All stars die eventually, including our Sun. Depending on the star, that can spell doom for planets. Massive stars die in cataclysmic explosions called supernovae, and their powerful blast waves can destroy any planets within range. If our Sun were massive enough to explode like this, it would mean an instantaneous end for Earth. But…
When it comes to the future of human exploration, 3D printers hold the key to crew autonomy in areas ranging from maintenance to medicine. Delivered by ESA in 2024, the first metal 3D printer in space has just produced its fifth sample, retrieved by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot during the εpsilon mission. Since the beginning…
Shutterstock/Johan Swanepoel In the far reaches of the solar system, the planetary neighbourhood seems quiet. Beyond Jupiter, the sun is no longer a blazing disc, but a cold, white lamp. The planets are separated by gulfs of darkness. Light takes just 8 minutes to get from the sun to Earth, but typically more than an…
No tour of the cosmos is complete without a description of black holes MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY A Brief History of UniverseSarah Alam Malik, Simon & Schuster (UK, 12 February) William Morrow (US, 5 May) IN 1988, Stephen Hawking published A Brief History of Time, an exploration and explanation of cosmology by the renowned physicist…
A new study from the SETI Institute suggests that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence may be facing an unexpected challenge. The same stellar activity that shapes conditions around distant planets could also make alien radio signals much harder to detect. Many SETI efforts look for extremely narrow radio signals because they are unlikely to be…
NASA astronaut Chris Williams took this photo of an orbital sunrise from the International Space Station on June 26, 2026. In 24 hours, the space station makes 16 orbits of Earth, traveling through 16 sunrises and sunsets. Learn more about the orbiting laboratory. Image credit: NASA/Chris Williams
At the center of a distant galaxy called Abell 402-BCG, astronomers have identified a starless void stretching 3,200 light years across, a gap first spotted in 2018 and long assumed to be the work of obscuring cosmic dust. New observations now point to a different explanation: a pair of colliding ultramassive black holes carving the…
Image: Steven Madow / Space Explored In the month of April, the US launched 18 rockets into space. Nearly all of them were successful. While the vast majority were for SpaceX Falcon 9s launching the company’s Starlink satellites, it was still a diverse set of rockets, including NASA’s Space Launch System, Blue Origin’s New Glenn,…
The museum, which started in New York and hasn’t had a permanent exhibition space in several years, depicts the history and influence of U.S. financial institutions Ryley Graham | Correspondent July 2, 2026 5:28 p.m. The “Alexander Hamilton Experience” features an A.I.-generated Hamilton and artifacts from the founding of the U.S. financial system. Museum of…
America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark A Smithsonian magazine special report Lewis Hine didn’t consider his job as taking pictures; it was “detective work.” Sometimes gaining access with ruse and subterfuge, he captured stark images that touched hearts and changed minds Ted Scheinman | Senior Editor Summer 2026 Two young boys at a Georgia cotton…