Astronomers have discovered the most powerful cosmic explosions since the Big Bang, naming them “extreme nuclear transients.” These incredibly energetic explosions occur when stars with masses at least three times greater than that of the sun are torn apart by supermassive black holes. While such events have been witnessed before, astronomers say some of the…

The universe is full of spectacular and violent events, but few are more dramatic than a black hole tearing apart a star. Now, thanks to advanced computer simulations, scientists have gotten their closest look yet at what this cosmic catastrophe might actually look — and even sound — like. A team of astronomers, led by…

The universe is soaked in weak-but-persistent magnetic fields. Despite decades of research, astronomers still aren’t exactly sure where these magnetic fields came from. But new research suggests they almost certainly originated in the deep history of the cosmos. Everywhere we look, we see magnetic fields. Sometimes, the magnetic fields are relatively weak, like the ones…

Astronomers have been left puzzled by the discovery of an unusually large planet orbiting a remarkably small star, a cosmic pairing that defies existing theories of planetary formation. The star, named TOI-6894, is located approximately 240 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. It is only about one-fifth the mass of our sun. According to…

Like a family in which short parents have tall children, a tiny red dwarf star is defying our understanding of how planets form by existing alongside a giant exoplanet. Giant planets are not rare per se — after all, we have four in our own solar system. Such large worlds are, however, rarely found around…

On June 2, 2025 around 10 a.m. local time, residents of the island of Sicily began fleeing as Europe’s largest volcano suddenly erupted. What is it? Mount Etna’s eruption, captured by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, revealed massive plumes of ash and smoke, as lava streaked down the side of the volcano.…

Astronomers have discovered an exceptionally rare star that may help to solve one of astronomy’s enduring mysteries: where the universe’s heaviest elements came from. The star, named LAMOST J0804+5740, resides in the Gaia Sausage (also called Gaia Enceladus), the ancient remnants of a dwarf galaxy that merged with the Milky Way roughly 8 billion to…

Update for 5 p.m. ET: The Japanese company ispace attempted to land its Resilience moon lander on the plains of Mare Frigoris (Sea of Cold) on the moon today at 3:17 p.m. ET, but lost contact with the spacecraft during its final descent. The fate of the spacecraft is unclear. A press conference is scheduled…

Blue Origin has begun revealing how it plans to establish itself as a provider of hardware to enable long-term human stays on the moon. One newly unveiled key element is the “Transporter,” a vehicle that can be launched on a single Blue Origin New Glenn rocket into low Earth orbit. It will harvest leftover propellant…