A Dead Star Is Revealing the Recipe of a Distant Icy World
Ultraviolet fingerprints in a white dwarf reveal a water-rich, nitrogen-bearing planetary fragment—and leave its origin an open mystery.
Space
The Black Hole’s Famous Ring Hides a More Elusive Signal
The M87 black hole’s glowing ring is not a direct picture of its horizon. Researchers are searching its finer light patterns for gravity’s hidden signature.
Why the Sun’s Wind Sometimes Sends Its Magnetic Field Backward
Parker Solar Probe found magnetic reversals in the solar wind. Researchers are tracing whether they form near the Sun or farther out.
Alien Lightning Can Rewrite the Chemical Clues We Use to Find Life
Alien lightning may erase ozone clues—or create misleading ones. Lab experiments and climate models show why each planet needs context.
How a Dusty Smudge Became a Second Planet in a Young System
A once-ambiguous red spot near WISPIT 2 now appears to be a second giant planet, revealing how astronomers test worlds in their birth disks.
A Tiny Sulfur Signal Revealed Sunlit Chemistry on a Hot Giant
JWST spotted sulfur dioxide on the hot exoplanet WASP-39b, revealing how starlight and winds can reshape an alien atmosphere.
DART’s Asteroid Strike Worked Because the Target Threw Debris Back
DART shortened Dimorphos’s orbit by 33 minutes. The asteroid’s escaping debris supplied a surprising extra push.
The Neutrinos Going the Wrong Way Inside a Collapsing Star
A tiny neutrino backwash in a collapsing star may trigger rapid flavor changes, reshaping the clues that a future supernova sends to Earth.