Fluffy Molecular Clouds Formed Stars in the Early Universe

This image from the research shows the overall view of the SMC and the positions of the target YSOs. Image Credit: Tokuda et al. 2025.

Stars form in Giant Molecular Clouds (GMCs), vast clouds of mostly hydrogen that can span tens of light years. These stellar nurseries can form thousands of stars. Astronomers know this because they observe these regions in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds and watch as stars take shape. But the Universe is more than … Read more

Underwater detector spots the most energetic neutrino yet

KM3NeT detector

KM3NeT is a neutrino telescope consisting of strings of optical detectors placed deep beneath the ocean. Credit: KM3NeT On Feb. 13, 2023, something extraordinary happened deep beneath the Mediterranean Sea. KM3NeT’s Astroparticle Research with Cosmics in the Abyss (ARCA) telescope, a sprawling underwater array of ultra-sensitive photodetectors, caught sight of the telltale sign of an … Read more

A bold new theory of intelligent life and origin of humanity

Intelligent life: Person standing on a large rock, silhouetted against a starry night sky.

View larger. | A new theory proposes that humanity – and other analogous forms of intelligent life in the universe – might not be as extraordinary or improbable as previously thought. Instead, we might represent the probable outcome of biological and planetary evolution. The new theory challenges the decades-old hard steps” theory of human evolution. … Read more

Thousands of new black holes just found!

New black holes: A bright, irregular galaxy with spikes of light surrounded by more distant and fainter galaxies.

Using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at Kitt Peak in Arizona, astronomers have discovered thousands of new black holes. These discoveries have more than tripled the amount of known intermediate-mass black holes and active black holes at the centers of dwarf galaxies. Images and videos: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/Legacy Surveys/D. Lang (Perimeter Institute)/NAOJ/HSC Collaboration/D. de … Read more

Address science misinformation by building community

Science misinformation: Stick people holding hands with Earth behind them and city buildings.

The best way to address science misinformation? Build conversation and community. Image via Geralt/ Pixabay. Science misinformation is an area that scientists are having to address more and more. Sharing facts is not always the best way to combat misinformation. This is because some facts can feel threatening. Building community and working within your own … Read more

‘It’s extremely worrisome.’ NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope faces potential 20% budget cut just 4 years after launch

The galaxy GN-z11 as seen by Hubble (inset) an illustration of a feeding black hole

The scientists behind NASA’s largest and most powerful space telescope ever built are bracing for potentially crippling budget cuts, and the observatory is only halfway through its primary mission. The team overseeing NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been directed to prepare for up to 20% in budget cuts that would touch on every … Read more

How do black holes ‘leak’ energy? Scientists have a new spin on the answer

An illustration of the region surrounding a feeding supermassive black hole. What could possibly hide such a ravenous cosmic titan?

Black holes may leak more energy to their surroundings than previously suspected — and the faster these voids spin, the more efficient this energy extraction seems to be. With this in mind, a team of scientists has discovered how the disks of gas and dust that swirl around black holes can become the powerful engines … Read more

See Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky

Wide array of bright but slightly fuzzy stars, mostly blue-white but one reddish, over dark landscape.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sergei Timofeevski shared this image from November 13, 2023. Sergei wrote: “The constellation Orion the Hunter and the star Sirius rising just above the eastern horizon in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.” Thank you, Sergei! Note bright Sirius is on the bottom, and Orion’s Belt pointing to it. … Read more

The Sky This Week from February 21 to 28: Saturn and Mercury meet

February 24, 2025, 30 minutes after sunset, looking west

Mercury and Saturn stand side by side in the early-evening sky near the end of February. Note that Neptune is not visible to the naked eye. Credit: Astronomy: Roen Kelly Friday, February 21The Moon passes 0.4° south of the bright red giant Antares in Scorpius this morning at 4 A.M. EST. The pair is visible … Read more

Asteroid 2024 YR4’s odds of hitting Earth just got a lot smaller

The asteroid 2024 YR4 (like the one shown in this artist’s concept) are dim in visible light, but the infrared light it gives off means the James Webb Space Telescope will be a powerful tool to study it. NASA/JPL-Caltech In December, the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), located in Chile, identified an asteroid they … Read more