“Space tornadoes” are swirling near the supermassive black hole at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, new telescope observations have revealed in unprecedented detail. Astronomers recently zoomed in on the cosmic twisters using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. Although these rotating structures had been seen previously, the new observations with ALMA … Read more
The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in northern Chile, will give us a better view of the Milky Way than any ground-based telescope before it. It’s difficult to overstate how transformative it will be. The ELT’s primary mirror array will have an effective diameter of 39 meters. It will gather more light than … Read more
NASA scientists have confirmed that a mysterious object shooting toward us through the solar system is an “interstellar object” — only the third of its kind ever seen. Experts have also given the cosmic interloper an official name, and revealed new information about its origins and trajectory. News of the extrasolar entity, initially dubbed A11pl3Z, … Read more
A U.K. start-up has shocked the space exploration community after unveiling plans to use a novel nuclear fusion propulsion system to power an orbital fleet of reusable “alien-like” rockets, known as Sunbirds, which the company says could revolutionize how we explore the solar system — and beyond. The technology behind this ambitious project will begin … Read more
A quartet of Earth-like worlds, each about 20% to 30% the size of our planet, circle one of our closest stellar neighbors, a new study reveals. The rocky alien worlds are close enough that future generations of humans may be able to visit them with futuristic rocket propulsion technology. However, it is unlikely that we … Read more
Without a doubt, since its launch, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revolutionized our view of the early universe, but its new findings could put astronomers in a spin. In fact, it could tell us something profound about the birth of the universe by possibly hinting that everything we see around us is sealed … Read more
The Blue Ghost’s lunar lander has captured a sunrise on the moon and other stunning images after its successful touchdown on the lunar surface early on Sunday morning (Mar. 2). Blue Ghost landed in an enormous basin in the northeastern part of the moon’s near-side at 3:34 a.m. EST, NASA announced in a statement. The … Read more
Astronomers have discovered an enormous black hole the size of 36 billion suns lurking within the “Cosmic Horseshoe.” The behemoth object is one of the largest black holes ever detected. First discovered in 2007, the Cosmic Horseshoe is a system of two galaxies located in the constellation Leo. Images of the system show a halo … Read more
Changes in Earth’s tilt relative to the sun have governed the movements of giant ice sheets over the past 800,000 years, triggering the start and end of eight ice ages, new research suggests. The new study revealed an “amazing correlation” between Earth’s tilt and ice sheet formation, said lead author Stephen Barker. Based on these … Read more
Radiation from an exploding star may have had a profound effect on the evolution of life on Earth, a new study suggests. About 2.5 million years ago, the viruses infecting fish in Africa”s Lake Tanganyika underwent a mysterious and rapid explosion in diversity. Yet the exact cause of this change has remained a mystery. Now, … Read more
