A rare glimpse at a relatively nearby supernova offers clues to how stars die
SN 2023ixf, spotted in May, was in just the right place at the right time
Earth is a geological oddball in our solar system. This is why.
You would have a hard time finding these common Earth rocks on our neighboring planets. Here’s what makes our landscapes so unique.
In a first, astronomers spot the afterglow of an exoplanet collision
Two Neptune-sized planets around a remote star may have hit each other and cast an infrared glow
This ‘polar ring’ galaxy looks like an eye. Others might be hiding in plain sight
Certain rings encircling galaxies might not be as rare as once thought
Clara Sousa-Silva seeks molecular signatures of life in alien atmospheres
The quantum astrochemist’s work offers clues to what distant objects are made of
What would signal life on another planet?
Astronomers have long debated what kind of chemistry might serve as a bona fide alien biosignature. With the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, those ideas may be put to the test.
Spiral galaxies might have been lentil-shaped before becoming starry whirls
A new look at lenticular galaxies suggests a tweak to galaxy evolution theory
A rain of electrons causes Mercury’s X-ray auroras
The discovery hints that auroras on all planets except Neptune have a common explanationr