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How flare ribbons reveal hidden solar explosions on the sun

Many topics in astronomy and astrophysics are esoteric. There's not much of a relationship between something like the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way and the life of a regular person going about their ...

Pedal to the metal: NASA's Psyche heads toward asteroid belt

With a successful Mars gravity assist in its rearview mirror, NASA's Psyche spacecraft has fired up its thrusters and is accelerating toward the metal-rich asteroid of the same name. During the first leg of its journey, following ...

NASA's Hubble charts path for Roman with gravitational lenses

A sweeping barred spiral galaxy marks the spot in this image, but the real treasure is the gravitational lens in the lower-right corner, where a distant background galaxy is being magnified and distorted by the gravity of ...

Webb image reveals young stars brewing in a nebulous cauldron

In this Picture of the Month from the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope, we visit a turbulent cauldron of star formation to see what is brewing inside dense clumps of gas. This is a star-forming region named LHA 120-N 159, ...

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Planetary Sciences
Reexamined Viking 2 signal reveals possible marsquake from region active decades later
Astronomy
Astronomers uncover the engine behind the most powerful stellar flares in the Kepler field
Planetary Sciences
NASA's CASALS instrument bridges gaps in 3D maps of Earth's surface
Space Exploration
SpaceX turns a profit after a string of losses as its satellite and computer leasing businesses soar
Astronomy
The sun may have stripped away meters of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
Astronomy
A pulsar's apparent slowdown reveals a rare stellar trio
Planetary Sciences
Giant canyon on Mars is still tectonically active today
Space Exploration
Japan launches spacecraft to mysterious moons of Mars in a bold mission to bring home soil samples
Space Exploration
NASA experimental Mars helicopter blade designs target longer flights
Space Exploration
The Orionid meteor shower is coming. Here's how and when to watch
Planetary Sciences
Water as we've never known it: Physicists test water beyond Earth-like conditions
Space Exploration
Using eyedrops in space—wearable patch offers a new approach
Astronomy
Hot plasma may explain how rapidly feeding black holes launch powerful jets
Astronomy
A magnetar can be born when two neutron stars touch
Astronomy
Aurora supercomputer powers two of the largest cosmological simulations to date
Planetary Sciences
Rare solar radiation storm gives scientists clearest picture yet of flight risks
Astronomy
'Terror of kings': Why the 1066 appearance of Halley's Comet terrified the medieval world
Space Exploration
Near miss: Indonesia probes crash of suspected Chinese rocket fragment
Space Exploration
Lucy mission marks 5 years of discoveries
Planetary Sciences
Auroral structure could be caused by bouncing electrons

Other news

Analytical Chemistry
Tests reveal why titanium additions do not fully prevent pitting corrosion in stainless steel
General Physics
'One-positron cyclotron' could test a key prediction of the Standard Model
Plasma Physics
Single X-ray pulse reveals plasma nanostructures across scales with one camera
Earth Sciences
Ancient stalagmites reveal exceptions to Asia–South America monsoon seesaw over the past 450,000 years
Plants & Animals
Seabird family tree predicts which species accumulate plastic better than diet, global analysis finds
Cell & Microbiology
Newly identified protein pathway helps HIV stay hidden despite treatment
Environment
Cleaner brick kilns cut pollution, but gains did not reach workers, research finds
Education
Swinging virtual lightsabers and punching improve pattern-based learning in VR tests
Plants & Animals
Glowing plants reveal immune responses around infection sites via two colors
Paleontology & Fossils
Rare fossils reveal what ancient Denisovans may have looked like
Biotechnology
DNA programs a cell-free material to build its own motors and move
Quantum Physics
Experiment shows when quantum 'cat' states stop bouncing back
Earth Sciences
Sinking Antarctic ice reveals a hidden lake's massive water loss
Evolution
An ancient virus in chimpanzee DNA switches off a gene that is active in humans
Political science
AI agents can form political camps—and changing their conversation partners does little to soften their views
Archaeology
Paleolithic human DNA reveals east-west connections across Ice Age Europe
Earth Sciences
El Niño then and now
Optics & Photonics
Counting magnetic flux quanta offers new way to measure photon numbers
Analytical Chemistry
Scientists demonstrate AI-designed enzyme for drug synthesis
Cell & Microbiology
Scientists uncover the molecular pillars that shape our cells' powerpacks

Earth and Mars: Built from different cosmic recipes

Four and a half billion years ago, Earth and Mars were born in the rotating cloud of gas and dust that would eventually become our solar system. Yet exactly how the planets formed remains one of the most disputed questions ...

The north pole of Mars is less dusty than scientists thought

Although Mars may have once resembled Earth, the rocky red planet now appears far from hospitable. Still, certain details—such as ice-bound water—pique researchers' curiosity. As on Earth, ice on Mars contains valuable records ...

Starship's first orbital flight put its heat shield to the test

SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, reached Earth orbit for the first time on Sept. 28, 2026. This mission, the rocket's 14th test flight, also marked the first time that Starship deployed ...

Suns set on hunt for giant planets in nearby binary system

New research led by the University of Michigan is helping set the stage for future observatories to characterize rocky planets outside our solar system, planets that could prove life isn't confined to Earth. The new research ...