The exploration of celestial bodies and cosmic phenomena beyond Earth. This field seeks to uncover the mysteries of the universe, including the nature of stars, planets, galaxies, and the laws governing space and time.
The James Webb Space Telescope released a new image of the young star cluster Pismis 24 in the Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357), located about 5 500 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius, on September 4. The near-infrared image reveals thousands of stars, including Pismis 24-1, a system of at least two massive stars with 74 and 66 solar masses, embedded in towering spires of dust and gas.
Chinese scientists presented a blueprint for near-Earth asteroid defense and resource utilization at the third International Deep Space Exploration Conference in Hefei, Anhui Province, on September 5, 2025.
Astronomers using JWST found a planet-forming disk unusually rich in carbon dioxide but poor in water, challenging models of how planetary systems develop.
Ions in solar flares reach temperatures exceeding 60 million °C (108 million °F), potentially solving a long-standing mystery over unexpectedly broad spectral lines first observed in the 1970s, according to new research published on September 3, 2025.
NASA’s InSight mission detected seismic waves consistent with a solid inner core in Mars, according to a study published in Nature on September 3, 2025. Researchers constrained its radius to 613 ± 67 km (380 ± 41 miles).
A new study shows that major geomagnetic and auroral disturbances can, in rare cases, originate from solar eruptions near the limb, with evidence pointing to the January 1938 Fátima storm as one such event.
Repeated moonquakes along the Lee-Lincoln fault, not meteor impacts, caused boulder falls and landslides in the Taurus-Littrow valley, the Apollo 17 landing site, a study published recently in Science Advances has found. The findings raise concerns for the safety of future long-term lunar outposts.
On September 1, 1859, British astronomer Richard Carrington observed a sudden flash of light erupting from a group of sunspots. Less than 24 hours later, Earth was struck by the most powerful geomagnetic storm in recorded history. Telegraph systems failed, auroras spread across the globe, and the event became known as the Carrington Event.
The first-of-its-kind Surya Heliophysics Foundation Model, developed by NASA and IBM, uses 9 years of solar observations to forecast flare activity and solar storms with high accuracy.
Researchers using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope have measured the Sun’s thinnest coronal loops, recorded during an X1.3-class solar flare on August 8, 2024.
