Shortly after NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu, an unexpected discovery by the mission's science team revealed that the asteroid could be active, or consistently discharging particles into space.

A senior has come up with a way to discern life on exoplanets loitering in other cosmic neighborhoods: a spectral field guide.

The first evidence of a giant planet orbiting a dead white dwarf star has been found in the form of a disc of gas formed from its evaporating atmosphere.

Since its 2018 launch, NASA's Parker Solar Probe (record-holder for closest-ever spacecraft to the Sun) has finished three of 24 planned passes through never-before-explored parts of the Sun's atmosphere. Four new articles describe what scientists have learned from its unprecedented exploration, and what they look forward to learning next.

The researchers built a novel dataset of more than 600,000 matchups between water quality field measurements and Landsat imagery, creating a 'symphony of data.'

The archaeon Metallosphaera sedula can uptake and process extraterrestrial material. This is shown by an international team led by astrobiologists, who examines microbial fingerprints on meteorite materials. The researchers also conclude that M. sedula colonizes meteorite minerals faster than those of terrestrial origin.

Astronomers have captured a clear start-to-finish image sequence of an explosive emission of dust, ice and gases during the close approach of comet 46P/Wirtanen in late 2018.

Computers can learn to find flares and other events in vast streams of solar images to help forecasters issue timely alerts, according to a new study. The machine-learning technique searches satellite data for features significant for space weather. Changing conditions on the Sun can affect various technologies on Earth, blocking radio communications, damaging power grids, and diminishing navigation system accuracy.

A surprising analysis of the composition of gas giant exoplanets and their host stars shows that there isn't a strong correlation between their compositions when it comes to elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. This finding has important implications for our understanding of the planetary formation process.

Scientists studying the weather and climate of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, have reported a significant seasonal variation in its energy budget, a finding which could yield new insights into climate on Earth.

Scientists have discovered why the Sun's magnetic waves strengthen and grow as they emerge from its surface, which could help to solve the mystery of how the corona of the Sun maintains its multi-million degree temperatures.

Measurements taken by the Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument aboard NASA's New Horizons spacecraft are providing important new insights from some of the farthest reaches of space ever explored. Astronomers now show how the solar wind -- the supersonic stream of charged particles blown out by the Sun -- evolves at increasing distances from the Sun.

Astrophysicists employed massive super-computer simulations to calculate the mechanisms that accelerate charged particles in extreme environments. They concluded their energization is powered by the interplay of chaotic motion and reconnection of super-strong magnetic fields.

Analysis of the impact craters on Ryugu using the spacecraft Hayabusa2's remote sensing image data has illuminated the geological history of the Near-Earth asteroid and revealed 77 craters. Through analyzing the location patterns and characteristics of the craters, it was discovered that the asteroid's eastern and western hemispheres were likely formed at different periods of time. It is hoped that the collected data can be used as a basis for future asteroid research and analysis.

The search for evidence of life on Mars could be helped by fresh insights into ancient rocks on Earth.

Scientists are developing robotic networks that can work independently but collaboratively on a common task. The goal? To make smart satellites that can repair other satellites in space.

Bacteria, fungi, and viruses can enter our gut through the food we eat. Fortunately, the epithelial cells that line our intestines serve as a robust barrier to prevent these microorganisms from invading the rest of our bodies. Biomedical scientist have now found that simulated microgravity, such as that encountered in spaceflight, disrupts the functioning of the epithelial barrier even after removal from the microgravity environment.

Researchers have taken a new and significant step toward detecting a signal from the period in cosmic history when the first stars lit up the universe.

When -- and how -- Earth's surface evolved from a hot, primordial mush into a rocky planet continually resurfaced by plate tectonics remain some of the biggest unanswered questions in earth science research. Now a new study suggests this earthly transition may in fact have been triggered by extra-terrestrial impacts.

Theoreticians in two different fields defied the common knowledge that planets orbit stars like the Sun. They proposed the possibility of thousands of planets around a supermassive black hole.

According to a new study, emergency responders could cut costs and save time by using near-real-time satellite data along with other decision-making tools after a flooding disaster.

Scientists proved for the first time that the galaxy NGC 6240 contains three supermassive black holes. The unique observations show the black holes close to each other in the core of the galaxy. The study points to simultaneous merging processes during the formation of the largest galaxies in the universe.

A new study has discovered meteorites containing RNA sugar, ribose, and other bio-important sugars; the first direct evidence of bio-essential sugars' delivery from space to the Earth.

Gamma-ray bursts are the most energetic phenomenon known to humankind. Although short-lived, they outshine stars and even galactic quasars. They usually display energies in the region of tens of giga-electron-volts, but for the first time, researchers discovered a gamma-ray burst in the region of a tera-electron-volt. This level of energy has long been theorized, and this study demonstrates these energies might actually be more common than once thought.

Researchers have observed a gamma-ray burst with an afterglow that featured the highest energy photons -- a trillion times more energetic than visible light -- ever detected in a burst.