Atoms and molecules from Earth’s atmosphere have been traveling across space to settle on the moon for billions of years, new research has found, explaining a lunar mystery that goes back to the Apollo missions.
Not only do the findings point to a way in which a historical record of Earth’s atmosphere could be deposited on the moon, but they also imply a healthy abundance of elements…
Why interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS' close Earth approach is an early Christmas gift for astronomers
December 16, 2025
Darryl Z. Seligman is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University.
Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third large interstellar visitor that we have ever discovered —- an asteroid or comet that originated outside of our solar system and was discovered…
US Space Force to get 'next level' tech to combat drones near Cape Canaveral launch sites
December 15, 2025
The U.S. Space Force is getting serious about drone threats.
Space Force is looking to boost its ability to deter and defeat uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Eastern Range, the 15-million-square-mile (39 million…
How color-changing, bacteria-infused spacesuits could help keep future astronauts safe from space radiation
December 15, 2025
In the future, some of us will be wearing clothes made of bacteria that change colors based on the level of radiation we’re exposed to. At least, that’s the hope of scientists and a fashion designer in Scotland.
Too much ionizing radiation exposure can cause long-term health problems, including cancer and reproductive issues. Radiation exposure is considered especially risky for…
Satellite constellations could obscure most space telescope observations by late 2030s: 'That part of the image will be forever lost'
December 15, 2025
Rapidly growing swarms of satellites around Earth are no longer just a nuisance for ground-based observatories — the reflections they cause are now intruding on space-based telescopes as well, according to new research.
Roughly 15,000 satellites currently circle the planet…
Scientists map of old Mars river basins for the 1st time. These could be great places to search for ancient life
December 12, 2025
For the first time, scientists have mapped vast, continent-scale river drainage systems on Mars — ancient networks that may also be among the most promising places to search for signs of past life.
Billions of years ago, before the Red Planet became the frigid desert it is…
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS caught on camera in new images from Hubble Space Telescope and JUICE Jupiter probe
December 12, 2025
Two flagship spacecraft captured striking new images of Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, including a surprisingly sharp snapshot from a camera never meant for scientific imaging.
Discovered on July 1 by the NASA-funded ATLAS telescope in Chile, 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed visitor from another solar system, following 1I/’Oumuamua in 2017 and comet 2I/Borisov in 2019.
In November, both…
James Webb Space Telescope discovers a hot Jupiter exoplanet leaking twin gas tails that defy explanation
December 12, 2025
Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to discover that a distant “hot Jupiter” planet has two staggeringly long tails composed of helium that currently defy explanation. The observations represent the first study of gases leaking from a…
Uranus may have more in common with Earth than we thought, 40-year-old Voyager 2 probe data shows
December 11, 2025
The Voyager 2 mission may have caught Uranus at a special time during which the ice giant’s radiation belts were being supercharged with electrons accelerated by a similar process to what can drive geomagnetic storms on Earth.
This realization, resulting from placing…
An industrial project in Chile threatens Earth's darkest sky. 28 leading astronomers signed an open letter urging to move it
December 11, 2025
German Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Reinhard Genzel has penned a letter urging the government of Chile to halt the development of a green hydrogen plant in the vicinity of one of the world’s top astronomical observatories.
In the letter, Genzel and 30 other world-leading astronomers urge Chilean leaders to protect the pristine, unpolluted night sky above Cerro Paranal, an…
