Astronomy
Elon Musk’s Starship Won’t Save Astronomy from Satellites Cluttering the Sky
Launching a fleet of space telescopes is not the solution to the Starlink problem
Stories by Phil Plait
Astronomy
Our Sun Was Born in a Stellar Family Far, Far from Here
We only have a few clues about where the sun was born. Some new ones point to a crowded origin story for our nearest star
Astronomy
Most Planets in the Galaxy Orbit Stars You Can’t Even See
Red dwarfs are dim bulbs but host more Earth-like planets than any other kind of star
Astronomy
Don’t Panic: The Valentine’s Day 2046 Asteroid Will Not Hit Earth. Here’s Why
How I learned to stop worrying and love the next Earth-threatening asteroid
Planetary Science
Volcanic Activity on Mars Upends Red Planet Assumptions
A mass of moving material on Mars called a mantle plume may be causing marsquakes and volcanism
Energy
NASA’s Latest Asteroid Explorer Celebrates Our Ancient Origins in Space and on Earth
The Lucy spacecraft and its target asteroids show that the way that we name discoveries matters
Astronomy
The Asteroid Blast That Shook the World Is Still Making an Impact
The Chelyabinsk asteroid slammed into Earth’s atmosphere 10 years ago, the largest impact in more than a century
Astronomy
Light Pollution Is Dimming Our View of the Sky, and It’s Getting Worse
Citizen scientists and researchers found that we are losing our view of the sky at an astonishing rate of almost 10 percent each year
Astronomy
A Recently Discovered Gas Cloud Near Andromeda Stumps Astronomers
Clues to the origin of this enormous cloud of gas have been maddeningly vague
Black Holes
Neutrinos from a Nearby Galaxy Reveal Black Hole Secrets
The IceCube observatory has detected neutrinos from an active galaxy for the first time, revealing clues about how supermassive black holes gobble matter
Astronomy
On December 7 the Moon Will Photobomb Mars
Much of North America can witness a delightful astronomical event on the evening of December 7 as the moon blocks out Mars
Astronomy
Dazzling New JWST Image Shows Dusty Stellar Spirals
A new JWST image of a star surrounded by strange, rippling spirals reveals a hidden chapter in the story of how dust spreads across the cosmos
Astronomy
The Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst Ever Recorded Rattled Earth’s Atmosphere
The death of a massive star far across the universe affected lightning on our planet and could teach us about the Milky Way
