Astronomy, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 21, 2024

One of the best smart telescopes now comes with a free solar filter worth $249 — perfect for eclipse watchers

Telescopes are great for exploring space, but no way should you be pointing one of them at the sun. That is unless you have a solar filter, and as luck would have it, Unistellar are offering a solar filter worth a whopping $249 for free when you buy their smart...

Feb 22, 2024

35 jaw-dropping James Webb Space Telescope images

After two years in space, the world's most powerful telescope has forever changed the way curious Earthlings view the cosmos. The cutting-edge, $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shared its debut image with the world on July 12, 2022, peering deeper into the universe than any telescope before it....

Feb 27, 2024

Dead star with 'metal scar' on its face likely killed and ate a planet in our galaxy, study finds

Astronomers have discovered a weird white dwarf star with a metallic scar on its surface — the last remnant of a hapless planet consumed by the killer star. The white dwarf, called WD 0816-310, is a superdense husk of a dead star located 63 light-years from Earth. Astronomers previously assumed...

Feb 29, 2024

James Webb telescope spots trouble in Orion Nebula: Stellar winds are eroding planet-forming material around a young star

Many of us have had to deal with pesky neighbors, but for at least one dusty region in the constellation Orion, the problem's existential. Observations by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) show that a compact disk of gas and dust around a young star in the Orion Nebula is...

Mar 12, 2024

Grab a pair of cheap solar eclipse glasses with this excellent deal on Amazon

A total solar eclipse is fast approaching on April 8, but to watch it safely, you will need to wear a pair of eclipse glasses. Fortunately, these don't cost too much, especially now that Amazon is offering 33% off a two-pack of Soluna's solar viewing glasses, and it’s better to...

Mar 14, 2024

James Webb telescope confirms there is something seriously wrong with our understanding of the universe

Astronomers have used the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes to confirm one of the most troubling conundrums in all of physics — that the universe appears to be expanding at bafflingly different speeds depending on where we look. This problem, known as the Hubble Tension, has the potential to...

Mar 14, 2024

James Webb telescope spots organic molecules swirling around unborn stars, hinting at origins of Earth-like worlds

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have spotted complex organic molecules swirling around two forming stars, hinting at where the building blocks of habitable planets originate. Complex organic molecules are crucial for life, but their origin in space has been a mystery, according to Will Rocha, an astronomer...

Mar 15, 2024

'New star' as bright as the North Star will ignite in the sky this year. Here's how to see it.

A nova outburst visible to the naked eye is expected to decorate the night sky this year, offering a rare skywatching opportunity. The star system offering us this opportunity is known as T Coronae Borealis (T CrB). It's located some 3,000 light-years away from Earth and consists of a red...

Feb 27, 2024

Gargantuan sunspot that spit out the strongest solar flare in 6 years is now pointing 'almost directly' at Earth

A giant, hyperactive sunspot that unleashed three X-class solar flares in less than 24 hours last week has continued to swell and is now pointed right at Earth. A period of unsettling quiet suggests that the growing dark patch could be gearing up for another massive eruption, which could smash...

Mar 1, 2024

Exploding, green 'devil comet' could photobomb April 8 total solar eclipse — and it might be visible with the naked eye

The explosive devil comet could rear its green-tinged, hornless head during the total solar eclipse on April 8. The city-size comet, which is currently racing toward Earth, may show up in photos of the rare astronomical event. And if it erupts before totality — the phase of the eclipse when...

Mar 4, 2024

Solar maximum may already be upon us, expert warns — but we won't know for sure until the sun's explosive peak is over

Although it initially wasn't predicted to occur until next year, the sun may have already entered the most active and dangerous phase of its roughly 11-year solar cycle, known as solar maximum, a leading expert told Live Science. But we won't know for sure until long after the sun starts...

Mar 6, 2024

April 8 solar eclipse: 6 zoos on the path of totality — and why animals react strangely to 'nighttime during the day'

When about half of the sun's bright face is covered by the moon's shadow, the light levels begin to drop noticeably. During the totality phase of a total solar eclipse, when all of the sunlight is blocked, the light levels crash. Suddenly, it's like nighttime during the day — and...

Mar 7, 2024

Will animals freak out during the April 8 total solar eclipse?

Howling at odd times, taking an early siesta or tearing down their webs — humans aren't the only creatures in North America who will be affected by the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. For up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds on Monday, April 8, the moon will...

Mar 7, 2024

Now's the time: Where to buy your solar eclipse glasses before the April 8 total eclipse

It's not too late! You can still order a pair of specialty eclipse glasses to watch one of nature's greatest spectacles unfold over North America next month. On April 8, a total solar eclipse will be visible across parts of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada for the first time since...

Mar 11, 2024

Widespread solar storm struck spacecraft near the sun, Earth and Mars in quick succession

Space weather may seem like a tale from a galaxy far, far away — but when solar storms impact us on Earth, we're directly affected. These storms are what give rise to the Northern Lights, for instance. They can even lead to temporary disruptions in our communications systems and power...