Astronomy

The Three Body Problem isn’t just the name of a viral Netflix series or a Hugo Award winning sci-fi book. It also represents a really problem in astrodynamics - and one that can cause headaches to mission planners in terms of its complexity, but also one that offers the promise of an easier way to enter stable orbits that might otherwise be possible. A new paper from researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology shows one way those orbital maneuvers might be enhanced while exploring planetary systems - by using a gravity assist from its moons.

Compact, reflective, easy to manufacture mirrors are a critical component for advancing astronomical technology in space. Mirrors are a key component in most telescopes, though they are notoriously hard to manufacture with the necessary precision, especially at large scales. A new paper from researchers in the UK uses additive manufacturing to make a thin, flexible, and lightweight mirror out of aluminum and analyzes its properties to see if it will be useful in applications such as CubeSats.

In a recent paper, researchers followed the trajectories of 1I/`Oumuamua, 2I/Borisov, and 3I/ATLAS - three installer objects that have entered the Solar System in the past decade - to constrain their possible origin. Through a series of Monte Carlo simulations, they came up with predictions of where they came from and how old they are.

A galaxy in the early universe was rich with oxygen, astronomers have found. The discovery raises questions about how early life could have first appeared in the universe.

A rare quadruple star system with two brown dwarfs orbiting two red dwarf stars could help shed light on how these "failed stars" change with age.

A study of more than 6 million children finds that exposure to antibiotics in the womb or early in life tends not to increase the risk of autoimmunity – but the relationship is complicated

A study of more than 6 million children finds that exposure to antibiotics in the womb or early in life tends not to increase the risk of autoimmunity – but the relationship is complicated

In Star Trek's modern era, Starfleet and the Federation aren't the unquestioned forces for good they once were, but Strange New Worlds' latest episode aims to restore the faith.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Friday (Aug. 22), sending 24 of the company's Starlink broadband satellites to orbit.

Immersing yourself in nature has repeatedly been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, but it could also have serious benefits for your physical health

Immersing yourself in nature has repeatedly been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, but it could also have serious benefits for your physical health

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has assembled a team of researchers to make communication networks more secure by injecting them with quantumness

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has assembled a team of researchers to make communication networks more secure by injecting them with quantumness

We didn't know we needed a new 'Star Trek: Voyager' game announcement in 2025, but 'Across The Unknown' looks like a dream 'Trek' game.

The Celestron NexStar 8 SE telescope is universally loved by astronomers and comes highly recommended by our own telescope experts, and has hit its lowest price of the year.

A social media notification popping up on your phone can be quite distracting, even if you don't engage with it

A social media notification popping up on your phone can be quite distracting, even if you don't engage with it

A mysterious lunar landslide might have been caused by debris from a faraway crater-forming impact, new analyses of Apollo 17 moon samples suggest.

After a string of fiery failures, SpaceX’s biggest rocket faces another test flight with sky-high stakes for U.S. space ambitions

A rare black moon darkens the sky on Aug. 23, 2025, followed by a close encounter between the young crescent and Mars just days later.