The James Webb Space Telescope has captured rare, front-row views of the destructive forces shaping rocky planets within 21 distant, dusty star systems. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is providing astronomers with an unprecedented look at the...

Inspired by the structure of eggshells, researchers have developed a new shield that slows simulated space debris by 65% to better protect spacecraft. Engineers are looking toward the delicate geometry of an eggshell to solve one of the most pressing...

Plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is transporting coastal species thousands of miles, fundamentally altering our understanding of marine ecosystems. Thousands of miles from the nearest coastline, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has become an...

Explore key differences between meteors, asteroids, and comets. Discover origins, characteristics, and fascinating facts about these space objects. Human curiosity about celestial objects has always drawn our gaze upward, leading us to question and...

As asteroid Apophis approaches its 2029 flyby, researchers have uncovered a new risk involving Earth’s dense cloud of orbiting space debris. When the asteroid 99942 Apophis makes its historic approach to Earth on April 13, 2029, it will pass within...

New research reveals that white dwarfs rip asteroids into large fragments instead of fine dust, shedding light on a hidden stage of planetary debris evolution. When asteroids venture too close to a white dwarf, the star’s immense gravitational pull is...

Astronomers have discovered two distinct gas rings around a white dwarf, suggesting hidden planets could hold the key to our Solar System’s final fate. Astronomers have uncovered a highly unusual configuration surrounding a white dwarf, revealing two...

Astronomers have discovered a massive 2.5-kilometer asteroid that spins every 4 minutes, making it the largest ultra-fast rotator ever recorded. Astronomers have uncovered a pair of asteroids that defy the standard laws of orbital physics, spinning at...

A recent Soviet-era satellite breakup has sparked renewed concerns regarding the escalating threat of orbital debris to active spacecraft in Earth’s orbit. A dormant relic of the Soviet space program has shattered in orbit, scattering dozens of new...

NASA’s DART spacecraft famously shifted the orbit of an asteroid moon in 2022. New research shows the impact also nudged the entire asteroid system around the Sun, marking the first confirmed human-caused change to a celestial body’s heliocentric...

A decommissioned 1988 US spy satellite has mysteriously disintegrated in low-Earth orbit, creating a new cloud of space debris 775 kilometers above Earth. A Cold War-era relic has disintegrated in low-Earth orbit, serving as a stark reminder of the...

Study finds the asteroid that ended the dinosaurs was a rare CO chondrite, with fine atmospheric debris—not sulfur—driving the global extinction. A new analysis of nickel isotopes trapped in the thin clay layer that marks the Cretaceous‑Paleogene...

Astronomers have discovered a surprise comet in an unexpected location, identified after a meticulous analysis of routine deep-space imaging data. Astronomers have identified a previously unknown comet lurking in the outer reaches of the solar system,...

Astronomers have discovered a giant planet that may have formed from the debris left behind by its host star’s dramatic death. Astronomers have identified a potential candidate for a rare “second-generation” planet, a world that appears to have...

Webb telescope observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveal unique dusty ice, suggesting shared planet-building blocks across distant solar systems. Data captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has unveiled a curious composition within...

Scientists suggest analyzing lunar soil for microscopic engineered particles that could hold the key to uncovering long-lost extraterrestrial civilizations. The quest to find evidence of extraterrestrial life has long focused on the skies, hunting for...

The first data from the world’s most advanced sky-mapping camera has revealed a hidden population of asteroids spinning at dizzying speeds, challenging everything we know about how these space rocks hold themselves together. The Vera C. Rubin...

A new AI system can now detect suspicious satellite activity by analyzing reflected light, offering a powerful new tool for monitoring objects in orbit. A sophisticated new artificial intelligence framework is set to enhance space situational awareness...

Scientists discover a hidden rule that predicts fragment sizes in shattered objects, uncovering unexpected order in chaotic breakage. When a plate shatters, a sugar cube crumbles, or a ceramic tube detonates, the resulting debris often follows a...

A powerful new space telescope designed to map 1.5 billion galaxies has unexpectedly captured a mysterious, unidentified streak in our cosmic backyard. The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope has unexpectedly expanded its scientific legacy...