A surprisingly low reservoir of methane could explain how a planet around a nearby star has become strangely swollen, according to new observations. James Webb Space Telescope (JWST(). The finding shows that planets’ atmospheres can swell to significant amounts without using esoteric theories of planet formation, astronomers say. “The Webb data tells us that planets… Read More »
Located 163 light-years from Earth, the Jupiter-sized exoplanet called WASP-69b offers astrophysicists a window into the dynamic processes shaping planets in the galaxy. The star it orbits scorches and strips the planet of its atmosphere, and the escaping atmosphere is formed by the star into a vast comet-like tail at least 350,000 miles long. I… Read More »
In 2015, the iconic Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) made the first concrete detection of gravitational waves. The waves were the result of the collision of two black holes far away in the universe; Since then, numerous such signals have been detected from mergers of black holes, neutron stars, and even a few mixed… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. An unusual horned comet noted for a series of recent outbursts will be visible in the night sky for the rest of March – and astronomers expect the comet, dubbed the devil’s comet, to make… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope detected common chemicals found in vinegar, ant stings and even margaritas around two young stars, according to NASA. The complex organic molecules they observed using the space observatory’s… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope detected common chemicals found in vinegar, ant stings and even margaritas around two young stars, according to NASA. The complex organic molecules they observed using the space observatory’s… Read More »
SpaceX is using Falcon 9 rockets to collectively transport about 60 Starlink satellites at a time.Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images SpaceX became astronomers’ worst enemy when it started launching Starlink internet satellites. But SpaceX worked with scientists to try reducing the brightness of the satellites in telescope images. Some of SpaceX’s solutions work. Other… Read More »
A look into your future outer planet science suggests what’s to come European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will give us our best chance of detecting nearby biosignatures in the next two decades rocky worlds orbiting other stars. Proxima Centauri b. That’s the conclusion of a new study that simulates what would be required to characterize… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. The James Webb Space Telescope captured dazzling portraits of 19 spiral galaxies and the millions of stars that call them home, in unprecedented detail never before seen by astronomers. Webb’s unique ability to observe the… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. The James Webb Space Telescope captured dazzling portraits of 19 spiral galaxies and the millions of stars that call them home, in unprecedented detail never before seen by astronomers. Webb’s unique ability to observe the… Read More »