Astronomy
The latest on science as it relates to astronomy. A staple of social media, stories involving space, astronomy and other related subjects often go viral, capturing the attention of the internet. Newsweek's coverage of stories capturing the attention of social media offers a unique perspective on a trend or trending topic that often is difficult to understand without a nuanced explanation.
NASA detects bizarre, extraordinarily bright explosion in unexpected place
The origins of these rare explosions are poorly understood, but a number of potential explanations have been proposed.
Scientists explain "bananas" galaxy observation that baffled everyone
The mystery of six galaxies that appeared too large for their age has been solved by astrophysicists, with the explanation lying in the "bursty star formation."
Astronomers worry about bright object in night sky
"The startling conclusion is that the BlueWalker 3 satellite is one of the brightest things in the sky," astronomer Meredith L. Rawls told Newsweek.
Hidden ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa may contain key ingredient for life
Europa is thought to have a hidden subsurface ocean of salty liquid water, which scientists believe may harbor the conditions suitable for life.
Never-before seen arc of plasma uncovered in astronomy photography awards
Winners of the competition captured brand new discoveries out in the depths of space, as well as beautiful images of our solar system neighbors.
Woman woken by loud noise finds meteorite in her garden
"There was no crater, but it broke the table," Sylvain Bouley, president of the Astronomical Society of France (SAF), said of the meteorite's crash landing.
Earth's electrons may be forming water on the moon
Data from a lunar probe showed that the Earth's electrons may be contributing to the moon's weathering processes.
Solar ejection blows away tail of approaching comet
Newly discovered approaching comet C/2023 P1, or Nishimura, had its tail blown away by a coronal mass ejection on September 2.
James Webb Telescope reveals new structures in stunning supernova
The iconic supernova blazed with the power of 100 million suns for several months after being discovered close to our galaxy in 1987.
Rare blue supermoon photos from around the world
Photographers captured jaw-dropping images of Wednesday night's lunar spectacle.
Meteor spotted in skies over Siberia: Video
The meteor most likely burned up in the atmosphere before it reached the ground, a scientist told Russian state media.
Massive landslides spotted on solar system's largest volcano
New images of Olympus Mons have helped provide answers to a Martian mystery.
Japanese astronomers await alien response to message sent 40 years ago
The message consisted of 13 drawings depicting the progression of life on Earth, a human family, and the word "toast."
Top Russian rocket scientist hospitalized after Luna-25 moon mission crash
Mikhail Marov, one of the leading figures in the Soviet space program, was taken to a hospital near the Kremlin in Moscow.
Stunning Moon photos show far side up close after Russian crash
The photographs were captured by Indian space mission Chandrayaan-3, which if all goes to plan, could be the first spacecraft to land on the lunar south pole.
Amazing pictures capture Perseids meteor shower over national parks
"So beautiful to see the Perseid meteor shower last week," Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a post.
Scientists discover new type of star that could unlock magnetic mystery
"We don't really know how these objects form, so finding a potential formation route for these objects is exciting," astronomer Tomer Shenar told Newsweek.
Perseid meteor shower pictures capture 2023 event at peak
The Perseid meteor shower is taking place between July 17-August 24 this year, having peaked on Saturday night with around one meteor being spotted per minute.
Why the days on Mars are getting shorter
Mars is spinning faster and faster, with the length of its days decreasing incrementally every year.
OceanGate founder wants to send people to Venus: 'Eureka!'
Guillermo Söhnlein believes humans could be living on Venus by 2050.
It turns out a star's twinkle isn't a nice sound at all
"They sound like rhythmic noise, almost like a jackhammer mixed with the static you hear between radio stations," astrophysicist Evan Anders told Newsweek.
Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket punches hole in ionosphere
In the wake of the rocket's exhaust fumes, a faint red glow could be seen in the night sky, indicating that the exhaust was reacting with the ionosphere.
Strange radio signals detected from spinning mystery object in space
The object, thought to be a magnetar, was found to emit radio waves every 22 minutes, much slower than other magnetars which pulse around once per second.
Planets might have "siblings," astronomers find
A cloud of debris is seemingly orbiting around a star in the same path as another planet, in the first evidence of two exoplanets sharing an orbit.
Astronomers discover surprising similarity between Earth and Mercury
The mechanism behind the northern lights could be universal throughout our solar system.
How to see the Perseids meteor shower in July and August
The shower is one of the most spectacular celestial events of the year. Here's how you can view the cosmic display in the coming weeks.
Asteroid bigger than Washington Monument to zoom past Earth this week
You can watch the asteroid as it approaches our planet in real-time online via a livestream provided by the Virtual Telescope Project.
I'm a Harvard astronomer. I think we found interstellar material
I chose to lead this expedition because it addresses a fundamental question of great importance to the future of humanity: "Are we alone?"
Rare X-class solar flare wipes out radio signals in U.S.
The solar flare was categorized as an X1.08-class flare, making it one of the most powerful classes of flare to be ejected from the sun.
Star Wars plot cited as possible theory behind distant planet's survival
Halla is an exoplanet orbiting dying star Baekdu at a close distance, meaning it should have been engulfed by the star as it expanded into a red giant.
