Could a toxic chemical in Mars dirt help us build a Red Planet base?
Perchlorate, a toxic substance found in Mars dirt, could help the bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii strengthen bonds between particles of regolith.
Will a bright comet adorn our early spring sky? Why astronomers are getting excited about Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS)
A new comet approaching the sun has caught the attention of astronomers, primarily because of its lineage. It appears to belong to a group of comets that in some cases have briefly become outstandingly bright objects.
James Webb Space Telescope’s view of 800,000 galaxies paints a detailed picture of dark matter
Astronomers used James Webb Space Telescope data to determine the density of the universe's most mysterious "stuff."
Did astronomers see a black hole explode? An ‘impossible’ particle that hit Earth in 2023 may tell us
"If our hypothesized dark charge is true, then we believe there could be a significant population of primordial black holes, which would be consistent with other astrophysical observations, and account for all the missing dark matter in the universe."
Watch dead neutron stars smash together in new NASA supercomputer simulation
"We studied the last several orbits before the merger, when the entwined magnetic fields undergo rapid and dramatic changes, and modeled potentially observable high-energy signals."
Astronomers relieved as industrial plant threatening Earth’s darkest sky gets cancelled
A light-polluting green hydrogen plant project that would seriously affect one of the world's most important astronomical observatories has been scrapped by the company behind it.
Sun unleashes colossal X4.2 solar flare, knocking out radio signals across Africa and Europe (video)
An impulsive X4.2 solar flare sparked strong radio blackouts across Africa and Europe as the giant sunspot continues to rage.
James Webb Space Telescope finds most distant galaxy ever detected: ‘It looks nothing like what we predicted’
"There is a growing chasm between theory and observation related to the early universe, which presents compelling questions to be explored going forward."
NASA satellite watches January’s polar vortex | Space photo of the day for Feb. 4, 2026
A late January 2026 winter storm left more than snow and ice in its wake.
Is Jupiter on a diet? New measurements say it’s smaller than we thought
Jupiter may be a bit more petite than expected, and that could have a big impact on how scientists model the mysterious interior of the giant planet.