Unbiased AI-powered news
60 stories related to this topic, newest first.
Photographs showed the first sunrise of summer over midtown Manhattan on Sunday. The solstice marks the start of astronomical summer north of the equator.
Nbc NewsThe California Institute of Technology will construct the Deep Synoptic Array across more than 123 square miles in White Pine County after securing funding from Schmidt Sciences.
New ScientistAstronomers using JWST data have detected a spectral feature on both worlds that matches no known compounds. Additional observations and lab tests are underway.
newser.comExcavations near Stonehenge uncovered two postholes from about 2950 BC that align with the midsummer sunrise. The find predates the earliest stones at Stonehenge by roughly five centuries.
NASA reported that asteroid 2003 LN6, measuring about 67 meters wide, will pass Earth at a safe distance on June 18. The date coincides with the yahrzeit of Chabad movement leader Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
hothardware.comAstronomers have confirmed a brown dwarf orbiting in the same plane as a warm Jupiter and a hot super-Earth around a star 155 light years away. The alignment supports theories that planets form within disks and remain coplanar over time.
azernews.azResearchers report a cone-shaped cavity in cold gas near Sagittarius A* that they attribute to an outflow of hot gas. The finding follows five years of observations with radio and X-ray telescopes.
ForbesThe crescent moon will pass in front of Venus for about an hour during daylight hours on Wednesday. The event marks the first such daylight occultation visible over the U.S. in 11 years.
Science NewsNew observations show a cone-shaped gap near the Milky Way’s central black hole, indicating a hot wind is blowing away cold gas. The findings appear in Astrophysical Journal Letters.
themandarin.com.auA global team led by Australia’s CSIRO produced the largest map of cosmic magnetic fields by measuring light from nearly 4 million galaxies. The SPICE_RACS dataset is now public.
The IndependentThe SETI Institute reported Wednesday that more than seven hours of radio observations detected no artificial signals from the third known interstellar object to visit the solar system.
news.google.comThe telescope will observe 100 times more sky area than previous instruments. It is expected to reach Florida ahead of a September launch date.
Dubai Astronomy Group volunteers have taken residents to Al Quaa Desert to view the Milky Way. The excursions occur as the UAE ranks among the world's most light-polluted countries.
cultofmac.comA two-hour program will examine several core topics in physics. The session includes discussion of black holes, antimatter, gravity, and the multiverse.
The IndependentA full Moon on 31 May will also qualify as a micromoon because it occurs near the Moon's farthest point from Earth. The event marks the first Blue Moon since August 2023.
vancouversun.comThe newsletter lists five stories from recent days. Each item summarizes a separate topic without added analysis.
news.google.comResearchers report finding 20 metal-poor stars in the Milky Way whose chemical makeup and orbits point to a single dwarf galaxy absorbed roughly 10 billion years ago. The study, published this month, used data from the European Space Agency's Gaia telescope.
news.google.comThe telescope recorded atmospheric conditions on a distant planet and gathered information about one of Neptune's moons. The findings were presented in a radio segment aired May 25, 2026.
zmescience.comA group of scientists has published a detailed classification of potential technosignatures and called for treating the search for extraterrestrial technology as standard scientific inquiry eligible for funding.
ibtimes.comThe Gemini North Telescope on Mauna Kea recorded an image of the planetary nebula NGC 1514. The National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab released the photo on May 21, 2026.
news.google.comThe telescope observed clouds forming on the night side of WASP-94 A b and dissipating on the day side. Data came from starlight passing through the planet's atmosphere during different phases of its rotation.
WiredA new analysis of 153 gravitational-wave detections found that black holes above roughly 45 solar masses show rapid, misaligned spins consistent with prior mergers. The pattern supports formation inside dense stellar clusters rather than direct stellar collapse.
gizmodo.comA new study published in May reports that 20 metal-poor stars located roughly 7,000 light-years from the Sun may be remnants of a dwarf galaxy the Milky Way absorbed more than 10 billion years ago. Researchers named the proposed galaxy Loki and used data from the European Space A…
ForbesThe U.K. Royal Astronomical Society called on governments to treat artificial light at night as a pollutant. The request follows a January 2025 conference that presented data on health, wildlife, and astronomy impacts.
news.google.comAstronomers are using cosmic voids to study gravity, dark energy, and the Hubble tension. New telescope surveys and simulations have increased the number of mapped voids and improved modeling of their evolution.
citizen.co.zaResearchers used JWST data to map temperature-driven cloud patterns on a distant gas giant. The study found aerosols that condense, move, and evaporate across the planet's day-night boundary.
medium.comAstronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe mineral clouds forming overnight and dissipating during the day on WASP-94A b, a gas giant 689 light-years away. The study, published in Science, provides separate measurements of the planet's morning and evening atmosphe…
thesouthafrican.comAn asteroid estimated between 16 and 36 metres in diameter will pass Earth at a closest approach of 90,917 kilometres. The object was discovered this week by two observatories and will reach its nearest point at 9:38pm UTC on 18 May.
ForbesA large sunspot region on the far side of the sun was imaged by the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter spacecraft. The region is expected to rotate into view from Earth around May 22 and may produce auroras.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast aurora visibility across northern border states on Monday night. A coronal mass ejection from the Sun may produce mild geomagnetic activity that extends the display southward.
The IndependentAsteroid 2026 JH2, discovered last week at Mount Lemmon Observatory, will reach its closest approach to Earth at 10pm BST on 18 May. The object measures up to 35 metres across and will pass closer than some satellites but poses no risk to the planet.
The 66-foot asteroid, comparable in size to Chicago's Cloud Gate sculpture, will make the closest approach of any tracked near-Earth object over the next few months. It will fly four times closer to Earth than the moon. Enthusiasts can observe the event with a telescope or via a…
forbes.comTravel operators have announced several high-end packages for the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. Options include cruises, retreats, and charter flights to viewing locations in Greenland, Iceland, and Spain.
The Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope, perched at 5,600 metres in Chile's Atacama Desert, will soon receive quantum sensor cameras developed by Canadian researchers. Scott Chapman and Mike Fich described the project as opening a new window on the universe at a fraction of space-…
New York PostThe newly discovered asteroid 2026 JH2 will pass about 56,000 miles from Earth on May 18, roughly one quarter of the distance to the moon. Astronomers described the flyby as one of the closest recorded without impact. Scientists plan to observe the object, estimated at 52 to 115…
news.google.comNew Scientist's 16 May 2026 issue highlights an update to Henry Cavendish's 300-year-old experiment that may prove 10,000 times more sensitive than current dark matter detection methods. The magazine also reports discoveries ranging from a Neanderthal kneeprint beside a stalagmit…
thesouthafrican.comAsteroid 2026JH2 will pass Earth at a distance of 90,917 kilometres on 18 May at 9:38pm UTC. The object, estimated at 16 to 36 metres in diameter, has enough mass to destroy a city but poses no impact risk for at least the next century. It was discovered this week by observers at…
news.google.comThe newly discovered asteroid will make one of the closest known approaches in the next year, passing at 9:38pm UTC. At 16 to 36 metres wide and travelling 9.17 kilometres per second, it poses no impact risk but would cause significant damage if it struck.
cnet.comStargazers in Los Cabos, Mexico observed a SpaceX launch that originated from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The spacecraft lifted off and became visible from the Mexican location. The event marks the latest in the company's series of launches.
EngadgetA research team has created the highest-resolution map yet of the cosmic web, revealing its structure when the universe was only a few hundred million years old. The observations, published in The Astrophysical Journal, resolve features previously unseen and allow study of galaxy…
uctoday.comObservations of a galaxy 4.4 billion light-years away suggest the presence of two ultramassive black holes with a combined mass 60 billion times that of the sun. The pair, located in a 3,200 light-year star-free void, appears to be spiraling toward a merger.
New ScientistAstronomers detected a thin atmosphere on the plutino (612533) 2002 XV93, which measures less than 500 kilometres in diameter. The finding came from an occultation observed on 10 January 2024 that showed gradual dimming of starlight over 1.5 seconds. @NewScientist reported the su…
The United States has urged Argentina and Chile to examine two Chinese telescope initiatives in the Andean deserts. One project in Argentina remains incomplete after authorities held key components at customs. Astronomers have expressed concern that the reviews could delay scient…
dnaindia.comA giant telescope sponsored by China sits dismembered in the foothills of the Argentine Andes. The New York Times reported on the project's status during a visit to the remote site. Questions have been raised about the telescope's implications for U.S. security.
universetoday.comObservations combining data from the Keck Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope reveal the mu ring is blue and icy while the nu ring is red and rich in dust and tholins. The findings highlight differences in the tiny moons supplying the rings and raise…
nasa.govResearchers reanalyzed the first year of observations from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and found 11554 candidate exoplanets. More than 10000 of these had not been identified in previous searches. The findings extend the search distance to 6800 light-years from Ea…
medium.comNASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered the first direct look at the surface of the rocky exoplanet LHS 3844 b, also known as Kua’kua, revealing a dark, airless world dominated by ancient volcanic rock. The observations, published this week in Nature Astronomy, show a pla…
upi.comThe agency made public thousands of new photographs captured by the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the crewed mission that circled the moon in April 2026. Images document Earth passing behind the lunar horizon, a solar eclipse observed by the crew, and detailed views of lunar…
Astronomers observed a thin atmosphere around a celestial body roughly 310 miles in diameter located beyond Neptune. The finding challenges the prior belief that only larger bodies such as Pluto could sustain an atmosphere in the Kuiper Belt. Researchers published the results May…
NASA has released over 12,000 images from the Artemis II mission, which orbited the moon in April 2026. The photos capture views of Earth, the lunar surface, and a solar eclipse observed during the crew's return. Astronauts from the mission also visited the United Nations headqua…
cnet.comResearchers have identified a connection between peak solar activity and faster altitude loss for space junk in low Earth orbit. The findings, based on tracking 17 debris objects over three decades, show decay rates increasing when sunspot numbers reach 70 percent of their peak.…
app.buzzsumo.comNASA has released additional photographs from the Artemis II mission, depicting Earth and the Moon from space during the crew's journey and return. The images, taken in early April 2026, include views of the Earth passing behind the Moon and the Moon eclipsing the Sun. All 12,217…
app.buzzsumo.comAn asteroid named Apophis will pass closer to Earth than many satellites on April 13, 2029, with no risk of impact, according to NASA. The object, classified as potentially hazardous, was discovered in 2004 and has been monitored since. Space agencies plan to study it during the…
app.buzzsumo.comAstronomers have detected a thin atmosphere around the Kuiper Belt object (612533) 2002 XV93, marking it as the smallest known body with a global atmosphere bound by gravity. The discovery, made through observations in Japan, challenges assumptions about atmospheres on small cele…
thehindu.comJapanese astronomers have identified a thin atmosphere around the distant object (612533) 2002 XV93, challenging views on atmospheric presence in small solar system bodies. The finding, based on 2024 observations, was published in Nature Astronomy. Experts call for verification t…
theconversation.comA new survey using NASA's TESS telescope has identified 27 potential circumbinary planets, which orbit two stars instead of one. Researchers developed a method to detect these planets by monitoring changes in binary star orbits and eclipse schedules. The findings suggest thousand…
app.buzzsumo.comA comet originating from the Oort Cloud is currently visible in the southern hemisphere after passing around the sun. Viewers in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and the Pacific can observe it with binoculars or a telescope just after sunset. It will fade in brightness over…
universetoday.comAstronomers in Japan formed the Japanese Society for SETI in April 2026, the country's first group dedicated to searching for extraterrestrial intelligence. The society, led by astrophysicist Shinya Narusawa, plans radio observations in August 2027 at Misato Observatory targeting…
New ScientistThe Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument has finished its main five-year survey, capturing data on more than 47 million galaxies and quasars. This enables the creation of the most detailed map of the universe to date. The data will aid in studying dark energy and galaxy distribut…
ndtv.comThe Atacama Desert in Chile provides optimal conditions for astronomy due to its dry climate, high altitude, and low light pollution. Recent proposals for development projects near observatories have raised concerns about potential impacts on sky clarity. Efforts are underway to…