We’ve just found a nearby exoplanet that could be right for life
A newly discovered nearby world is probably close in size and temperature to Earth. This exoplanet might be able to host life because of its unusually calm star
Wonky signals from distant stars could be sign of exocomets
Astronomers looking at two stars 800 light years away say they may have found the first comets beyond our solar system
First exomoon might have been spotted 4000 light years away
Astronomers may have found the first exomoon around a distant planet, and have asked to use Hubble to confirm whether the tantalising hints are a real discovery
We could build a galactic internet but it may take 300,000 years
By using the timing of planets’ orbits around their stars, all the advanced civilizations that may exist in the Milky Way could communicate
Rings and asteroids may explain ‘alien megastructure’ star
It could be time to ditch the alien megastructure. A massive ringed planet and a swarm of asteroids may instead explain Tabby’s star
Astronomers scramble as ‘alien megastructure’ star dims again
Tabby’s star’s weird behaviour has been blamed on everything from asteroids to aliens. Now astronomers are racing to watch its dimming in action
Melting moons could support liveable atmospheres for aeons
If a migrating exoplanet dragged a Europa-like moon closer to its host star, the moon’s icy shell could melt into liquid oceans and breathable air
NASA funds radical Pluto hopper and cosmic echolocation concepts
The space agency just announced the recipients of its Innovative Advanced Concepts programme, which kickstarts researchers’ so-crazy-it-just-might-work ideas
Oldest dust ever spotted in the universe seen in distant galaxy
We’ve spotted dust in a galaxy whose light reaches us from when the universe was only 600 million years old – a game changer for studying the earliest galaxies
Tiny spacecraft could brake at exoplanet using alien starlight
Lightweight solar sails could bring spacecraft to the nearest star in just 20 years – but hitting the brakes will be challenging. A new paper suggests using the stars themselves to park around their planets