Astronomy

Astronomers have discovered an extraordinary world that defies everything we thought we knew about planets. TOI-2431 b, an Earth sized planet located just 117 light years away, races around its star so fast that it experiences over 1,600 "years" in the time it takes Earth to complete just one orbit. The discovery of this extreme world, with its distorted shape and ultra dense composition, is revolutionising our understanding of planetary systems and revealing just how bizarre and diverse worlds beyond our Solar System can be.

Black holes played a critical role in the formation of the early universe. However, astronomers have been debating for a long time just how critical, as the information we had about early black holes, which exist at high red-shifts, was relatively limited. A new paper from a group of researchers led by Sophia Geris at the University of Cambridge combined several spectra from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to add some context to the formation of black holes early in the universe, and found that there are plenty of smaller ones lurking around, and lending credence to the idea that black holes of all sizes contributed to the formation of our modern universe.

What new exercise methods can be devised for astronauts in space under microgravity conditions? This is what a recent study conducted submitted to the 2025 Technology Collaboration Center’s (TCC) Wearables Workshop and University Challenge hopes to address as a team of Rice University engineering students developed a new type of space exercise harness that could make exercising under microgravity easier and more comfortable.

Stellar mass black holes are created by core-collapse supernovae. These occur when massive stars near the end of their lives collapse in on themselves and form a black hole. Supermassive black holes form through mergers with other massive black holes. But their could be a third kind, called direct-collapse black holes, and the JWST found evidence of one.

Lightning might not strike twice, but black holes apparently do. An international group of researchers led by Tel Aviv University astronomers observed a flare caused when a star falls onto a black hole and is destroyed.

A pioneering solar-powered drone aircraft operated by Skydweller Aero will be used for maritime surveillance

A pioneering solar-powered drone aircraft operated by Skydweller Aero will be used for maritime surveillance

The Crew Dragon capsule that will fly SpaceX's Crew-11 astronaut mission to the ISS for NASA has arrived at Kennedy Space Center ahead of its planned July 31 launch.

Having someone in your life who hassles you or causes problems could be adding 2.5 months to your biological age

Having someone in your life who hassles you or causes problems could be adding 2.5 months to your biological age

A Vega C rocket launched the MicroCarb carbon dioxide mapper and four Earth-observation satellites tonight (July 25) from South America.

The Hubble Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory saw an enigmatic intermediate-mass black hole lighting up in X-rays, potentially revealing a way of finding more of them in the future.

The 25th anniversary logo is visible in the cupola of the space station in this July 17, 2025, image. The central astronaut figure is representative of all those who have lived and worked aboard the station during the 25 years of continuous human presence. In the dark sky of space surrounding the astronaut are 15 stars, which symbolize the 15 partner nations that support the orbiting laboratory.

It has been claimed Neanderthals ate a huge amount of meat based on isotope ratios in their bones – but the explanation could instead be a diet rich in maggots

It has been claimed Neanderthals ate a huge amount of meat based on isotope ratios in their bones – but the explanation could instead be a diet rich in maggots

Rising temperatures are causing water to evaporate and driving humans to extract more groundwater, which is moving freshwater from the land to the seas and creating a "continental drying" trend

Rising temperatures are causing water to evaporate and driving humans to extract more groundwater, which is moving freshwater from the land to the seas and creating a "continental drying" trend

The four members of SpaceX's Crew-10 mission on the Expedition 73 crew began packing for home, while also calling down to Earth to share their ongoing work aboard the ISS.

Aging is a complex process that plays out differently across different organs, according to growing evidence

Astronomers think small space rocks from beyond our solar system routinely strike Earth—but proving it isn’t easy