Astronomers have directly observed two worlds beyond our solar system shedding their outer layers into space for the first time. The new observations offer an unprecedented glimpse into the interiors of planets — a view that has long remained elusive, even for Earth. The first “disintegrating” exoplanet is a Neptune-size rocky world called K2-22b, which…

Astronomers have been forced to reassess the origins of mysterious, rapid radio wave blasts called “fast radio bursts” (FRBs). This rethink was brought about by an FRB first detected last year, which has been traced back to the “cosmic graveyard” of a massive “dead” galaxy filled with ancient stars located 2 billion light-years from Earth.…

The odds that the space rock, 2024 YR4, will smash into our planet in 2032 have dropped to nearly zero, leading astronomers to conclude that we are no longer in danger. A NASA video showing the shifting odds that Asteroid 2024 YR4 would crash into Earth.Graphics by Nasa Jpl/cneos Astronomers have been carefully watching 2024…

An unusual elliptical galaxy with a history of absorbing smaller galaxies appears to be approaching its next target. New images from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Paranal Observatory suggest that the galaxy, known as NGC 3640, may soon merge with a smaller galactic companion. Located 88 million light-years from…

Maram Kairé, 46, is the star of the documentary Star Chasers of Senegal. And his life could also be a movie. He has just launched the first Senegalese nanosatellite into space, an asteroid bears his name, he has led three missions for NASA and promotes a space bus that travels through Senegalese villages showing stars.…

Astronomers have discovered that sulfur may be a key to helping us narrow down our search for life on other planets. It’s not that sulfur is a great indication that a planet is inhabited. Instead, it’s the opposite: Significant amounts of sulfur dioxide in a planet’s atmosphere is a good sign that the world is…

The threat from space rock 2024 YR4 has surpassed that of Apophis, an asteroid feared by scientists 20 years ago. The danger remains low, but experts are estimating the damage that could be done. Astronomers on Tuesday said that the asteroid designated 2024 YR4 had become the most likely sizable space rock ever forecast to…

The University of Michigan Department of Astronomy will launch its first STARI mission into space in 2029. The mission will demonstrate satellite maneuverability critical for future missions. // Rendering courtesy of U-M The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor reports the first space mission led by the U-M Department of Astronomy is scheduled to launch…

The sky is awash with radio-frequency interference (RFI), but thanks to two astronomers who tracked down a stray TV broadcast reflected off a passing airplane, there may be a new way to wipe out some of the rogue signals that plague our radio telescopes. “Astronomy is facing an existential crisis,” said Jonathan Pober of Brown…

CHEYENNE — Like a lot of girls who grew up in the days of the first lunar landing in 1969, Marcy Curran heard often that girls aren’t supposed to be interested in space and the stars. “My folks were going to Denver that day, and I was in junior high,” Curran recalled about July 16, 1969,…