General relativity has passed one of its most precise tests ever thanks to observations of the past 11 billion years of cosmic evolution collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI. Albert Einstein's 1915 theory, general relativity, has remained humanity's best ...

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have captured a stunning image of a distant supernova in a galaxy that looks like it's being stretched like warm taffy. However, the golden smear hiding this gravitationally lensed supernova, which has been nicknamed "supernova Hope," isn't ...

It is easy to imagine the moon as an atmosphere-less hunk of rock orbiting Earth. However, while lacking breathable air, our planet's loyal natural satellite companion does have a thin and wispy atmosphere. Scientists have long puzzled over the existence of this tenuous atmosphere or ...

China is planning its first mission to impact an asteroid in the name of planetary defense. The mission will serve a dual purpose: One craft will impact the asteroid while its partner observes the space rock to learn more about the solar system and its formation. The China National Space ...

The hunt for missing, miniscule black holes left over from the Big Bang may be about to heat up. Just as the trail for such diminutive black holes appeared to have gone cold, an international team of scientists has found clues in quantum physics that could reopen the case. One reason the ...

There are many words that could be used to describe WASP-76b — hellish, scorching, turbulent, chaotic, and even violent. This is a planet outside the solar system that sits so close to its star it gets hot enough to vaporize lead. So, as you can imagine, until now, "glorious" wasn't one of ...

Scientists have discovered a rare stardust particle that came from the explosive supernova death of a distant star. This speck, it seems, is locked within an ancient meteorite. The grain of dust, though small, can help tell a story of stellar life, death and rebirth that spans almost the ...

Mars may be dry and barren today, but multiple lines of evidence show that water flowed across the Red Planet billions of years ago. Now, new research has suggested that this water may have existed at the surface of Mars for less time than previously thought. That's because gullies ...