Latest articles by Keith Cooper
100 years ago, Edwin Hubble proved our Milky Way galaxy isn't alone
A century ago, humans didn't know other galaxies existed. Here's how Edwin Hubble changed that view.
James Webb Space Telescope watches planet-forming dust shells zooming through space
The shells of carbon-rich dust are expanding outward into space at the breakneck velocity of 1,600 miles per second.
Deimos: Mars' smallest moon
Reference Mars' moon Deimos is still mysterious a century and a half after its discovery.
Space mysteries: How does the ISS stay in orbit without falling to Earth?
The International Space Station is always falling, yet it never crashes to Earth or burns up in our atmosphere. How is this possible?
How 2024 brought us deeper into the world of particle physics
Dark matter, antimatter, W bosons and neutron lifetimes all feature in our top 10 stories.
Asteroid-comet chimera Chiron has an unusual ice mix, James Webb Space Telescope finds
An object that orbits in the space between Jupiter and Neptune has chemistry that could tell us more about the birth of the solar system.
Hubble's 'impossible' planet explained? Gas giants may have formed fast in early universe
An ancient exoplanet dated at 12.7 billion years old could have formed over a long period in a giant disk of gas, according to new JWST observations.
What is the shape of the universe?
How do astronomers describe the shape of the universe, and what could it mean for the fate of the cosmos?
Puffy white dwarfs could shed light on mysterious dark matter. Here's how.
Astronomers just took a big step toward a better understanding of white dwarfs, a discovery that could shed light on mysterious dark matter.
Could the Geminid meteor shower threaten satellites and astronauts on the International Space Station?
We evaluate how the International Space Station is protected from the impacts of tiny meteoroids and the level of risk to smaller satellites.
Astronomers discover 7 new 'dark comets,' but what exactly are they?
By doubling the number of known "dark comets," astronomers have been able to split them into two camps depending on their location in the solar system.
What causes volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon Io? Scientists aren't so sure anymore
New measurements from NASA's Juno probe have seemingly put to bed the possibility of a magma ocean beneath the surface of Io.
Sunny days on Mars come with a weather warning: Dust storms ahead!
Warmth on sunny days could be a major trigger for instigating dust storm activity on Mars.
NASA tests high-tech software for future mission to search for life on Jupiter's moon Europa
NASA is developing autonomous software to recognize faults and hazards on worlds like Europa, and prevent or fix them without having to await commands from Earth.
Scientists find secret comet in the asteroid belt — how many others are there?
Main-belt comets that scientists keep finding could provide new insights into the birth of our solar system.
World's 2nd fastest supercomputer runs largest-ever simulation of the universe
A new frontier has been reached in simulations of the universe, with the powerful exascale supercomputer called "Frontier" performing the most detailed simulation yet of the cosmos.
Voyager 1 interstellar spacecraft finds its voice again as NASA restores communications
Voyager 1 is shouting across the cosmos again, following a glitch that had seen it inadvertently switch to its low-power transmitter.
How bacteria are inspiring the next generation of space-borne lasers
The bacteria could be grown in space, and lend their photosynthesizing talents to supplying power to the hundreds of thousands of satellites in orbit.
2 space telescope designs will battle it out to become NASA's next cosmic imager
Whichever mission NASA selects to image the cosmos next should launch by 2032. Here are the two contenders.
Magnetic tornadoes on Jupiter are spawning Earth-size storms
Magnetic vortices twisting down from Jupiter's ionosphere into its deep atmosphere cause giant, ultraviolet-absorbing polar anticyclones, each the size of our Earth.
Mars may have made its 2 moons by ripping an asteroid apart
A new theory proposes that Phobos and Deimos resulted from the wreckage of a larger asteroid that wandered too close to Mars and was ripped apart.
The Sombrero Galaxy's star-forming days are nearly over — and the James Webb Space Telescope may know why
A brand-new James Webb Space Telescope image captures the steady, slow lifestyle of the distinctive Sombrero Galaxy.
How do astronauts weigh themselves in space?
Space mysteries In microgravity, astronauts must measure their mass, not their weight, which they can do with two devices on the ISS.
