In its infancy, the universe had a bit of an identity crisis.
For the first few hundred million years, the vast cosmic gas between galaxies was primarily a chilly, dense affair. But then, it seemed to wake up, deciding to get all warm and fuzzy.
This strange shift in the cosmos’ early disposition is a crucial clue to how the very first galaxies burst into being, shaping everything we see today.
The June full moon occurs at 7:57 p.m. EDT (2357 GMT) on June 29. That’s when the lunar disk will pass opposite the sun in Earth’s sky, appearing fully lit by the sun’s rays.
This month’s full moon is also known as the “Strawberry Moon,” reflecting the time of…
NASA has released a pair of sweeping new panoramas from its two active Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance, offering a vivid look at how dramatically different regions of the Red Planet can be — and how each mission is uncovering a distinct chapter of Martian…
The May full moon rises at sunset tonight! Here’s what you need to know as the full “Flower Moon” takes to the spring sky on May 1 and when to look out for a rare “Blue Moon” later in the month.
The moon will be 100% illuminated at 1:23 p.m. EDT (1723 GMT) on May 1 (local moonrise and moonset times depend on your location), as the lunar disk appears opposite the sun in our sky, fully lit…
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — Asteroid Apophis is set to whisk by Earth in 2029 and serve as a wake-up call for getting our planetary defense act together.
Astronomers have shown that the huge chunk of extraterrestrial real estate will not hit Earth in 2029, but will come…
Looking for a star projector that’ll bathe a whole room in a cosmic display? At just $25, you can’t go wrong with this Fliti Galaxy Projector, but it’s a limited time deal so you’ll have to hurry.
Sick of star projectors disappointing you with their displays? Then…
NASA astronaut Don Pettit is showing off his pride and joy: a potato named “Spudnik.”
In their very minimal “free time,” astronauts aboard the International Space Station generally play instruments, make art, take photos, and more. But Pettit spent his time making like Mark Watney in “The Martian,” and growing potatoes in microgravity.
“Recognized by Andy Weir in his book/movie…
A new citizen science project invites the public to scan never-before-seen images from the Euclid Space Telescope in search of galaxies bending spacetime.
Led by the European Space Agency (ESA), the initiative, called Space Warps, uses data from Euclid to crowdsource the…
What is quantum gravity? Scientists think it could explain the beginning of our universe
April 30, 2026
Scientists have redefined gravity to explain the Big Bang and perhaps change our picture of the earliest moments of the cosmos. This new framework of “quantum gravity” may explain aspects of the Big Bang that Albert Einstein’s 1915 theory of gravity, general…
Planets may form more easily around pairs of stars than around single stars like the sun, according to new research.
Binary star systems, in which two stars orbit each other, are common throughout the Milky Way — and, in fact, even our sun may not have always been alone. For decades, astronomers believed such multi-star systems were hostile environments for planet formation, with competing…
