Jupiter, the largest planet in our Solar System, has just gotten a bit smaller, at least according to the latest data. New measurements reveal that the gas giant is slightly narrower at the equator and flatter at the poles than previously believed. For decades, scientists relied on measurements from NASA’s Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft to
A recent example was published in 2025 by researchers at the European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility near Hamburg, among other institutions. They cooled iodopyridine, an organic molecule consisting of 11 atoms, almost to absolute zero and hammered it with a laser pulse to break its atomic bonds. The team found that the motions of the
QUICK FACTS What it is: A young cluster of galaxies, JADES-ID1 Where it is: 12.7 billion light-years from Earth When it was shared: Jan. 28, 2026 This stunning image showcases what astronomers think is the most distant galaxy protocluster ever found, and it holds a very important clue about the history of the universe. Located
On a wind-brushed Sunday in Northern California, a routine beach cleanup yielded a breathtaking surprise: one of the planet’s rarest marine animals lay still on the sand. The discovery, made by novelist and Sonoma State University professor Stefan Kiesbye at Bodega Bay’s Doran Regional Park, turned a quiet morning into scientific intrigue. What he found
In March 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people and caused more than $200 billion in damage. Scientists have long understood the scale of the catastrophe. What puzzled researchers was how the rupture propagated so near to the ocean floor, amplifying the tsunami’s
The blind spot, first discovered in the 17th century, is a natural feature of the eye. It appears where the optic nerve enters the eye, and it exists in nearly every animal, with the exception of squids and octopuses. But instead of experiencing a gap in our visual field, the brain compensates, filling in the
Earthquakes that jiggle Earth’s middle layer may be more widespread than scientists thought. A new map of these mysterious deep earthquakes shows that they occur all around the world and that they may have a variety of causes. That’s interesting, said study senior author Simon Klemperer, a geophysicist at Stanford University, because mantle earthquakes were
In this image from video provided by NASA, a SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying Americans Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev, approaches the International Space Station for docking on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. NASA/AP hide caption toggle caption NASA/AP The four members of NASA’S SpaceX Crew-12 mission docked at the International
Karwai Tang/Getty Images Lauded astrophysicist Stephen Hawking was outspoken about the existential threats facing humanity. Known for his work on the mysteries of general relatively and black holes, Hawking used his platform as the world’s most famous scientist to deliver several harsh warnings regarding man’s uncertain future, ranging
Four years ago, astronomers spotted a distant supermassive black hole swallowing an entire star. The star had wandered too close to the SMBH, and the black hole’s powerful gravity prevented its escape. It was a tidal disruption event (TDE), and now, four years later, the energy output from the TDE is still rising. The TDE