Astronomers are trying to understand a mysterious cosmic explosion that the Einstein Probe spacecraft spotted in April last year. The highly energetic explosion was initially attributed to a burst of gamma rays emitted either by the collision of two neutron stars or from the death of a massive star. Soon, however, the possibility emerged that…

NASA and European scientists explain how they calculate the probability of the space rock 2024 YR4 impacting our planet, and why it’s not yet time to worry. Asteroid 2024 YR4’s impact probability with Earth has increased from about 1 percent to a 2.3 percent chance on Dec. 22, 2032.ATLAS Since December, astronomers have been carefully…

Astronomers have discovered what may be the largest-scale structure in the known universe — a group of galaxy clusters and clusters of galaxy clusters that spans roughly 1.3 billion light-years across and contains a mind-boggling 200 quadrillion solar masses. The newfound structure is dubbed Quipu after an Incan system of counting and storing numbers using…

Artist’s illustration of the large-scale structure of the universe Science Photo Library/Alamy Astronomers have found the largest known structure in the universe. It is 1.4 billion light years across and contains nearly 70 galactic superclusters. It is also hundreds of thousands of times more massive than a single galaxy, such as the Milky Way. Hans…

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured a stunning image of a young star firing energy into space, illuminating a protoplanetary disk from which a new solar system may form. The young star, called HH 30, is a Herbig-Haro object — a bright knot of gas formed when the gas streaming from young protostars…

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. CNN  —  Seven years after SpaceX launched Elon Musk’s cherry red sports car into orbit around our sun, astronomers unwittingly began paying attention to its movements once again. Observers spotted and correctly identified the vehicle as…

For more than five years, astronomers have sounded alarms about the effect satellite megaconstellations would have on their observations. The launch in 2019 of the first Starlink satellites, initially bright enough to be seen by the naked eye, led astronomers to spring to action to both raise awareness about the threat and to work with…

What is National Astronomy Week? National Astronomy Week 2025 runs from 1-9 February and is supported by the Royal Astronomical Society, British Astronomical Association, Federation of Astronomical Societies, and Society for Popular Astronomy. National Astronomy Week doesn’t occur at the same time each year; it’s instead held when there is a significant astronomical event that…

Astronomers have spotted a “bull’s-eye” galaxy with a whopping nine rings, smashing the previous record by six rings. The discovery of the galaxy, known as LEDA 1313424, is helping researchers understand what happens when galaxies collide. Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope spotted LEDA 1313424 “serendipitously” while reviewing a sky survey completed in 2019. The…

PALMYRA, N.Y. — Some Palmyra-Macedon High School students had a chance to share their space research at the largest gathering of astronomers in the world. The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program is all about connecting aspiring astronomy students to data collected by NASA and its space telescopes. Pal-Mac earth science teacher Joe Perry’s enthusiasm for…