https://phys.org/space-news/ en-us The latest science news on astronomy, astrobiology, and space exploration from Phys.org. Using various telescopes, an international team of astronomers has performed multi-wavelength observations of a recently identified gamma-ray burst source designated GRB 250416C. Results of the observational campaign, published April 23 on the v pre-print server, could help us better understand the nature of GRB 250416C and gamma-ray bursts in general. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-optically-dark-gamma-ray-reveals.html Astronomy Mon, 04 May 2026 14:40:09 EDT news697112740 A new publication from Bielefeld University sets a benchmark in optimization research. Together with an international team, Professor Michael Römer from the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics has developed a mathematical framework that solves a complex problem from space logistics exactly for the first time: the optimal planning of a route to visit several asteroids under conditions that are as close to reality as possible. The study is published in the INFORMS Journal on Computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mathematical-framework-asteroid-route.html Space Exploration Mon, 04 May 2026 12:40:04 EDT news697112882 A team of professional and amateur Japanese astronomers have found evidence for a thin atmosphere around a small body in the outer solar system. The object is so small that it should not have a sustainable atmosphere, raising questions about when and how the atmosphere formed. Future observations to better characterize the atmosphere will help solve these mysteries. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-tiny-world-neptune-atmosphere-shouldnt.html Astronomy Mon, 04 May 2026 11:00:09 EDT news697097941 Astronomers recently carried out a comprehensive search for strange "winged" radio galaxies using data from the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey Data Release 2 (LoTSS DR2) and discovered over 1,000 new systems. The paper outlining these results was submitted to the arXiv preprint server on April 24, 2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-astronomers-uncover-radio-galaxies-wings.html Astronomy Mon, 04 May 2026 10:40:09 EDT news697104312 Using MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team of researchers led by former MPIA (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany) Ph.D. student Sebastian Zieba (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, U.S.) and Laura Kreidberg, MPIA Director and study PI (principal investigator), analyzed the surface composition of the rocky exoplanet LHS 3844 b. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-astronomers-explore-surface-composition-nearby.html Astronomy Mon, 04 May 2026 05:00:01 EDT news696851882 The Eta Aquarid meteor shower soon will light the sky with debris from Halley's comet. But a bright moon will spoil the fun this year, making the display harder to glimpse. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-bright-moon-dim-eta-aquarid.html Space Exploration Sun, 03 May 2026 06:40:22 EDT news697009166 Chinese astronomers report the discovery of DESI-HVS1, which may be an old metal-poor hypervelocity star of galactic center origin. The finding, based on the data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and ESA's Gaia satellite, was detailed in a research paper published April 23 on the arXiv pre-print server. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-desi-hvs1-hypervelocity-star-ejected.html Astronomy Fri, 01 May 2026 10:00:03 EDT news696763810 Expose an animal to extreme physical stress, and the expectation is simple: It will break down. But when UC Riverside scientists subjected fruit flies to forces many times stronger than Earth's gravity—a condition called hypergravity—the insects did something unexpected. They survived. They even mated and reproduced. Their movements and behaviors changed dramatically and then, over time, they recovered. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hypergravity-fruit-flies-recover.html Space Exploration Fri, 01 May 2026 09:40:03 EDT news696845581 When you're looking for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, it helps to know what you're looking for and to go about it in the most efficient way. But work so far has generally not done so, writes Benjamin Zuckerman, an astrophysicist and emeritus professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). https://phys.org/news/2026-04-extraterrestrial-intelligence.html Astrobiology Fri, 01 May 2026 08:30:01 EDT news696769964 A century after their discovery, cosmic rays—particles of extreme energy originating from the far reaches of the universe—remain a mystery to scientists. The DAMPE (Dark Matter Particle Explorer) space telescope is tackling this phenomenon, particularly investigating the role that dark matter may play in their formation. This international mission, which includes the University of Geneva (UNIGE), has made a major breakthrough by highlighting a universal feature of these particles. The results are published in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dampe-satellite-reveals-cosmic-rays.html Astronomy Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:40:03 EDT news696777961 The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has made a breakthrough in exploring the extreme universe. For the first time, the LHAASO collaboration has detected ultra-high-energy (UHE) gamma rays—with energies exceeding 100 trillion electron-volts (TeV)—from a gamma-ray binary system, LS I +61° 303. The discovery challenges existing theories of particle acceleration in extreme astrophysical environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-lhaaso-extreme-particle-milky.html Astronomy Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:20:06 EDT news696768002 The Milky Way galaxy grew into its current form with the help of smaller galaxies over time, which it has "consumed" or merged with. Astronomers are able to pick out which stars in the Milky Way came from other galaxies by identifying certain features, like the eccentricities of their galactic orbits and how many heavier elements they contain. Properties of some of the merged galaxies can then be determined when astronomers find collections of stars with similar features. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-lost-galaxy-loki-milky.html Astronomy Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:40:03 EDT news696769916 Manganese dioxide can convert amino acids into hydrogen cyanide (HCN) without requiring methane, a finding that solves a long-standing puzzle about the origin of this key prebiotic molecule on early Earth. Although HCN is central to origin-of-life theories, recent evidence suggests early Earth's atmosphere didn't contain sufficient methane needed for classic HCN-producing reactions. The newly found chemical pathway, reported by researchers from Science Tokyo, shows that HCN could instead have been continuously supplied from abundant amino acids. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-overlooked-mineral-quietly-powered-crucial.html Astrobiology Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:20:06 EDT news696762241 Using the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory, Bulgarian astronomers have conducted optical photometric observations of an ultracompact binary known as GP Com. Results of the observational campaign, presented in the Proceedings of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, shed more light on the properties of this system. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-gp-sharpen-picture-rare-ultracompact.html Astronomy Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:40:01 EDT news696675901 Understanding how to explore hidden glaciers on Mars begins not in a laboratory, but in remote field camps across Alaska and Wyoming. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-drone-radar-reveals-glaciers-earth.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:50:01 EDT news696700801 A newly discovered object may be a key to unlocking the true nature of a mysterious class of sources that astronomers have found in the early universe in recent years. A "X-ray dot" found by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory could explain what these objects are. A paper describing the results is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nasa-red-dots-chandra-webb.html Astronomy Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:40:04 EDT news696682321 Astronomers now estimate there is at least one planet for every star in our galaxy. These worlds, called exoplanets, are planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. But new research from McMaster University reveals a surprising twist: the most common planets in our galaxy don't exist around the most common stars. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-common-planets-galaxy-dont-stars.html Astronomy Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:20:04 EDT news696680521 An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new supernova remnant (SNR) using radio observations. The newfound supernova remnant, dubbed Abeona, is one of the faintest radio SNRs so far detected. The discovery is detailed in a research paper published April 21 on the arXiv preprint server. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-newly-supernova-remnant-faintest.html Astronomy Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:10:01 EDT news696589426 Shielding materials are essential in key modern industrial settings—such as spacecraft, nuclear power plants, semiconductor equipment, and advanced medical devices—to protect both equipment and personnel from electromagnetic waves and radiation. In particular, as space exploration gains momentum—such as with the successful launch of Artemis 2 on the 2nd—the importance of next-generation shielding technology capable of withstanding extreme environments is growing. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-thinner-hair-stretchable-rubber-shield.html Space Exploration Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:00:05 EDT news696613921 Understanding the universe as a whole requires simulations on cosmic scales. An international team of astrophysicists, with a leading role for researchers at Leiden University, Netherlands, has now released one of the largest cosmological simulation datasets ever produced. The dataset contains more than 2.5 petabytes of simulation data—roughly equivalent to half a million HD movies. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-astronomers-massive-virtual-universes-global.html Astronomy Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:00:02 EDT news696585421 An international team of astronomers has employed the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to perform high-resolution observations of the Needle galaxy. Results of the new observational campaign, presented April 15 on the arXiv preprint server, provide more insights into the properties of molecular gas in this galaxy. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-alma-reveals-giant-molecular-clouds.html Astronomy Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:20:01 EDT news696502546 NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have captured two 360-degree landscapes that highlight how the missions are revealing details of the Red Planet's formation, watery past, and potential for life. Located 2,345 miles (3,775 kilometers) apart from each other on Mars—about the distance from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.—both rovers are exploring areas that are billions of years old. But as the nearly 15-year-old Curiosity reaches ever-younger terrain in the foothills of Mount Sharp, the 5-year-old Perseverance is venturing into some of the oldest landscapes in the entire solar system. By time-traveling in opposite directions, the rovers are filling in missing details about the planet's history. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nasa-perseverance-curiosity-panoramas-capture.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:20:01 EDT news696577981 From birth to death, stars generally slow by 100 to 1,000 times their initial rotation rates; in other words, they "spin down." The sun's total angular momentum has declined as material is gradually blown off at the surface as solar wind. By observing this, astronomers have theorized the interaction between magnetic fields and plasma flow to be the most efficient way to spin down stars. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-stars-die.html Astronomy Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:00:09 EDT news696493275 When Mauna Loa erupted in 2022, the largest lava flow headed on a path headed directly toward Daniel K. Inouye State Highway 200, also known as Saddle Road, a critical route that carries many residents from their homes on one side to their jobs on the other. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-volcano-eruption-earth-venus-mauna.html Planetary Sciences Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:20:08 EDT news696508381 Planets may actually form more easily around double stars than around single stars like our sun, according to new research from astrophysicists at the University of Lancashire. Binary stars are common in our galaxy, yet for a long time astronomers believed that the gravitational tug-of-war between two stars would make it harder for circumbinary planets, worlds that orbit both stars, to form. Famous fictional worlds such as Tatooine from Star Wars, with its iconic twin sunsets, were thought to be cosmic curiosities rather than something nature routinely produces. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-suns-planets-binary-stars.html Planetary Sciences Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:40:01 EDT news696506341 Whether it's robotic rovers heading to Mars or, one day, a crew of astronauts, a round-trip journey is an incredibly long one. But there may be a way to find a shortcut. A new study published in the journal Acta Astronautica suggests that hundreds of days could be shaved off a return trip to the Red Planet by using the early orbital data of asteroids. This could bring the total mission time down to as low as 153 days. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-interplanetary-shortcut-mars.html Space Exploration Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:00:06 EDT news696502416 The Fe Kα line, or iron Kα line, is often used in astronomical research to understand the physical composition of astronomical objects. This line is produced when a K-shell electron of an iron ion in the photosphere—the gas on the stellar surface—is ejected by an external process, and has been detected in X-ray spectra of solar and stellar flares. Yet the dominant mechanism behind this ionization process has remained an open question for many years. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tandem-superflare-reveal-stellar-fe.html Astronomy Mon, 27 Apr 2026 05:00:01 EDT news696256870 Astronomers, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), have confirmed the existence of a close quasar pair housed in a pair of merging galaxies seen when the universe was less than a billion years old, at a redshift of 5.7. The system, designated J2037–4537, is one of only two confirmed quasar pairs at redshift greater than 5 ever found. A paper outlining this work was submitted to the preprint server arXiv on April 7. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-blazing-quasars-caught-waltzing-merger.html Astronomy Sun, 26 Apr 2026 13:30:01 EDT news695898411 It takes a moment for the eyes to adjust. A faint spark appears in the darkness; then another, brighter one. Soon, stars, planets and entire constellations emerge. Before long, a whole galaxy stretches across the sky, visible to the naked eye. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-threat-pollution-world-darkest-skies.html Astronomy Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:40:01 EDT news696422376 A team of astrophysicists from Nanjing University and University of Bonn have demonstrated that, rather than being random, the mass of new stars born inside a star cluster is actually governed by a defined process of self-regulation. Their work has been published in the journal Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-cosmic-star-clusters.html Astronomy Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:40:04 EDT news696248642