as our sun and likely accompanied by a stellar companion
Astronomy
Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend in a Stargazing Must-See
All you need to see one of the year’s best meteor showers is a clear, dark sky—and patience
Astronomy
How Seeing the Milky Way Helped Us Discover the Whole Universe
Marvel for a moment at the Milky Way’s night-sky spectacle—and the scientific revolutions it has sparked
Astronomy
Euclid Space Telescope Snaps Spectacular First Images
The European Space Agency's ambitious Euclid space telescope is on its way to decoding the secrets of dark matter and dark energy
Astronomy
Can You Decode an Alien Message?
An artist, a programmer and a scientist have created a simulation of extraterrestrial communication to test Earthlings’ ability to understand it
Astronomy
What’s the Faintest Star You Can See in the Sky?
The “magnitude scale” for measuring stellar brightness also reveals the limits of naked-eye stargazing
Astronomy
The Most Surprising Discoveries in Physics
Experts weigh in on the most shocking, paradigm-shifting and delightful findings in the history of physics
Astronomy
‘Millennium Falcon’ Comet Sprouts Icy Wings as It Loops around the Sun
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, headed for its closest encounter with the sun next year, has started to heat up, leading to a cinematic outburst of icy volcanism
Astronomy
Only 26 Black Women Have Ever Become Astrophysicists in the U.S. Here’s One’s Story
Astrophysicist Aomawa Shields recounts her alternative career path in a new memoir about life, space and motherhood
Astronomy
Earthshine Lights up the ‘Dark Side’ of the Moon
This week—and any time there’s a new crescent moon—the lunar night is a little less dark, thanks to the bright reflected light of Earth
Astronomy
Meet the Stars of the ‘Summer Triangle’
Get to know the stellar trio behind one of the most iconic sights in summer’s night sky
Astronomy
Earliest Merging Galaxies Discovered in New JWST Photos
Astronomers found two colliding galaxies dating back to less than 500 million years after the big bang
Astronomy
Solar Maximum Could Hit Us Harder and Sooner Than We Thought
The sun is quickly approaching a major peak in solar activity. Experts warn it could potentially begin by the end of 2023, years before initial predictions suggested
Astronomy
Earth’s Aphelion Isn’t the Reason for the Seasons
Our planet’s not-quite-circular orbit means that on July 6 we’ll be about 2.5 million kilometers farther from the sun than average—but we won’t feel any colder
Astronomy
A ‘Captured’ Alien Planet May Be Hiding at the Edge of Our Solar System
The cold and mysterious Oort cloud at the edge of our solar system may be hiding a rogue planet
Astronomy
A Potentially Spectacular Comet Will Fly by Earth Next Year
Professional and amateur astronomers alike are hoping that Comet C/2023 A3 will sparkle in Earth’s skies in the fall of 2024, although comets are notoriously difficult to predict
Astronomy
This Astronomer Discovered What the Stars Were Made Of, and Few Believed Her Discovery
Nearly 100 years ago a young astronomer named Cecilia Payne changed the way we see the stars in the sky because she was able to look into their burning heart and see something no one else ever had...
