The nearest single star to Earth has four small planets
The nearest single star to the sun, Barnard’s star, has a brood of planets all its own. The red dwarf star, about six light-years from Earth, hosts four close-in planets …
Space
New baby pictures of the universe deepen a cosmic mystery
The clearest pictures yet of the newborn cosmos strengthen the prevailing model of the universe but deepen a mystery about its expansion rate. Measurements of this rate, known as the …
The Blue Ghost lander just witnessed a lunar eclipse — from the moon
The privately-owned Blue Ghost moon lander, built by Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace, has captured rare views of a lunar eclipse from the moon’s surface. The lander, which touched down March …
A new iron compound hints ‘primordial’ helium hides in Earth’s core
Scientists have coaxed one of the universe’s most stubborn elements into a new compound. Formed under intense pressures, the newly discovered compound packs helium atoms into crystalline iron, researchers report …
Uranus emits more heat than previously thought
Uranus emits more energy than it gets from the sun, two new studies report — a discovery that contradicts findings from the venerable Voyager spacecraft. When Voyager 2 sped past …