Science

A rogue, middle-mass black hole has been spotted disrupting an orbiting star in the halo of a distant galaxy, and it’s all thanks to the observing powers of the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory. However, exactly what the black hole is doing to the star remains in question as there are conflicting X-ray measurements. Black holes come in …

IN A NUTSHELL 🔭 Astronomers have confirmed the existence of Betelgeuse’s long-speculated companion star using the advanced ‘Alopeke instrument. 🌟 The companion star is a hot blue-white star with a mass about 1.5 times that of the sun, orbiting within Betelgeuse’s extended atmosphere. 💡 The discovery explains Betelgeuse’s regular six-year dimming cycle, previously a long-standing mystery in the astronomical community. …

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Imagine a camera so powerful it can see light from galaxies that formed more than 13 billion years ago. That’s exactly what NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is built to do. Since it launched in December 2021, Webb has been …

For years, NASA has monitored a strange anomaly in Earth’s magnetic field: a giant region of lower magnetic intensity in the skies above the planet, stretching out between South America and southwest Africa. This vast, developing phenomenon, called the South Atlantic Anomaly, has intrigued and concerned scientists for years, and perhaps none more so than NASA researchers. The space agency’s …

A newly discovered exoplanet may offer astronomers a rare look at how planetary evolution unfolds, revealing the processes that transform young, hydrogen-rich worlds into either gas-shrouded mini-Neptunes or dense rocky super-Earths. The planet, named V1298 Tau b, appears to occupy a “missing link” stage of planetary development, according to new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations. A Proto-Sub-Neptune With Uncertain …

Overpumping groundwater, worsening droughts and more rapid evaporation due to higher temperatures have caused a drastic decline in the amount of available freshwater, according to a new study. “Continental drying” has redirected the planet’s total water to the oceans to such degree that it has now surpassed melting ice sheets as the biggest contributor to global sea level rise, the …

It’s been more than a year since the Ingenuity helicopter broke one of its blades, ending its experimental stint on Mars. On the heels of this wildly successful NASA mission, a defense contractor has introduced a new design concept to succeed the iconic Mars chopper—one that would release multiple vehicles to spread across the Martian landscape at the same time, …

In a mission that changed our understanding of gas giants, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft made history not just in orbit but also in its dramatic descent into Jupiter’s atmosphere. Launched in October 1989, Galileo became the first spacecraft to orbit an outer planet, setting new scientific milestones over its 14-year journey. The mission provided a unique glimpse into Jupiter’s turbulent environment, …

Deep in the Tangkulap Forest Reserve in Malaysia, conservation organization Panthera has an array of cameras set up, hoping to catch glimpses of different animals. While reviewing photos from cameras meant to document the elusive and endangered Flat-headed cat, researchers did a double take. A camera had captured someone unexpected — someone who hadn’t been seen in Malaysia in 11 …

Despite what the movies tell us, dinosaurs probably didn’t roar at their prey. It’s more likely that they chirped like birds, based on a well-preserved new fossil with an intact voice box. A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered an almost-complete skeleton of a new dinosaur species in northeastern China. This two-legged, 72 centimeter (2.4 foot) …