Universe

A thin crescent moon and dark skies could give watchers a clear view of this astronomical event

A cosmic explosion known as GRB 250702B is by far the longest gamma-ray burst astronomers have ever seen—if it’s even one at all

Huge eruptions from the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole in the distant past may have sterilized much of the inner galaxy

Theorists have found that a “warm” version of cosmic inflation is consistent with known physics, linking it to the hunt for dark matter

Voracious supermassive black holes light up the cores of “active” galaxies across the universe. How we see them, however, is a matter of perspective

When space itself expands, weird things can happen—like galaxies breaking the universe’s ultimate speed limit

Gauging the mass of a black hole is tricky, but astronomers have devised multiple methods to measure the heft of these galactic gluttons

The answer to this supposedly simple particle physics question isn’t so simple

The universe has a habit of disproving “unassailable” facts

Beneath the surfaces of distant planets, microbes might subsist on harsh radiation rather than starlight, a new study suggests

Scientists are uncovering how spinning black holes launch jets, warp spacetime and shape the cosmos

Researchers hoped CMB-S4, a $900-million cosmology experiment, would answer one of the greatest questions in physics. Instead it’s become another cautionary tale of pursuing big science amid shrinking budgets