Latest articles by Robert Lea
Massive 'El Gordo' galaxy cluster suggests dark matter smashes into itself
El Gordo is a massive collection of colliding galaxies 7 billion light-years away. Its odd behavior could suggest dark matter interacts with itself.
Rocky, carbon-rich exoplanets more likely around tiny stars, James Webb Space Telescope reveals
Astronomers using the JWST have discovered tiny stars may be better suited at birthing small, rocky planets with atmospheres dominated by carbon.
Chang'e 6 probe's far-side moon samples enter return-to-Earth module in lunar orbit, China says
The two spacecraft of the Chang'e 6 mission met and docked in orbit over the moon on Thursday (June 6) to transfer samples the moon's far side. They'll now be returned to Earth.
NASA exoplanet hunter finds 'weird' world surviving a star's relentless bombardment — it's named Phoenix
NASA's TESS exoplanet hunter has discovered a weird world called Phoenix that has managed to hold on to its atmosphere despite being relentlessly bombarded with radiation from its red giant star.
China's Chang'e 6 probe launches samples of far side of the moon to lunar orbit. Next stop? Earth (photos)
China's Chang'e 6 moon mission returned stunning lunar surface images as it collected samples and sent them to orbit to begin their historic return to Earth for study.
NASA 3D Instagram 'experience' brings nebulas into your home
Ever wanted to see the wreckage of a supernova or explore distant clouds of gas and dust ejected by a dying star? A new NASA Instagram Experience brings celestial bodies to Earth.
Rogue planets may originate from 'twisted Tatooine' double star systems
"Twisted Tatooine" binary star systems could be a major player in ejecting rogue planets that go on to drift through the Milky Way without a stellar parent to heat or illuminate them.
Watch China's Chang'e 6 probe land on far side of the moon in dramatic video
China's Chang'e-6 has successfully touched down on the far side of the moon, and its dramatic approach to the mysterious lunar region was captured in a stunning video.
The secrets of supernovas might be locked in moon dust
Supernovas spread the building blocks for new stars and planets throughout the cosmos, and evidence of these stellar explosions could be extracted from moon dust.
Could these black hole 'morsels' finally prove Stephen Hawking's famous theory?
Stephen Hawking suggested black holes "leak " and evaporate away — scientists could use "morsels" launched from catastrophic black hole collisions to prove it.
How auroras on Earth, Saturn and Jupiter could help forecast risky space weather
Scientists have investigated the different factors shaping celestial light-shows over Earth, Saturn and Jupiter. The resulting framework could help predict risky space weather.
Massive, magnetic stars beyond the Milky Way detected for the 1st time
Astronomers have detected giant, magnetic stars outside the Milky Way for the first time. These infant stars in the Magellanic Clouds could reveal details of early stellar evolution.
Elusive medium-size black holes may form in dense 'birthing nests'
A new simulation has shown elusive intermediate-mass black holes may form in dense globular clusters of millions of tightly packed stars, thanks to a chaotic collision chain.
James Webb Space Telescope spots the most distant galaxy ever seen (image)
The most distant JADES-GS-z14-0 is a massive and bright galactic record breaker that existed just 300 million years after the Big Bang.
If the Big Bang created miniature black holes, where are they?
Primordial black holes born from density fluctuations dating back to the Big Bang have been frustratingly elusive, but a new quantum clue has been discovered.
Real-life 'Star Trek' planet was actually just an illusion caused by a 'jittery' star
Just like the fictional planet of Vulcan was wiped out in Star Trek, new research has destroyed the real-life version of Spock's homeworld, albeit in a less violent fashion.
Euclid space telescope finds 1.5 trillion orphan stars wandering the Perseus cluster (images)
The Euclid telescope has allowed astronomers to discover a staggering 1.5 trillion orphan stars torn from their own galaxies to wander the Perseus cluster alone.
Scientists pick their favorite Euclid 'dark universe' telescope images: 'The best is still to come'
The European Space Agency has now released ten images from its dark universe detective spacecraft, Euclid. We asked scientists from various fields to pick their favorite Euclid image thus far.
Massive new NASA exoplanet catalog unveils 126 extreme and exotic worlds
A new catalog of the masses and widths of 126 new exoplanets showcases the extreme and exotic nature of worlds beyond the solar system.
NASA space telescope finds Earth-size exoplanet that's 'not a bad place' to hunt for life
NASA exoplanet-hunter TESS has found a temperate, Earth-size world in the habitable zone of its red dwarf star. This planet could make waves in the search for life.
'Death Star' black holes caught blasting powerful beams at multiple targets: Watch out Alderaan! (video)
Supermassive black holes that are blasting out beams of high-energy particles killing star formation in their galaxies are shifting targets like real-life Death Stars.
The Euclid 'dark universe detective' telescope has revealed new images of the cosmos — and they are remarkable
A new set of images has been released from Europe's "dark universe detective" Euclid, and they show that the space telescope is set to change the game for astronomy.
Euclid 'dark universe' telescope team will unveil new full-color images today (May 23): How to watch live
With the Euclid space telescope set to deliver a new batch of images on Thursday (May 23), we're looking back at the dark universe detective's achievements thus far.
