The core of our Milky Way is buzzing with stars. Recently astronomers reported that it contains at least one ancient star that formed outside our galaxy. Now, an international research team reports finding a grouping of very young ones there, as well. Their presence upends ideas about star birth in that densely packed region of space.
Space News & Blog Articles
December's new moon allows the Geminid meteor shower to shine tonight
The new moon of December 2023 offers skywatchers dark skies for catching the Geminid meteor shower, one of the year's best celestial spectacles.
Blue Origin will return to flight with uncrewed mission on Dec. 18
Blue Origin plans to end its 15-month spaceflight hiatus with an uncrewed mission of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle on Dec. 18.
Cats and dogs in space! Pets crash onto an alien planet in 'Man's Best' miniseries (exclusive)
What happens when emotional support pets have to rescue their owners? Find out in Boom! Studios' "Man's Best" comic book miniseries arriving in 2024.
How 'Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora' expands the exotic alien world of the movies
The video game "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora" presents a stunning recreation of Pandora as seen in the movies. But how does it expand on what we already know?
'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 snippet shows Burnham battling giant, invisible bugs
By the looks of the new cast photograph, everyone in "Star Trek: Discovery" has returned for this, the fifth and final season.
Cassiopeia A: A Festive Supernova Remnant
New near-infrared observations from the Webb telescope reveal intricate strands of debris from the exploded star.
Intergalactic 'stream of stars' 10 times longer than the Milky Way is the 1st of its kind ever spotted
While hunting for dark matter, astronomers accidentally discovered the first known stellar stream stretching between galaxies. The trail of stars is also the longest ever seen.
SETI is searching for alien life at previously unexplored frequencies
Despite the seemingly boundless expanse of the universe, which implies there’s potential for abundant life, the vast distances between stars render the search akin to locating a needle in a cosmic haystack.
Permafrost thaw: a silent menace
Video: 00:05:47
Ice is without doubt one of the first casualties of climate change, but the effects of our warming world are not only limited to ice melting on Earth’s surface. Ground that has been frozen for thousands of years, called permafrost, is thawing – adding to the climate crisis and causing serious issues for local communities.
SpaceX scrubs Falcon Heavy's X-37B space plane launch due to ground issue
SpaceX scrubbed Monday's (Dec. 11) planned Falcon Heavy launch of the US military's X-37B space plane, citing a 'ground side issue.'
Astronaut shows off vintage Nobel Prize in space — and talks 'quantum dots' ISS experiment (video)
A quantum experiment, based on a Nobel Prize work, is mounted outside the International Space Station. The new Nobel laureate called the ISS to talk about it all.
Exomoons Defy Discovery
For a long time, we wondered if other stars hosted planets like the Sun does. Finally, in the 1990s, we got our answer. Now, another question lingers.
Falcon 9 scrubs in wake of Falcon Heavy delay
A Falcon 9 stands ready for launch with 23 Starlink satellites on pad 40. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.
SpaceX scrubbed the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket after delaying a Falcon Heavy launch for the U.S. military. It had planned the launch Monday night, less than three hours after the scheduled launch of a Falcon Heavy from nearby pad 39A. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 with 23 Starlink satellites was tentatively rescheduled for 11:02 p.m. EST (0402 UTC) Tuesday.
'Star Trek: Insurrection' at 25: When Picard and the Enterprise crew found the Fountain of Youth
A retrospective of "Star Trek: Insurrection" on the occasion of its 25th anniversary
SpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites from Florida Dec. 12
SpaceX plans to launch 23 more of its Starlink internet satellites on Tuesday night (Dec. 12), possibly just hours after the launch of the U.S. Space Force's X-37B space plane.
Experts are certain 2023 will be 'the warmest year in recorded history'
After the warmest autumn ever, researchers are confident 2023 will be the hottest year on record before it has even finished.
Why Was it Tricky to Know the Distances to Galaxies JWST Was Seeing?
One of the chief objectives of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is to study the formation and evolution of the earliest galaxies in the Universe, which emerged more than 13 billion years ago. To this end, scientists must identify galaxies from different cosmological epochs to explore how their properties have changed over time. This, in turn, requires precise dating techniques so astronomers are able to determine when (in the history of the Universe) an observed galaxy existed. The key is to measure the object’s redshift, which indicates how long its light has been traveling through space.
Psyche Gives Us Its First Images of Space
NASA’s Psyche mission began eight weeks ago when it launched from the Kennedy Space Center. While it won’t reach its objective, the metal-rich asteroid Psyche, until 2029, the spacecraft has already travelled 26 million km (16 million miles.) During that time, it’s already had its share of success as it ticks off items on its checklist of tests.
James Webb Space Telescope's 'Cosmic Christmas Bauble' earns spot in White House Advent Calendar (photo, video)
The James Webb Space Telescope has imaged a "Cosmic Christmas Bauble" that is actually the aftermath of a supernova. The stunning picture of Cassiopeia A was revealed by Jill Biden as part of the first-ever White House Advent Calendar.
NASA's new 'Greenhouse Gas Center' tracks humanity's contribution to climate change
NASA is at the forefront of a new greenhouse gas hub that will provide more important information to aid in efforts to combat climate change.