Astronomy

Two Chinese astronauts spent more than six hours outside the Tiangong space station on Friday (Aug. 15), installing a debris shield on the third spacewalk of the Shenzhou 20 mission.

Any material used as a light sail is bound by very restrictive physical requirements. It has to be extremely light , can’t melt from the energy applied to it, and must bend, but not break, from that pressure. Various research groups around the world have been working on materials they believe will meet those requirements, and a new paper from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania describes experimental testing of what they believe to be the most functional light sail material yet developed.

A supermassive black hole in the act of awakening from slumber haas been detected by a team of astronomers. Using powerful radio telescopes, they observed this sleeping giant as it began to stir for the first time, offering an unprecedented look at how these stellar monsters come to life. Located 6 billion light years away, this giant has been dormant but suddenly roared to life just 1,000 years ago, revealing secrets about how the universe's most powerful forces shape entire galaxies.

Mercury is farthest from the sun in Earth's morning sky on Aug. 19.

A panel of judges has selected the 25 finalists in NASA and Freelancer's global contest to design a plush "zero-g indicator" to fly to the moon with the agency's Artemis 2 astronauts.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 Starlink satellites launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Monday (Aug. 18). It was the company's 100th Falcon 9 launch of the year.

From depression to dementia, we are now realising the profound impacts of long-term inflammation on the brain. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms is unlocking new treatments to protect our cognitive function and mental health

From depression to dementia, we are now realising the profound impacts of long-term inflammation on the brain. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms is unlocking new treatments to protect our cognitive function and mental health

Nine species of fungi and bacteria have been found in cocoa beans that produce fine chocolate, and this knowledge could help producers develop better flavours

Nine species of fungi and bacteria have been found in cocoa beans that produce fine chocolate, and this knowledge could help producers develop better flavours

A large language model interviewed me about my life and gave the information to an AI agent built to portray my personality. Could it convince me it was me?

Pluto isn't the only dwarf planet residing in our solar system. Try your hand at naming the others!

NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, and Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, walk on the crew access arm of the mobile launcher in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.

The first detailed observation of the bathroom habits of Streaked Shearwaters at sea leave scientists with a surprising load of questions

From hints of citrus to caramel, premium chocolate’s complex flavors derive from fermenting microbes on cocoa bean farms—and a new study suggests they can be grown on demand in the lab

A report published in June found that the world only has three years before it crosses the 1.5 C climate target. So what should we do now?

Beneath the surfaces of distant planets, microbes might subsist on harsh radiation rather than starlight, a new study suggests

Like birds returning to their nests, these feather-like grid fins help steer rockets back down through the atmosphere toward their landing zones.

Auroras may be visible from Alaska to Washington as an incoming speedy solar wind could spark geomagnetic storm conditions overnight.