Latest articles by Keith Cooper
Rare 11th-century star chart reveals complex history of Islamic, Jewish and Christian astronomy
The astrolabe dates from 11th-century Spain and has origins that are Islamic, Jewish and Christian.
The James Webb Space Telescope may have found some of the very 1st stars
The hunt for the first stars, known as Population III stars, may be nearing an end as the James Webb Space Telescope spotted tantalizing evidence for them in one of the earliest galaxies known.
James Webb Space Telescope sees the infrared skeleton of a galaxy (image)
This pretty spiral galaxy is an important milestone for cosmologists seeking to understand the expansion of the universe.
Our solar system map may need an update — the Kuiper belt could be way bigger
How a cosmic dust storm is helping New Horizons to redraw the map of the outer solar system.
Scientists say 2 solar system dwarf planets may harbor underground oceans
Methane detected near dwarf planets Eris and Makemake could have come from within their interiors, produced by geochemical reactions amid hot rock.
Saturn's ocean moon Titan may not be able to support life after all
Organic material on Saturn moon Titan's surface may have difficulty getting to the underground ocean. That's where it'd need to go for Titan to potentially support life.
SETI searches for alien signals synchronized with supernova 1987A
Astronomers revitalize an old concept called the SETI Ellipsoid that incorporates supernovas in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Cosmic Super Bowl? The Milky Way's black hole is shaping spacetime into a football
As predicted by general relativity, the rapid spin of our galaxy's 4.1-million-solar-mass black hole is able to warp the fabric of spacetime.
Hubble Space Telescope tells a starry 'tail' of 12 mingling galaxies
The observations offer a window into the past to better understand how globular clusters may have formed.
Hidden moon may hold together rings of strange comet-like object between Jupiter and Neptune
A little moonlet, too small to be seen from Earth, could be playing cosmic sheepdog by shaping the thin rings around the distant minor planet Chariklo, according to new computer simulations.
Ceres: The closest dwarf planet to Earth
Reference Learn all about the dwarf planet Ceres, including its discovery, location, composition and the Dawn mission.
Which telescope will be 1st to find alien life? Scientists have some ideas
Tests suggest the European Extremely Large Telescope will be able to detect crucial biosignatures on other worlds.
What are Lagrange points?
Reference Find out who discovered the Lagrange points, how space agencies use them and the asteroids that accumulate at them.
Something 'fishy' is happening with the Milky Way's dark matter halo
Stars around the outskirts of our galaxy may hint at a secret about the Milky Way's dark matter.
The universe might be younger than we think, galaxies' motion suggests
The motions of satellites in galaxy groups tell us that such groupings, and therefore possibly the universe, are younger than what standard cosmology tells us.
It's been a 'wild' ride for the comet sampled by NASA's Stardust mission
Comet Wild 2 formed 4.5 billion years ago and is a relic of the birth of the solar system. In 2006, NASA brought pieces of it down to Earth.
An impossibly huge ring of galaxies might lead us to new physics. Here's how
This galactic superstructure appears to us as it was over 9 billion years ago.
Early galaxies were shaped like surfboards and pool noodles, James Webb Space Telescope finds
Young galaxies in the early universe adopted elongated shapes as they formed along filaments of the cosmic web, before evolving into more disc-like galaxies.
Water ice buried at Mars' equator is over 2 miles thick
The Mars Express orbiter has detected enough water ice buried beneath the Red Planet's equator to cover the entire planet in a shallow ocean if melted.
What is the Large Magellanic Cloud?
Reference Learn all about the Large Magellanic Cloud, including what it is, what it features and its relation to the Milky Way.
No alien life needed: Dark streaks in Venus' atmosphere can be explained by iron minerals
The dark streaks in Venus' atmosphere — a potential sign of life, according to some researchers — can be explained by Iron-bearing sulfate minerals, a new study reports.
SETI scientists begin huge new hunt for intelligent aliens
The search for alien technosignatures has dramatically expanded, thanks to a new experiment called COSMIC.
What does space smell like?
Space mysteries From carbon molecules and ozone on spacesuits to the nauseating odor of comets and the sweet tang of gas clouds, the universe is a natural laboratory for aromatic chemistry.
