Observations by NASA’s NuSTAR X-ray telescope give astronomers new clues about the brightest and most energetic gamma-ray burst ever detected. When scientists detected the gamma-ray burst known as GRB 221009A on Oct. 9, 2022, they dubbed it the brightest of all time, or BOAT. Most gamma-ray bursts...

Sodium chloride, better known as table salt, isn’t exactly the type of mineral that captures the imagination of scientists. However, a smattering of tiny salt crystals discovered in a sample from an asteroid has researchers at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory excited...

A team of astronomers has used observations from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) at The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory to discover some of the longest tails of gas yet observed escaping a planet. The planet, HAT-P-32b, is nearly twice the size of Jupiter and losing its...

First detected accidentally by US military satellites in the late 1960s, cosmic explosions known as gamma ray bursts (GRBs) have come to be understood as the brightest explosions in the universe. Typically, they are the result of the cataclysmic birth of a black hole in a distant galaxy. One way...

Martian maps are full of monikers recognizing places on Earth, explorers, and even cartoon characters. NASA’s Perseverance rover is currently investigating rock outcrops alongside the rim of Mars’s Belva Crater. Some 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) away, NASA’s Curiosity rover...

Early data shows the greatest net gain of water over the winter in nearly 22 years, but the state’s groundwater levels still suffer from the effects of years of drought. After years of intense drought and diminishing groundwater, California just saw its greatest year-over-year water gains in two...

In a momentous occasion attended by Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço and Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, Angola and Portugal signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU sets the stage for fostering the development and expansion of the space sectors in...

Scientists used ground-based telescopes to get unprecedented views, thanks to the giant planet’s position in its long orbit around the Sun. For the first time, NASA scientists have strong evidence of a polar cyclone on Uranus. By examining radio waves emitted from the ice giant, they detected the...

Three Chinese astronauts working at the country’s space station have returned safely to Earth, state media reported Sunday, hailing the mission as a “complete success”. The return capsule of the Shenzhou-15 spaceship touched down at a landing site in northern China’s Inner...