Comet Pons-Brooks underwent a second outburst in early October 2023, once again developing “horns,” as captured here while it was in Draco. Credit: Chris Schur Comets have gotten a lot of press this year, but not all of it good. In particular, numerous headlines have popped up about a “Devil Comet” that’s bigger than Mount…

Jupiter image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA. The image seen here is part of a NASA study which discovered a high-speed jet stream, a “never-before-seen feature in Jupiter’s atmosphere … which spans more than 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) wide, sits over Jupiter’s equator above the main cloud decks.” “This is something…

Artist’s impression of a large satellite constellation in low Earth orbit circling above LOFAR, an operational radio array designed to pick up low frequencies.Daniëlle Futselaar The skies are getting crowded: Anyone who has looked up at the stars during one of these autumn evenings has seen a satellite or three (or 30!) pass overhead. Thosee…

When completed, the Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO) will be the world’s most sensitive and most powerful radio telescope — that is, if SpaceX’s Starlink satellites don’t ruin its view. Private companies have begun launching scores of “constellations” of communications satellites into low and medium Earth orbits, with the stated goal of blanketing the globe…

Eight billion years ago, something happened in a distant galaxy that sent an incredibly powerful blast of radio waves hurtling through the universe. It finally arrived at Earth on June 10 last year and — though it lasted less than a thousandth of a second — a radio telescope in Australia managed to pick up…

For many artists, astronomy and space science is a source of inspiration. After all, there is immeasurable beauty to be found in the cosmos. But for others, astronomy can be a release from the pressures that come with the need for constant creative output. Ahead of the release of Bombay Bicycle Club’s sixth album My…

An artist’s impression of the silicate-rich atmosphere of WASP-17b. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and R. Crawford (STScI) Advertisement <div class="article-block article-text" data-behavior="newsletter_promo dfp_article_rendering" data-dfp-adword="Advertisement" data-newsletterpromo_article-text=" Sign up for Scientific American’s free newsletters. ” data-newsletterpromo_article-image=”https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/4641809D-B8F1-41A3-9E5A87C21ADB2FD8_source.png” data-newsletterpromo_article-button-text=”Sign Up” data-newsletterpromo_article-button-link=”https://www.scientificamerican.com/page/newsletter-sign-up/?origincode=2018_sciam_ArticlePromo_NewsletterSignUp” name=”articleBody” itemprop=”articleBody”> Thousand-mile-per-hour winds are blowing a hail of tiny quartz crystals through the silicate-enhanced, scorching hot atmosphere…