Could We Detect an Alien Civilization Trying to Warm Their Planet?
Humanity is facing an atmospheric threat of our own device, and our internecine squabbles are hampering our ability to neutralize…
Happy Asteroid Day! Schweickart Prize Spotlights Planetary Defense
Every year on June 30, Asteroid Day marks the anniversary of a meteor airburst in 1908 that leveled hundreds of…
Existing Telescopes Could Directly Observe ‘ExoEarths…’ with a Few Tweaks
One proposal offers a unique method to directly image ExoEarths, or rocky worlds around nearby stars.
Cepheid Variables are the Bedrock of the Cosmic Distance Ladder. Astronomers are Trying to Understand them Better
One of the most fundamental questions astronomers ask about an object is "What's its distance?" For very faraway objects, they…
Dark Matter: Why study it? What makes it so fascinating?
Universe Today has had some incredible discussions with a wide array of scientists regarding impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, astrobiology,…
That’s No Planet. Detecting Transiting Megastructures
One of the easiest ways to find exoplanets is using the transit method. It relies upon monitoring the brightness of…
A Single Robot Could Provide a Mission To Mars With Enough Water and Oxygen
Utilizing regolith on the Moon or Mars, especially to refill propellant for rockets to get back off the surface, is…
Webb Sees Globular Clusters Forming in the Early Universe
Picture the Universe's ancient beginnings. In the vast darkness, light was emitted from a particular galaxy only 460 million years…
Fly Through the Pillars of Creation in this New Visualisation Made from Webb and Hubble Data
I remember April 1995 very well. It was the month that the stunning and iconic image that has been called…
Black Hole Bullies Shut Down Star Formation in Their Galaxies
A supermassive black hole in the heart of a galaxy is the ultimate 800-pound gorilla of astrophysics. Not only do…