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Rocky planet neighbor looks familiar, but is not Earth's twin

Detailed chemical abundances of the Ross 128 help us understand its exoplanet Ross 128 b.

Jul 10th, 2018

Plasma-spewing quasar shines light on universe's youth, early galaxy formation

Found: Quasar with the brightest radio emission ever observed in the early universe.

Jul 9th, 2018

Could one of Saturn's moons support life?

The discovery of complex molecules from one of Saturn's moons suggests that it could support life.

Jul 6th, 2018

The Gaia Sausage: The major collision that changed the Milky Way galaxy

This cosmic crash was a defining event in the early history of the Milky Way and reshaped the structure of our galaxy, fashioning both its inner bulge and its outer halo.

Jul 5th, 2018

Even phenomenally dense neutron stars fall like a feather

Einstein gets it right again.

Jul 5th, 2018

Theory of general relativity proven yet again in new research

In a novel test of Einstein's theory of general relativity, an international group of astronomers has demonstrated that the theory holds up, even for a massive three-star system.

Jul 5th, 2018

Milky Way type dust particles discovered in a galaxy 11 billion light years from Earth

This type of dust has been found to be rare in other galaxies and the new discovery plays an important role in understanding what it takes for this particular type of interstellar dust to be formed.

Jul 3rd, 2018

First confirmed image of newborn planet

Astronomers have captured a spectacular snapshot of planetary formation around the young dwarf star PDS 70.

Jul 2nd, 2018

New data for understanding how heavier elements are made in the Cosmos

Nuclear binding energies of several rare-earth isotopes have been measured for the first time. The experiment provides essential data for understanding how elements heavier than iron are produced in the Cosmos.

Jul 2nd, 2018

Complex organic molecules on Saturn's moon Enceladus

Researchers study ice particles and find macromolecular compounds.

Jun 28th, 2018

The fingerprints of molecules in space

Using terahertz spectroscopy, physicists directly measured two spectral lines for one particular molecule for the first time. The discovered frequencies are characteristic of the amide ion, a negatively charged nitrogen molecule.

Jun 28th, 2018

Grease in space

Astronomers used a laboratory to manufacture material with the same properties as interstellar dust and used their results to estimate the amount of 'space grease' found in the Milky Way.

Jun 27th, 2018

Sandbox craters reveal secrets of planetary splash marks and lost meteorites

Researchers inspired by school science to crack the conundrum of planetary craters.

Jun 27th, 2018

Will we know life in space when we see it?

A series of NASA papers lay out strategies to search for signs of life beyond our solar system. They assume that the detection of atmospheric signatures of a few potentially habitable planets may possibly come before 2030.

Jun 26th, 2018

A galactic test will clarify the existence of dark matter

Scientists used sophisticated computer simulations to devise a test that could answer a burning question in astrophysics: is there really dark matter? Or does Newton's gravitational law need to be modified?

Jun 25th, 2018

VLT makes most precise test of Einstein's general relativity outside Milky Way

Using the MUSE instrument on ESO's VLT , researchers first calculated the mass of ESO 325-G004 by measuring the movement of stars within this nearby elliptical galaxy.

Jun 21st, 2018

Nearly 80 exoplanet candidates identified in record time

Search considered successful 'dress rehearsal' for exoplanet hunter TESS.

Jun 21st, 2018

Old star clusters could have been the birthplace of supermassive stars

A team of international astrophysicists may have found a solution to a problem that has perplexed scientists for more than 50 years: why are the stars in globular clusters made of material different to other stars found in the Milky Way?

Jun 21st, 2018