Frontier science, explained
Space, physics and materials news from NASA, NIST, ESA/Hubble, ESA/Webb, ESO, NOIRLab and ALMA.
Webb redefines dividing line between planets and stars
Composition and orbit of 29 Cygni b point to accretion within a protoplanetary disc
astrophysicsexoplanets
The Local Universe’s Expansion Rate Is Clearer Than Ever, but Still Doesn’t Add Up
An international collaboration of astronomers has produced one of the most precise measurements yet of how fast the local Universe is expanding.
astrophysicsgalaxiesFirst light for PoET: shining (sun)light on exoplanet research
The Paranal solar ESPRESSO Telescope (PoET), installed at the European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) Paranal site in Chile, has made its first observations.
astrophysicsexoplanetsEarly Data from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Reveals Over 11,000 New Asteroids
Scientists at NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, have submitted an unprecedented set of asteroid detections to the IAU Minor Planet Center, including hundreds of distant worlds beyond Neptune and 33 previously unknown near-Earth asteroids.
astrophysicsthe solar system
Gemini South Confirms Long-Suspected Link Between the Composition of Exoplanets and Their Host Stars
Astronomers discovered that a giant planet, WASP-189b, echoes the composition of its host star, providing the first direct evidence of a foundational concept in astrobiology.
astrophysicsexoplanets
NIST Researchers Develop Photonic Chip Packaging That Can Withstand Extreme Environments
The advance could allow these technologies to operate in deep-space probes, inside nuclear reactors, in ultrahigh vacuum systems, and at temperatures both near absolute zero and in scorchingly hot industrial settings.
physicsNASA-JAXA’s XRISM Telescope Clocks Hot Wind of Galaxy M82
For the first time, astronomers have directly measured the speed of superheated gas billowing from a cauldron of stellar activity at the heart of M82, a nearby galaxy undergoing an extraordinary burst of star formation.
astrophysicsgalaxies
Webb and Hubble share most comprehensive view of Saturn to date
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have joined forces to capture new views of Saturn, revealing the planet in strikingly different ways.
astrophysicsthe solar system
A Solar System in the making? Two planets spotted forming in disc around young star
Astronomers have observed two planets forming in the disc around a young star named WISPIT 2.
astrophysicsexoplanets
Hubble revisits Crab Nebula to track 25 years of expansion
Nearly a millennium ago, astronomers witnessed a brilliant new star blazing in the sky — a supernova so bright it was visible in daylight for weeks.
astrophysicsnebulae
Hubble unexpectedly catches comet breaking up
Comet K1, whose full name is Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), had just passed its closest approach to the Sun and was heading out of the Solar System.
astrophysicsthe solar systemExtremely Rare Second-Generation Star Discovered Inside Ancient Relic Dwarf Galaxy
Discovered in the Pictor II dwarf galaxy, star PicII-503 has an extreme deficiency in iron — less than 1/40,000th of the Sun.
astrophysicsstars
First NSF NOIRLab Follow-Up Observations Triggered by NSF–DOE Rubin Alerts
NSF NOIRLab, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, has completed end-to-end runs of its ecosystem for following up on alerts from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
astrophysicsALMA Detects Extremely Abundant Alcohol in Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
Methanol-rich interstellar comet offers a glimpse into planet formation beyond our Solar System
astrophysicsthe solar systemLargest image of its kind shows hidden chemistry at the heart of the Milky Way
Astronomers have captured the central region of our Milky Way in a striking new image, unveiling a complex network of filaments of cosmic gas in unprecedented detail.
astrophysicsthe milky way