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A new design for a plasma engine fuels on only thin air

Choosing an orbit for a satellite always comes with trade-offs. Very low Earth orbit (VLEO), between 100–450 km (62–280 miles), has distinct advantages. Remote-sensing cameras can take better pictures, communications and ...

How the 2024 solar superstorm drained Earth's radiation belt

In May 2024, Earth experienced its most intense geomagnetic storm since the Halloween storms of 2003. This "superstorm" filled night skies in many parts of the world with colorful aurorae, and it disrupted some infrastructure, ...

Dense galaxies are carving out a bubble in the early universe

When JWST's first science results started rolling in, it was a triumph for scientific vision and persistence. For years, the fate of the powerful space telescope was uncertain. It went way over budget, and for 25 years, troubling ...

Astronomers unmask a supernova impostor

A distant star has captured astronomers' attention over the past decade, teasing them with indications that it will soon explode as a supernova. But new research shows that something else entirely is behind the star's outbursts. ...

Cataract surgery will be needed in space, surgeon predicts

An eye surgeon with a passion for space since childhood predicts that as astronauts start to make journeys to the moon and Mars in the near future, eye surgery in space will eventually become a necessity.

NASA's next great observatory could spot oceans on distant worlds

We've found more than 5,500 exoplanets so far. Dozens of them are in the habitable zones of their parent stars, where, at least in theory, they could host an ocean. But we've never definitively found a liquid ocean on another ...

Rubin observatory peers deep into the famous COSMOS field

The COSMOS field, or Cosmic Evolution Survey Deep Field, is one of the most famous patches of the universe observed by astronomers. Located in the constellation Sextans, this region was photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope ...

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Planetary Sciences
Scientists discover a strange new form of ice that could help explain the interiors of Neptune and Uranus
Planetary Sciences
What's carving active gullies on Mars? It's not water
Astronomy
How big can the universe's first starbursts get?
Planetary Sciences
Release of open AI model trained on 17 years of lunar data maps ice, craters and volcanoes
Astronomy
eROSITA's second data release catalog delivering most comprehensive high-energy census of the cosmos to date
Space Exploration
A new surface atlas of Phobos will help MMX mission collect its samples
Astronomy
Continuous video of black hole radio observations challenges shock wave theory
Astronomy
A galaxy with almost no stars? New Cloud-9 observations strengthen the case
Astrobiology
Asteroid Ryugu's dust reveals nitrogen's slow concentration into complex molecules
Planetary Sciences
Mercury is shrinking more than we thought
Space Exploration
Scientists want to 3D print houses on Mars with the help of yeast
Planetary Sciences
'Fingerprints' inside the sun could reveal if it once swallowed a planet
Planetary Sciences
Sun's largest sunspots may have potential to trigger superflares
Planetary Sciences
BepiColombo measures Mercury's particle bombardment up close
Astronomy
Ancient Swedish Goths had surprisingly accurate calendars
Astronomy
A wandering black hole caught feeding on the run
Planetary Sciences
JWST discovers that Chariklo's invisible rings are changing
Astronomy
Helium measurements clarify conditions seconds after the Big Bang
Astronomy
Beryllium signal identifies stars that have swallowed rocky planets
Astronomy
Chandra uncovers 'hypersoft X-ray sources' that may solve two astrophysical puzzles

Other news

General Physics
Novel particle beam could challenge Einstein's theory of gravity
Analytical Chemistry
Robots and AI uncover unexpected pathway in classic 135-year-old chemical reaction
Plants & Animals
Bubbles the food-stealing dolphin finds shortcut to easy meal
Plants & Animals
For many group-living females, breeding and raising young are shared endeavors
Archaeology
Indigenous Australian population was much larger than previously thought and decimated after First Fleet's arrival
Social Sciences
Responsibilities in close social relationships explain Eastern–Western cultural differences
Earth Sciences
Rivers may be carrying more microplastics into the world's oceans than previously thought
Polymers
Tough vehicle and construction plastics dissolve into reusable material with low-waste method
Evolution
The surprising history of woolly rhinos: They weren't always creatures of the frozen north
Paleontology & Fossils
First confirmed Diplodocus outside North America reshapes Late Jurassic migration picture
Nanomaterials
New light-emitting nanoparticles can detect subtle chemical differences
Nanophysics
Room-temperature skyrmion-based synapses could pave the way for energy-efficient AI
Plants & Animals
Parakeets, male or female, love a good fight
Earth Sciences
How prehistoric coastal flooding shaped the Northern Adriatic
Earth Sciences
Magma repeatedly breaks and heals during eruptions, microscopic evidence suggests
Environment
Anger, hope and compassion do little to spur more climate donations
Biochemistry
Hidden receptor interactions may explain past failures of brain disorder drugs
Optics & Photonics
Speedy electrons for brilliant laser light: Research paves the way for compact, inexpensive free-electron lasers
Cell & Microbiology
Scientists discover dispersal mechanism and new gene family in harmful E. coli strains
Cell & Microbiology
AI models enable cross-species mapping of cell biology

Black hole 'blast' reaches 300,000 light-years

A team of researchers has discovered that winds generated by supermassive black holes are 100 times more powerful than previously thought, carrying energy across distances of approximately 300,000 light-years. The discovery ...

Little red dots may mark temporary black hole phase

Since their discovery by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in 2022, little red dots (LRDs) have been the subject of great interest to astronomers. Understanding the nature of these extremely distant, compact red sources has ...

A distant primordial object may be a newborn 'Little Red Dot'

The infrared-sensitive James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has conducted multiple surveys of the very distant universe, digging into what was happening in the first billion years after the Big Bang. As part of these deep surveys, ...

ESCAPADE's cameras capture Earth and moon

In November 2025, NASA's Mars-bound ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral with special cargo on board: two camera systems designed and built by faculty and ...

US to loosen environmental safeguards on space industry

The United States on Tuesday said it plans to exempt its private space sector from numerous environmental regulations to accelerate the pace of space launches and ramp up competition with China.