Staring up into the night sky, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite expanse of space, with every pinprick of light in the vast canopy of darkness a star holding secrets forged by 13.8 billion years of the universe's existence. And yet, despite its great age and the unfathomable distance between us and even our nearest neighbor, through the study of astronomy we are able to understand more about the world beyond our atmosphere.
Join our expert writers and editors as we reveal the greatest mysteries in cosmology, such as how black holes form, and explore celestial bodies like exoplanets and nebulas, that are scattered throughout our universe. You will also discover how scientists are pushing the boundaries of space exploration using observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope with the latest astronomy news, features and articles.
Discover more about astronomy
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—Best telescopes 2024: Beginner and advanced scopes for stars, galaxies and nebulas
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'Not so exotic anymore': The James Webb telescope is unraveling the truth about the universe's first black holes
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'Torn apart by the darkness': What would happen if a human fell into a black hole?
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'Interstellar visitor' 3I/ATLAS may have just changed color — for the third time
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Astronomer reveals first look at Comet 3I/ATLAS as it reappears from behind the sun
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On Saturn's largest moon, water and oil would mix — opening the door to exotic chemistry in our solar system
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Webb reveals a fiery starburst in the Cigar Galaxy — Space photo of the week
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Science history: Astronomers spot first known planet around a sunlike star, raising hopes for extraterrestrial life — Nov. 1, 1995
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Astronomers discover skyscraper-size asteroid hidden in sun's glare
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$100,000 quadrillion asteroid Psyche may be the product of metal volcanoes, study hints
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Sneaky asteroid zooms past Antarctica closer than a satellite — and astronomers didn't catch it until hours after
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Our solar system's asteroid belt is slowly disappearing
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Science history: DART, humanity’s first-ever asteroid deflection mission, punches a space rock in the face — Sept. 26, 2022
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'City killer' asteroid could be nuked before close encounter with the moon
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What happened to the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?
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Skyscraper-size asteroid previously predicted to hit us in 60 years will zoom past Earth on Thursday (Sept. 18) — and you can see it live
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'A genuine surprise': Near-Earth asteroid Ryugu once had 'flowing water' that transformed its insides
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'Not so exotic anymore': The James Webb telescope is unraveling the truth about the universe's first black holes
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'Torn apart by the darkness': What would happen if a human fell into a black hole?
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Physicists detect rare 'second-generation' black holes that prove Einstein right... again
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James Webb telescope finds something 'very exciting' shooting out of first black hole ever imaged
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Groundbreaking image shows two black holes orbiting each other for first time
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Stars live longer, stranger lives after nearly being swallowed by a black hole
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The James Webb telescope may have discovered a brand new class of cosmic object: the black hole star
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'Shocking': Black hole found growing at 2.4 times the theoretical limit
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'Dramatic' changes spotted in first black hole ever imaged
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'Interstellar visitor' 3I/ATLAS may have just changed color — for the third time
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Astronomer reveals first look at Comet 3I/ATLAS as it reappears from behind the sun
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Comet 3I/ATLAS has been transformed by billions of years of space radiation, James Webb Space Telescope observations reveal
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NASA spacecraft reveal interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS brightened rapidly as it swooped behind the sun
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'Miracle' photo captures Comet Lemmon and meteor seemingly entwined over Earth
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Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is about to get very active — Space photo of the week
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New images of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS show giant 'jet' shooting toward the sun
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Superbright 'Comet Lemmon' gets its tail temporarily torn to pieces by solar wind
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Superbright 'Comet Lemmon' flies through auroras over Scotland during surprise solar storm
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'Puzzling' object discovered by James Webb telescope may be the earliest known galaxy in the universe
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Record-breaking 'dark object' found hiding within a warped 'Einstein ring' 10 billion light-years away
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James Webb telescope could have spotted controversial 'dark stars' in the far universe
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The universe's first magnetic fields were 'comparable' to the human brain — and still linger within the 'cosmic web'
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Astronomers find bizarre 'Cosmic Grapes' galaxy in the early universe. Here's why that's a big deal (photo)
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The universe may start dying in just 10 billion years, alarming new model predicts
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100 undiscovered galaxies may be orbiting the Milky Way, supercomputer simulations hint
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![A family portrait of galaxies from the CRISTAL survey. Red shows cold gas traced by ALMA’s [CII] observations. Blue and green represent starlight captured by the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eVukmgPN8vVBokz2SrUwMV.png)
'Time machine' reveals hidden structures in the universe's first galaxies
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Echoes from the Big Bang suggest Earth is trapped inside a giant cosmic void, scientists claim
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![A family portrait of galaxies from the CRISTAL survey. Red shows cold gas traced by ALMA’s [CII] observations. Blue and green represent starlight captured by the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eVukmgPN8vVBokz2SrUwMV-800-80.png.webp)
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Orionids 2025: Meteor shower caused by Halley's Comet peaks as two new comets cross the sky
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Dramatic 'fireballs' expected during Draconid meteor shower this week: How to get the best views
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Meteorite that crash landed through Georgia man's roof is 20 million years older than Earth, scientists say
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Perseid meteor shower 2025: How to see 'shooting stars' despite the full moon
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The Perseids are about to peak — here's how to watch the glorious meteor shower without the full moon ruining the show
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2 meteor showers to peak on the same night. Here's how to catch them at their best.
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Ancient meteorite discovered in Antarctica could reveal the true origins of Earth’s water, new study claims
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Eta Aquariids peak tonight: How to see remnants of Halley's comet
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Ancient zircon crystals shed light on 1 billion-year-old meteorite strike in Scotland
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On Saturn's largest moon, water and oil would mix — opening the door to exotic chemistry in our solar system
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Science history: Astronomers spot first known planet around a sunlike star, raising hopes for extraterrestrial life — Nov. 1, 1995
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'Planet Y' theory hints at hidden Earth-size world lurking in the solar system — and it could be much closer to us than 'Planet Nine'
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Which planets are the youngest and oldest in our solar system?
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Soar through a 1,000-mile-long maze on Mars in this mesmerizing new satellite video
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Scientists find best evidence yet that icy moon Enceladus is habitable
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It's official: Humans have found 6,000 planets beyond our solar system
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'If there is a space race, China's already winning it': NASA unlikely to bring Mars samples back to Earth before China does, experts say
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Why does Pluto have such a weird orbit?
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Beaver Supermoon: The biggest, brightest full moon of the year is about to rise
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What are the mysterious lights sometimes seen on the moon?
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We were wrong about how the moon's largest and oldest crater formed — and that's great news for NASA's next lunar landing
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When is the next full moon?
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Harvest supermoon photos: See the moon at its biggest and brightest in pictures from around the world
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The full Harvest Moon supermoon rises tonight
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Artemis Program: NASA's plan to send humans back to the moon
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See the moon, Venus and Regulus in a rare triple conjunction tomorrow
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'Blood moon' gallery: Stunning snaps from last night's total lunar eclipse
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The next Carrington-level solar superstorm could wipe out 'all our satellites,' new simulations reveal
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Mystery of the sun's mind-bogglingly hot atmosphere may finally be solved
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'The sun is slowly waking up': NASA warns that there may be more extreme space weather for decades to come
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Gigantic 'letter S' spotted on the sun just before a 'dark eruption' hurls a fiery shadow at Earth
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'Cannibal' solar storm could paint auroras above 18 US states this Labor Day
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Scientists unveil most detailed photo of a solar flare ever taken
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Solar tornado rages on the sun as a giant plasma plume erupts
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NASA spacecraft snaps images of lunar transit and Earth eclipse on the same day — see the photos
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Behold, 'The Beast': Gigantic animal-like plasma plume 13 times wider than Earth hovers over the sun
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Science history: Astronomers spot first known planet around a sunlike star, raising hopes for extraterrestrial life — Nov. 1, 1995
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Comet 3I/ATLAS has been transformed by billions of years of space radiation, James Webb Space Telescope observations reveal
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Beaver Supermoon: The biggest, brightest full moon of the year is about to rise
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