Latest articles by Joanna Thompson
Astronomers find hundreds of 'hidden' black holes — and there may be billions or even trillions more
Black holes that have been obscured by clouds of dust still emit infrared light, enabling astronomers to spot them for the very first time
James Webb telescope uncovers massive 'grand design' spiral galaxy in the early universe — and scientists can't explain how it got so big, so fast
Galaxies in the early universe tend to be clumpy, but the new JWST discovery of a "grand design" spiral galaxy just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang has scientists stumped.
'Space headaches' are a literal pain for astronauts. Why do they happen?
Headaches are a common and recurring problem in space, even for astronauts that don't experience them on Earth.
'Alien' spherules dredged from the Pacific are probably just industrial pollution, new studies suggest
Last summer, Harvard professor Avi Loeb claimed tiny pellets of iron came from beyond our solar system. But new analyses suggest that they likely originated much closer to home.
What would colors look like on other planets?
Here's how your brain might adjust to see color on another world.
Evidence of mysterious 'recurring nova' that could reappear in 2024 found in medieval manuscript from 1217
The star T CrB flares up every 80 years. A document from 1217 could help confirm its regularity.
How long can an asteroid 'survive'?
Asteroids are left over from the early solar system. Here's how they get destroyed.
James Webb telescope detects the earliest strand in the 'cosmic web' ever seen
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a clump of ancient galaxies that may be the oldest strand of the "cosmic web" ever detected.
A 'captured' alien planet may be hiding at the edge of our solar system — and it's not 'Planet X'
The cold and mysterious Oort cloud at the edge of our solar system may be hiding a rogue exoplanet, new research suggests.
Bizarre object hotter than the sun is orbiting a distant star at breakneck speed
Scientists have discovered a weird celestial object that's blurring the line between planet and star.
The Apollo moon landing was real, but NASA's quarantine procedure was not
On its face, the Apollo 11 quarantine protocol looked sensible. But the new research suggests that NASA's "planetary protection" efforts were largely for show.
China's mysterious space plane released an unidentified 'object' in orbit, US intelligence reveals
Here's what we know (and don't know) about China's mysterious space plane, which just landed after nine months in orbit on a secret mission.
Students set to land first robotic US rover on the moon — before NASA
Students at Carnegie Mellon University are sending America's first robotic lunar rover to the moon this May, beating NASA to the punch by about a year.
Rare red asteroids around Neptune could reveal the secrets of the early solar system
Scientists have observed that some of Neptune's Trojan asteroids are deep red, possibly revealing what asteroids may have been like in the early days of the solar system.
Do extraterrestrial auroras occur on other planets?
Auroras don't just exist on Earth. Here's what we know about auroras on other planets in the solar system.
How would we give aliens directions to Earth?
Giving aliens directions to Earth might be tricky, but scientists have some ideas for how to do it.
'New hidden world' discovered in Earth's inner core
The inner core of our planet is actually a mishmash of hard, mushy and liquid metal.
