https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/space_telescopes/ Space Telescopes. Astronomy articles and pictures from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Telescope and many other leading astronomy institutes from around the world. en-us Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:02:28 EDT Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:02:28 EDT 60 https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/space_telescopes/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260411022037.htm A colossal “cosmic volcano” has erupted in deep space, as a supermassive black hole in galaxy J1007+3540 roars back to life after nearly 100 million years of silence. Astronomers captured stunning radio images showing fresh jets blasting outward while crashing into the intense pressure of a surrounding galaxy cluster, creating a chaotic, distorted structure stretching nearly a million light-years. Mon, 13 Apr 2026 02:23:58 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260411022037.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260411022025.htm A major international effort has produced an ultra-precise measurement of the Universe’s expansion rate, confirming it’s faster than early-Universe models predict. By linking multiple distance-measuring techniques, scientists ruled out simple errors as the cause of the discrepancy. The persistent “Hubble tension” now looks more real than ever. It could mean our current model of the cosmos is incomplete. Sun, 12 Apr 2026 02:37:50 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260411022025.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260409101101.htm A mysterious glow of gamma rays at the center of the Milky Way has long hinted at dark matter, but the lack of similar signals in smaller dwarf galaxies has cast doubt on that idea. Now, researchers propose a bold twist: dark matter might not be a single particle at all, but a mix of two different types that must interact with each other to produce detectable signals. Fri, 10 Apr 2026 08:34:50 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260409101101.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260330001156.htm Astronomers have spotted a bizarre cosmic explosion that refuses to play by the rules—and it’s leaving scientists scrambling for answers. GRB 250702B, detected by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and a global network of observatories, lasted an astonishing seven hours—far longer than typical gamma-ray bursts, which usually fade in under a minute. Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:33:20 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260330001156.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260328043605.htm For decades, astronomers have been puzzled by strange “zebra stripe” patterns in radio waves from the Crab Pulsar — bright bands separated by complete darkness. Now, new research suggests the answer lies in a cosmic tug-of-war between gravity and plasma. The pulsar’s plasma spreads light apart, while gravity bends it back together, creating interference patterns that form the striking stripes. Sat, 28 Mar 2026 07:24:47 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260328043605.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260325041723.htm A star you can see with the naked eye has kept astronomers guessing for decades with its unusually powerful X-rays. Now, thanks to highly precise observations from Japan’s XRISM space telescope, scientists have finally uncovered the source: a hidden white dwarf companion pulling in material and generating extreme heat. This discovery not only solves a 50-year-old mystery surrounding Gamma Cassiopeiae, but also confirms the existence of a long-predicted type of binary star system. Wed, 25 Mar 2026 04:51:37 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260325041723.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260325005926.htm Astronomers have narrowed down the cosmic search for life, identifying fewer than 50 rocky planets among thousands of known exoplanets that may have the right conditions to support life. Using new data from ESA’s Gaia mission and NASA archives, researchers pinpointed worlds in the “habitable zone,” where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist. Some of the most intriguing targets include nearby systems like TRAPPIST-1 and Proxima Centauri, offering tantalizing possibilities just dozens of light-years away. Wed, 25 Mar 2026 03:56:19 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260325005926.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260321012648.htm In an incredibly lucky cosmic accident, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured a comet breaking apart in real time—something astronomers have long tried and failed to observe. The comet, C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), wasn’t even the original target, but when researchers pivoted to it, they unknowingly caught it mid-disintegration into multiple pieces. Sat, 21 Mar 2026 01:26:48 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260321012648.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260317190802.htm Astronomers have identified a strange new kind of exoplanet that challenges how scientists classify worlds beyond our Solar System. The planet, L 98-59 d, appears to contain a vast ocean of molten rock beneath its surface that traps large amounts of sulfur deep inside. Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope revealed unusual sulfur-rich gases in its atmosphere and a surprisingly low density for its size. Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:13:24 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260317190802.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260317064449.htm Kepler-51d is a giant, ultra-light “super-puff” planet wrapped in an unusually thick haze that’s blocking scientists from seeing what it’s made of. Observations from JWST revealed that this haze may be one of the largest ever detected, possibly stretching as wide as Earth itself. The planet’s low density and close orbit don’t match existing models of how gas giants form or survive. Now, researchers are left with more questions than answers about how such a strange world came to be. Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:47:28 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260317064449.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260315225144.htm Astronomers may have found an exciting new clue about dark energy—the mysterious force driving the universe’s accelerating expansion. They discovered an extraordinarily bright supernova from more than 10 billion years ago whose light was bent and magnified by a foreground galaxy, creating multiple images through gravitational lensing. Because the light from each image traveled slightly different paths, it arrived at Earth at different times, letting scientists effectively watch different moments of the same cosmic explosion simultaneously. Mon, 16 Mar 2026 23:48:22 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260315225144.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260315004348.htm Astronomers have discovered the brightest fast radio burst ever detected and traced it to a nearby galaxy using a new network of CHIME Outrigger telescopes. The flash, nicknamed RBFLOAT, lasted only a fraction of a second but briefly outshone every other radio source in its galaxy. Follow-up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope spotted a faint infrared signal at the same location. The burst’s unusual behavior—showing no signs of repeating—may challenge current ideas about what causes these mysterious cosmic flashes. Sun, 15 Mar 2026 06:57:42 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260315004348.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260305182705.htm A sweeping new ALMA image has peeled back the veil on the Milky Way’s core, exposing a dense network of cold gas filaments near the central black hole. Stretching across 650 light-years, the survey maps the hidden fuel for star formation in remarkable detail and reveals a surprisingly complex chemical brew. This extreme region hosts some of the galaxy’s most massive, short-lived stars. The findings could help explain how stars — and even entire galaxies — formed under the universe’s most chaotic conditions. Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:27:05 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260305182705.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260228093453.htm Astronomers have long known the universe is expanding—but exactly how fast remains one of the biggest mysteries in cosmology. Different techniques for measuring the Hubble constant stubbornly disagree, creating the so-called “Hubble tension.” Now researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Chicago have unveiled a bold new way to weigh in on the debate using gravitational waves—the faint ripples in spacetime produced by colliding black holes. Sun, 01 Mar 2026 07:55:42 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260228093453.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260224023207.htm Deep inside the Milky Way, an invisible force is quietly holding everything together — its magnetic field. Now, researchers have created one of the most detailed maps ever of this hidden structure, revealing surprising twists in how it flows through our galaxy. Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:05:10 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260224023207.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260221000307.htm Astronomers have uncovered one of the most mysterious galaxies ever found — a dim, ghostly object called CDG-2 that is almost entirely made of dark matter. Located 300 million light-years away in the Perseus galaxy cluster, it was discovered in an unusual way: not by its stars, but by four tightly packed globular clusters acting like cosmic breadcrumbs. Sat, 21 Feb 2026 01:57:52 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260221000307.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260215225537.htm New data from major dark-energy observatories suggest the universe may not expand forever after all. A Cornell physicist calculates that the cosmos is heading toward a dramatic reversal: after reaching its maximum size in about 11 billion years, it could begin collapsing, ultimately ending in a “big crunch” roughly 20 billion years from now. Mon, 16 Feb 2026 03:26:44 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260215225537.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260212234205.htm A dazzling new Hubble image peels back the layers of the mysterious Egg Nebula, a rare and fleeting phase in a Sun-like star’s death just 1,000 light-years away. Hidden inside a dense cocoon of dust, the dying star blasts twin beams of light through a polar opening, carving glowing lobes and delicate ripples into the surrounding cloud. These striking, symmetrical arcs hint that unseen companion stars may be shaping the spectacle from within. Fri, 13 Feb 2026 07:48:37 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260212234205.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260211073047.htm For millions of years, a frozen wanderer drifted between the stars before slipping into our solar system as 3I/ATLAS—only the third known interstellar comet ever spotted. When scientists turned NASA’s Swift Observatory toward it, they caught the first-ever hint of water from such an object, detected through a faint ultraviolet glow of hydroxyl gas. Even more surprising, the comet was blasting out water at a rate of about 40 kilograms per second while still far from the Sun—much farther than where most comets “switch on.” Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:08:24 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260211073047.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260127112135.htm A repeating fast radio burst has just given up one of its biggest secrets. Long-term observations revealed a rare signal flare caused by plasma likely ejected from a nearby companion star. This shows the burst source isn’t alone, but part of a binary system. The finding strengthens the case that magnetars interacting with stellar companions can generate repeating cosmic flashes. Tue, 27 Jan 2026 11:21:35 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260127112135.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260127112129.htm For the first time, astronomers have captured radio signals from a rare exploding star, exposing what happened in the years leading up to its death. The radio waves reveal that the star violently shed huge amounts of material shortly before it exploded, likely due to interaction with a nearby companion star. This discovery gives scientists a new tool to rewind the clock on stellar deaths. It also shows that some supernovae are far more dramatic in their final moments than previously thought. Wed, 28 Jan 2026 01:24:54 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260127112129.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260124003822.htm A groundbreaking new radio image reveals the Milky Way in more detail than ever before, using low-frequency radio “colors” to map the galaxy’s hidden structures. The image is sharper, deeper, and wider than anything previously released, uncovering both star-forming regions and the remains of ancient stellar explosions. Scientists can now better distinguish where stars are being born versus where they’ve met dramatic ends. The discovery opens powerful new ways to study the life cycle of stars and the shape of our galaxy. Sat, 24 Jan 2026 03:56:41 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260124003822.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260124003816.htm Astronomers have spotted a rare, rule-breaking quasar in the early Universe that appears to be growing its central black hole at an astonishing pace. Observations show the black hole is devouring matter far faster than theory says it should—about 13 times the usual “speed limit”—while simultaneously blasting out bright X-rays and launching a powerful radio jet. This surprising combination wasn’t supposed to happen, according to many models, and suggests scientists may be catching the black hole during a brief, unstable growth spurt. Sat, 24 Jan 2026 03:27:23 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260124003816.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260124003813.htm A distant Sun-like star suddenly went dark for months, stunning astronomers who quickly realized something massive was passing in front of it. Observations revealed a gigantic disk of gas and dust filled with vaporized metals, swirling around an unseen companion object. For the first time, scientists directly measured the motion of these metallic winds inside such a disk. The findings suggest that even ancient star systems can still experience catastrophic planetary smashups. Sat, 24 Jan 2026 22:45:03 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260124003813.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260121034114.htm Solar Orbiter has captured the clearest evidence yet that a solar flare grows through a cascading “magnetic avalanche.” Small, weak magnetic disturbances rapidly multiplied, triggering stronger and stronger explosions that accelerated particles to extreme speeds. The process produced streams of glowing plasma blobs that rained through the Sun’s atmosphere long after the flare itself. Wed, 21 Jan 2026 03:41:14 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260121034114.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260119215510.htm A nearby active galaxy called VV 340a offers a dramatic look at how a supermassive black hole can reshape its entire host. Astronomers observed a relatively weak but restless jet blasting outward from the galaxy’s core, wobbling like a spinning top as it plows through surrounding gas. Using a powerful mix of space- and ground-based telescopes, the team showed that this jet heats, ionizes, and flings gas out of the galaxy at a surprisingly high rate. Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:45:26 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260119215510.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260118064633.htm A huge bar of iron has been discovered lurking inside the iconic Ring Nebula. The structure is enormous, spanning hundreds of times the size of Pluto’s orbit and containing a Mars-sized amount of iron. It was detected using a new instrument that allowed astronomers to map the nebula in far greater detail than ever before. The origin of the iron bar is still a mystery, with one theory suggesting it could be the remains of a vaporized planet. Sun, 18 Jan 2026 10:24:20 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260118064633.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260112214310.htm Scientists have pulled back the curtain on one of the most extreme solar regions seen in decades, tracking it almost nonstop for three months as it unleashed powerful space weather. By combining views from two spacecraft—one near Earth and one orbiting the Sun—researchers followed a massive active region as it grew, twisted, and ultimately triggered the strongest geomagnetic storms since 2003. Tue, 13 Jan 2026 06:44:15 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260112214310.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260110211158.htm Scientists have discovered an enormous stream of super-hot gas erupting from a nearby galaxy, driven by a powerful black hole at its center. The jets stretch farther than the galaxy itself and spiral outward in a rare, never-before-seen pattern. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope pierced through thick dust to reveal this violent outflow. The process is so intense it’s robbing the galaxy of star-forming gas at a staggering rate. Sat, 10 Jan 2026 23:02:00 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260110211158.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260109235153.htm Astronomers have uncovered the long-hidden cause behind Betelgeuse’s strange behavior: a small companion star carving a visible wake through the giant’s vast atmosphere. Using nearly eight years of observations from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observatories, scientists detected swirling trails of dense gas created as the companion, called Siwarha, moves through Betelgeuse’s outer layers. Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:08:18 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260109235153.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260109220500.htm Hubble has revealed a strange cosmic object called Cloud-9, a dark matter–dominated cloud with no stars at all. Scientists believe it is a “failed galaxy,” a leftover building block from the early Universe that never lit up. Its discovery confirms long-standing theories about starless galaxies. Cloud-9 offers a rare glimpse into the dark side of cosmic evolution. Fri, 09 Jan 2026 22:05:00 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260109220500.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260107225544.htm Einstein’s claim that the speed of light is constant has survived more than a century of scrutiny—but scientists are still daring to test it. Some theories of quantum gravity suggest light might behave slightly differently at extreme energies. By tracking ultra-powerful gamma rays from distant cosmic sources, researchers searched for tiny timing differences that could reveal new physics. They found none, but their results tighten the limits by a huge margin. Thu, 08 Jan 2026 07:37:11 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260107225544.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260106224642.htm Around the bright star Fomalhaut, astronomers spotted glowing clouds of debris left behind by colossal collisions between large space rocks. One of these clouds was even mistaken for a planet before slowly fading away. Seeing two such events in just two decades hints that violent impacts may be surprisingly common in young star systems. It’s like watching planets-in-the-making collide before our eyes. Wed, 07 Jan 2026 18:21:49 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260106224642.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260106001909.htm A distant pulsar’s radio signal flickers as it passes through space, much like stars twinkle in Earth’s atmosphere. By monitoring this effect for 10 months, researchers watched the pattern slowly evolve as gas, Earth, and the pulsar all moved. Those changes create minuscule delays in the signal, but measuring them helps keep pulsars incredibly precise. The findings also aid SETI scientists in spotting signals that truly come from beyond Earth. Tue, 06 Jan 2026 18:19:08 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260106001909.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251231203753.htm The Champagne Cluster is a rare and beautiful example of two galaxy clusters smashing together. Its festive name comes from both its New Year’s Eve discovery and its bubbly appearance in space. Images reveal superheated gas and galaxies spread across a massive collision zone. Astronomers believe this system could help explain how dark matter responds when giant structures collide. Wed, 31 Dec 2025 21:04:28 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251231203753.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251228074453.htm Scientists have detected the most distant supernova ever seen, exploding when the universe was less than a billion years old. The event was first signaled by a gamma-ray burst and later confirmed using the James Webb Space Telescope, which was able to isolate the blast from its faint host galaxy. Surprisingly, the explosion closely resembles supernovae linked to gamma-ray bursts in the modern universe. Sun, 28 Dec 2025 11:27:21 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251228074453.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251227082708.htm New high-resolution images show that novae are anything but simple stellar fireworks. One exploded with multiple gas streams colliding almost immediately, while another shockingly delayed its eruption for more than 50 days before unleashing a powerful blast. These complex outflows create shock waves that produce intense gamma rays, confirming long-standing theories with direct visual evidence. The findings reveal novae as evolving, multi-stage events rather than single, instant explosions. Wed, 31 Dec 2025 16:22:51 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251227082708.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251226045338.htm New observations reveal that the relationship between ultraviolet and X-ray light in quasars has changed over billions of years. This unexpected shift suggests the structure around supermassive black holes may evolve with time, challenging a decades-old assumption. Sat, 27 Dec 2025 00:57:27 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251226045338.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251225080729.htm Scientists have discovered a giant cosmic filament where galaxies spin in sync with the structure that holds them together. The razor-thin chain of galaxies sits inside a much larger filament that appears to be slowly rotating as a whole. This coordinated motion is far stronger than expected by chance and hints that galaxy spin may be inherited from the cosmic web itself. The finding opens a new window into how galaxies formed and how matter flows across the Universe. Thu, 25 Dec 2025 09:50:50 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251225080729.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251225035346.htm Astronomers tracking a nearby star system thought they had spotted an exoplanet reflecting light from its star. Then it vanished. Even stranger, another bright object appeared nearby. After studying years of Hubble Space Telescope data, scientists realized they were not seeing planets at all, but the glowing debris left behind by two massive collisions between asteroid-sized bodies. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 17:02:26 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251225035346.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251223084536.htm A physicist has proposed a bold experiment that could allow gravitational waves to be manipulated using laser light. By transferring minute amounts of energy between light and gravity, the interaction would leave behind faint but detectable fingerprints. The setup resembles advanced gravitational-wave detectors like LIGO, but pushes them further into quantum territory. Success could hint at the long-sought quantum nature of gravity. Fri, 02 Jan 2026 12:52:19 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251223084536.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251218060556.htm Astronomers have detected spacetime itself being dragged and twisted by a spinning black hole for the first time. The discovery, seen during a star’s violent destruction, confirms a prediction made over 100 years ago and reveals new clues about how black holes spin and launch jets. Thu, 18 Dec 2025 10:41:26 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251218060556.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251216081941.htm A mysterious cloud of ultra-hot dust around Kappa Tucanae A may finally have an explanation: a hidden companion star. The star’s extreme orbit carries it straight through the dust zone, strongly suggesting it plays a key role in keeping the dust alive. This finding could help astronomers untangle one of the biggest challenges in imaging Earth-like exoplanets. It also opens the door to discovering similar hidden companions around other stars. Wed, 17 Dec 2025 05:21:49 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251216081941.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251213032610.htm Astronomers tracked a decade of dramatic changes in P13, a neutron star undergoing supercritical accretion. Its X-ray luminosity rose and fell by factors of hundreds while its rotation rate accelerated. These synchronized shifts suggest the accretion structure itself evolved over time. The findings offer fresh clues to how ultraluminous X-ray sources reach such extreme power. Sun, 14 Dec 2025 08:24:00 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251213032610.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251209043036.htm Scientists are testing a novel way to measure cosmic expansion using time delays in gravitationally lensed quasars. Their results match “local” measurements but clash with early-universe estimates, strengthening the mysterious Hubble tension. This mismatch could point to new physics rather than observational error. Researchers now aim to boost precision to solve the puzzle. Tue, 09 Dec 2025 09:26:59 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251209043036.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251209043034.htm A sudden X-ray flare from a supermassive black hole in galaxy NGC 3783 triggered ultra-fast winds racing outward at a fifth the speed of light—an event never witnessed before. Using XMM-Newton and XRISM, astronomers caught the blast unfold in real time, revealing how tangled magnetic fields can rapidly “untwist” and hurl matter into space much like an enormous, cosmic-scale version of the Sun’s coronal mass ejections. Tue, 09 Dec 2025 09:02:44 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251209043034.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251207031327.htm Knotted structures once imagined by Lord Kelvin may actually have shaped the universe’s earliest moments, according to new research showing how two powerful symmetries could have created stable “cosmic knots” after the Big Bang. These exotic objects may have briefly dominated the young cosmos, unraveled through quantum tunneling, and produced heavy right-handed neutrinos whose decays tipped the balance toward matter over antimatter. Sun, 07 Dec 2025 07:31:41 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251207031327.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251203084928.htm For thirty years, SOHO has watched the Sun from a stable perch in space, revealing the inner workings of our star and surviving crises that nearly ended the mission. Its long-term observations uncovered a single global plasma conveyor belt inside the Sun, detailed how solar brightness subtly shifts over the solar cycle, and turned SOHO into an unexpected comet-hunting champion with more than 5,000 discoveries. Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:03:57 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251203084928.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251203004736.htm FROSTI is a new adaptive optics system that precisely corrects distortions in LIGO’s mirrors caused by extreme laser power. By using custom thermal patterns, it preserves mirror shape without introducing noise, allowing detectors to operate at higher sensitivities. This leap enables future observatories like Cosmic Explorer to see deeper into the cosmos. The technology lays the groundwork for vastly expanding gravitational-wave astronomy. Thu, 04 Dec 2025 00:41:43 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251203004736.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251129053349.htm Nearly a century after astronomers first proposed dark matter to explain the strange motions of galaxies, scientists may finally be catching a glimpse of it. A University of Tokyo researcher analyzing new data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has detected a halo of high-energy gamma rays that closely matches what theories predict should be released when dark matter particles collide and annihilate. The energy levels, intensity patterns, and shape of this glow align strikingly well with long-standing models of weakly interacting massive particles, making it one of the most compelling leads yet in the hunt for the universe’s invisible mass. Sat, 29 Nov 2025 09:21:07 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251129053349.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251127102115.htm The discovery of strange, ultra-red objects—especially the extreme case known as The Cliff—has pushed astronomers to propose an entirely new type of cosmic structure: black hole stars. These exotic hybrids could explain rapid black hole growth in the early universe, but their existence remains unproven. Sat, 29 Nov 2025 09:49:27 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251127102115.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251125081923.htm Michigan State University astrophysicists are closing in on one of space science’s biggest mysteries: where the galaxy’s most energetic particles come from. Their studies uncovered a pulsar wind nebula behind a mysterious LHAASO signal and set important X-ray constraints on other potential sources. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 06:49:23 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251125081923.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251121090738.htm New measurements of radio galaxies reveal that the solar system is racing through the universe at over three times the speed predicted by standard cosmology. Using highly sensitive data from multiple radio telescope arrays, researchers uncovered a surprisingly strong dipole pattern—one that challenges longstanding assumptions about how matter is distributed across cosmic scales. The results echo similar anomalies seen in quasar studies, hinting that something fundamental about our universe’s structure or our motion through it may need rewriting. Sat, 22 Nov 2025 09:29:25 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251121090738.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251120002619.htm New observations show that asteroid 1998 KY26 is a mere 11 meters across and spinning twice as fast as previously thought. The discovery adds complexity to Hayabusa2’s 2031 mission but also heightens scientific interest. The asteroid’s composition remains uncertain, making the encounter even more compelling. Insights from this work could improve future asteroid-defense and exploration efforts. Fri, 21 Nov 2025 04:19:58 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251120002619.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251116105513.htm LHAASO has uncovered that micro-quasars, black holes feeding on companion stars, are powerful PeV particle accelerators. Their jets produce ultra-high-energy gamma rays and protons that exceed long-held expectations. Precise cosmic-ray measurements reveal a new high-energy component, suggesting multiple sources within the Milky Way. These findings finally tie the “knee” structure to black hole jet systems. Sun, 16 Nov 2025 11:46:04 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251116105513.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251114041208.htm Scientists have finally confirmed a powerful coronal mass ejection from another star, using LOFAR radio data paired with XMM-Newton’s X-ray insights. The eruption blasted into space at extraordinary speeds, strong enough to strip atmospheres from close-orbiting worlds. This suggests planets around active red dwarfs may be far less hospitable than hoped. Fri, 14 Nov 2025 09:07:09 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251114041208.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251113071618.htm A newly detected super-Earth just 20 light-years away is giving scientists one of the most promising chances yet to search for life beyond our solar system. The discovery of the exoplanet orbiting in the habitable zone of its star was made possible by advanced spectrographs designed at Penn State and by decades of observations from telescopes around the world. Thu, 13 Nov 2025 09:50:14 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251113071618.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251112011841.htm Scientists have identified three Earth-sized planets orbiting two stars in the TOI-2267 system. Remarkably, planets transit around both stars — a first in astronomy. The system’s compact, cold nature defies conventional theories of planetary formation. Future studies using JWST and other advanced telescopes could reveal what these worlds are truly made of. Wed, 12 Nov 2025 01:18:41 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251112011841.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251107010257.htm A colossal black hole 10 billion light-years away has been caught devouring one of the universe’s biggest stars, unleashing a flare 30 times brighter than any seen before. The flare, detected by Caltech’s ZTF, likely marks a tidal disruption event — when a star is shredded by a black hole’s gravity. Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:52:52 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251107010257.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251107010252.htm Using CERN’s Super Proton Synchrotron, researchers generated plasma fireballs to simulate blazar jets. The beams stayed stable, suggesting plasma instabilities aren’t responsible for missing gamma rays. Instead, the data strengthens the idea of ancient intergalactic magnetic fields, possibly from the Universe’s earliest moments. Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:43:57 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251107010252.htm