Volcanic emissions of reactive sulfur gases may have shaped early climate of Mars, making it more hospitable to life

Sulfur crystals found inside a rock after NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover happened to drive over it and crush it on May 30, 2024. This discovery supports new research led by…

James Webb Space Telescope images enormous star shooting out twin jets 8 light-years long

A massive star on the distant outskirts of our Milky Way galaxy is seen blowing a powerful cosmic blowtorch in a new image courtesy of James Webb Webb Space Telescope’s…

‘Potential biosignatures’ found in ancient Mars lake

Jezero Crater on Mars where tantalising ‘biosignatures’ have been found. Credit: Imperial College London A new study suggests a habitable past and signs of ancient microbial processes on Mars. Led…

Did NASA’s Perseverance rover find evidence of ancient life on Mars? The plot thickens

Since February 2021, NASA’s Perseverance rover has been exploring a region on Mars known as Jezero Crater, a huge cavity believed to have once hosted a lake. It’s considered one…

A hungry star is eating its cosmic twin at a rate never seen before

Double star V Sagittae—10,000 light years from Earth—is burning bright because greedy white dwarf is gorging on its larger twin. Credit: University of Southampton A greedy white dwarf star not…

Astronauts capture amazing views of the total lunar eclipse from the ISS (photos)

We just got some great birds-eye views of this past weekend’s total lunar eclipse, thanks to astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The eclipse occurred overnight from Sunday to…

50 years ago, NASA sent two spacecraft to search for life on Mars. The missions’ findings are still discussed today

NASA’s Viking landers were the first spacecraft to successfully touch down on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP Finding life beyond Earth would be a major scientific discovery…

Does the nearby exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e support life? New James Webb Space Telescope data could help us find out

Astronomers have investigated the atmosphere and potential habitability of a famous “Goldilocks zone” planet using NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The planet in question is TRAPPIST-1e, an Earth-sized…

‘Blood Moon’ rises during total lunar eclipse

Stargazers in Johannesburg were among those getting a clear view of the Blood Moon. Stargazers enjoyed a “Blood Moon” Sunday night during a total lunar eclipse visible across Asia and…

The first stars may not have been as uniformly massive as astronomers thought

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. For decades, astronomers have wondered what the very first stars…