Astronomy

The failure to agree a global treaty on plastic pollution highlights how the UN’s requirement for unanimity holds back environmental policy, but there are better ways to make progress

The journal Science has lifted an expression of concern on a paper claiming evidence of Majorana quasiparticles, but concerns linger

Our heroic Navy SEAL gets interrogated years after the alien mothership plummets to Earth

The Double Cluster, Wild Duck open Cluster, and Coathanger asterism are on display in August.

OpenAI researchers reveal how their experimental model, devoid of any external aids, powered through hours-long proofs to earn a gold-medal score at the International Math Olympiad—and they discuss the project’s origins and describe how such work could help lead to artificial general intelligence

California's San Francisco Bay Area surrounded by the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, and their suburbs, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above the Golden State on Aug. 3, 2025.

Astronomers have spotted a new small moon for Uranus in images from earlier this year.

The post JWST Discovers New Moon of Uranus appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Hurricane forecasts feature a “cone of uncertainty,” but what is it actually showing? Scientific American breaks it down for you

Astronomers used the Einstein Probe to track a powerful blast of X-rays back to its source in the early universe.

Astronomers have picked up evidence of an Earth-sized world, distinct from the previously hypothesised Planet Nine and Planet X, that might be warping the orbits of objects beyond Neptune

Astronomers have picked up evidence of an Earth-sized world, distinct from the previously hypothesised Planet Nine and Planet X, that might be warping the orbits of objects beyond Neptune

Tidal forces from Earth, Venus and Jupiter may help keep the sun calm, reducing the risk of powerful solar storms that threaten Earth, a new study suggests.

Everything you need to know about hurricanes explained

The James Webb Space Telescope shows intriguing new details in the Apep Nebula, created by the colliding winds of two dying stars.

The post The Serpentine Apep Nebula, Imaged by the Webb Telescope appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will liftoff Thursday, Aug. 21, with the Boeing-built X-37B space plane for the U.S. Space Force. The mostly classified mission will study experimental technology in orbit.

Two colossal plasma fountains tore away from the sun in a breathtaking double blast, one of the most impressive eruptions this solar cycle.

As part of its exploration of Mars's boxwork landscape, Curiosity found itself in a fork-in-the-road

China took a step closer to the Moon, with the first short test for their crewed lunar lander. The test was completed on Wednesday, August 6th at a facility in China’s northern Hebei Province, and lasted just under 30 seconds. The tethered test successfully demonstrated the integration and performance of key systems, simulating descent, guidance, control and engine shutdown. This marks the first test for a China’s Manned (crewed) Space Agency (CMSA’s) human-rated lander.

Taking a walk is great for inspiration. There have been numerous studies about how people think more clearly on walks, and how new ideas come to them more frequently while doing so. That’s part of the reason some of the most famous minds in history included a daily walk in their schedule. Just such an inspiration must have happened recently to Nicholas Heinz, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. On a hike in Arizona he found a rock that could be used as an analog of a unique one found by the Perseverance rover on Mars - and decided to take it back to his lab to study it.x

Climate change isn't just transforming weather on Earth's surface, it’s also fundamentally altering how space weather affects the thousands of satellites orbiting our planet. New research reveals that rising carbon dioxide levels will dramatically change how geomagnetic storms impact the upper atmosphere, creating both opportunities and challenges for the satellite industry in the decades ahead.