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Astronomy & Space news
Dry ice detected in a planetary nebula for the first time
An international team of astronomers has employed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe a complex planetary nebula known as NGC 6302. The observations, detailed in a paper published Feb. 25 on the arXiv pre-print ...
A 100-solar-mass black hole merger ripples spacetime, and may flash in gamma rays
An international team from China and Italy has reported a possible cosmic encore to the landmark 2017 multi-messenger discovery. In November 2024, the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observatories detected gravitational waves from a binary ...
Astronomy
23 hours ago
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Dragonfly mission begins rotorcraft integration, testing stage
Dragonfly integration and testing—the activities involved in assembling the mission's rotorcraft lander and testing it for the rigors of launch and extreme conditions of space—is officially underway in clean rooms and ...
Space Exploration
21 hours ago
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Safer space travel: Scientists create a cosmic ray simulator
Cosmic rays are one of the greatest challenges for space travel and pose a considerable risk to humans and materials. For the first time on European soil, an international research team in collaboration with the European ...
Space Exploration
Mar 13, 2026
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This isn't just another rocky world orbiting a red dwarf—this one's special
Astronomers have found an exoplanet that could serve as a benchmark in future studies. It's a rocky planet orbiting an M-type star, and though these planets are plentiful, this one could serve as a benchmark for understanding ...
Astronomy
Mar 13, 2026
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We are not alone: Our sun escaped together with stellar 'twins' from galaxy center
Researchers have uncovered evidence for our sun joining a mass migration of similar "twins" leaving the core regions of our galaxy, 4 to 6 billion years ago. The team created and studied an unprecedentedly accurate catalog ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
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Galactic islands of tranquility: 'Little red dots' may have brewed life's building blocks
Astronomers have found that both the core of our Milky Way and the earliest proto-galaxies in the universe share a surprising trait: They are unusually calm and quiet in terms of harsh radiation. This tranquility is not just ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
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NASA's tiny spacecraft sends first exoplanet images
With the first images from the spacecraft now in hand, the team behind NASA's Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat, or SPARCS, is ready to begin charting the energetic lives of the galaxy's most common stars to help answer ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
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AI accelerates elucidation of nuclear forces with explosive neutron star data
A research team is using astrophysical explosions to understand the mysterious forces at work in some of the smallest building blocks in nature: atomic nuclei. In new research published in Nature Communications, the team ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
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Astronomers discuss fortifying our planetary defenses
When people think of asteroids, they tend to picture rare, civilization-ending impacts like those depicted in movies such as "Armageddon." In reality, the asteroids most likely to affect modern society are much smaller. While ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 12, 2026
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Webb spots details in nearby spiral galaxy NGC 5134
Two powerful instruments of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope joined forces to create this scenic galaxy view. This spiral galaxy is named NGC 5134, and it is located 65 million light-years away in the constellation ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
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NASA plans to have a permanent base on the moon by 2030: How it can be done
A US Senate committee has directed NASA to begin work on a moon base "as soon as is practicable." Under legislation advanced by the Senate lawmakers, the outpost would serve as a science laboratory and proving ground, where ...
Space Exploration
Mar 12, 2026
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NASA clears its Artemis moon rocket for an April launch with four astronauts following repairs
NASA cleared its moon rocket on Thursday for an April launch with four astronauts after completing the latest round of repairs.
Space Exploration
Mar 12, 2026
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Deep underground, a telescope may soon detect ghosts of stars that died before Earth existed
Imagine looking up at the night sky and seeing a star suddenly burst into a blaze of light brighter than anything nearby. A flash so bright that it briefly outshines an entire galaxy before fading forever.
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
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'Ionic liquids' could redefine the habitable zone
"Follow the water" has been a guiding mantra of astrobiology, and even space exploration more generally, for decades. If you want to find life, it makes sense to look for the universal solvent that almost all types of life ...
Astrobiology
Mar 12, 2026
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Old NASA science satellite plunges back to Earth
An old NASA science satellite plunged uncontrolled from orbit and reentered over the Pacific on Wednesday.
Space Exploration
Mar 12, 2026
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Oval orbit casts new light on black hole–neutron star mergers
Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together but orbiting in an oval path rather than a perfect circle just before they merged. This discovery challenges long-standing ...
Astronomy
Mar 11, 2026
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Galaxy-group motion suggests slower expansion in our cosmic neighborhood
Two new studies have measured the expansion of the universe in our immediate cosmic neighborhood using a novel method that analyzes the motion of two nearby galaxy groups within their surrounding cosmic flow. The results ...
Astronomy
Mar 11, 2026
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Astronomers capture birth of a magnetar, confirming link to some of universe's brightest exploding stars
Astronomers have for the first time seen the birth of a magnetar—a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star—and confirmed that it's the power source behind some of the brightest exploding stars in the cosmos. The finding ...
Astronomy
Mar 11, 2026
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Hydrogen atmosphere could keep exomoons habitable for billions of years
Liquid water is considered essential for life. Surprisingly, however, stable conditions that are conducive to life could exist far from any sun. A research team from the Excellence Cluster ORIGINS at LMU and the Max Planck ...
Astrobiology
Mar 11, 2026
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ESA analyzing fireball over Europe on 8 March 2026
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