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Did aliens watch 1950s nuclear tests? ‘Maybe,’ studies say

Brooks Mendenhall — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 22:16:48 +0000

For decades, astronomers have been aware of something weird lurking on old, 1950s-era photographic plates: starlike flashes of light (called “transients”) that appear from nowhere and vanish just as quickly. Since these plates were taken before the 1957 launch of Sputnik, the usual explanation of satellites or space junk was out. These mystery blips haveContinue reading "Did aliens watch 1950s nuclear tests? ‘Maybe,’ studies say"

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Comet 3I/ATLAS reaches perihelion, begins solar transit

Brooks Mendenhall — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 19:36:46 +0000

Comet 3I/ATLAS is hitting a major milestone on Oct. 30, 2025. The interstellar comet is reaching perihelion, its closest point to our Sun, marking the climax of its brief journey through our solar system. A watery surprise This milestone follows the recent discovery of water vapor being released from the comet. Using NASA’s Neil GehrelsContinue reading "Comet 3I/ATLAS reaches perihelion, begins solar transit"

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Remembering Comet Hale-Bopp

Stuart Atkinson — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Today, most comets are found by robots. Wherever you are reading this, whatever time of the day or night it is, the unblinking electronic eyes of automated surveys like ATLAS or Pan-STARRS will be staring into the sky, seeking out these fascinating icy nomads. But legend tells of a time long ago, back in theContinue reading "Remembering Comet Hale-Bopp"

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The universe’s guide to creating elements

Alison Klesman — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Many space-lovers know the phrase “We are all made of star stuff.” And it’s true — our planet formed from the dust cloud left over from the formation of our Sun, and from the planet, all life. That cloud, in turn, was born from the remnants of past generations of stars. But the elements thatContinue reading "The universe’s guide to creating elements"

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Is Sean Duffy making a power grab at NASA?

Brooks Mendenhall — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:34:00 +0000

A showdown is brewing for the top job at NASA. The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported that Sean Duffy, U.S. transportation secretary and interim NASA administrator, wants to lead the agency permanently as rumors swirl about the potential renomination of Jared Isaacman for the role. Isaacman, the CEO of Shift4 Payments and a customer of Elon Musk’sContinue reading "Is Sean Duffy making a power grab at NASA?"

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JWST views a frozen starscape in the Chamaeleon I molecular cloud complex

Richard Talcott — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 13:32:00 +0000

The Sun generates energy through nuclear fusion, converting some 600 million tons of hydrogen into helium every second. This process began nearly 5 billion years ago, and it will continue for at least another 5 billion years. But the Sun did not pop into existence fully formed. It started its long journey to stardom inContinue reading "JWST views a frozen starscape in the Chamaeleon I molecular cloud complex"

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Black hole caught snacking on star far from host galaxy’s center

Alison Klesman — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 16:41:42 +0000

For the first time, astronomers have detected intense, fast-changing radio signals from a tidal disruption event, dubbed AT2024tvd, located outside its galaxy’s core. Now, astronomers are trying to understand what the black hole is doing 2,600 light-years from where they expected it to be, what its strange signals mean, and whether there are more off-kilterContinue reading "Black hole caught snacking on star far from host galaxy’s center"

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Can Mars’ ice confirm past life?

Michael E. Bakich — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 15:11:54 +0000

In a recent study, a team of researchers from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Penn State suggested that future missions to Mars search for microbes or their remains in that planet’s ice, rather than in its rocks, clay, or soil. In a lab, the team recreated conditions that exist in the permafrost and iceContinue reading "Can Mars’ ice confirm past life?"

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Supermassive black hole seen feeding via a pair of spiral arms

Brooks Mendenhall — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:41:00 +0000

For the first time, astronomers have gotten a detailed look at how a supermassive black hole (SMBH) eats, discovering two large spiral arms of gas that are funneling its meals inward. The finding, made using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, has been accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. It offers aContinue reading "Supermassive black hole seen feeding via a pair of spiral arms"

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NASA’s JPL lays off 550 employees

Brooks Mendenhall — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:26:24 +0000

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on Monday announced that it will lay off about 550 employees, or about 11 percent of its workforce. According to JPL director Dave Gallagher, the move has nothing to do with the ongoing government shutdown, which the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has pledged to use as anContinue reading "NASA’s JPL lays off 550 employees"

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