Astronomy
A stellar nursery, and the rehearsal behind Rubin’s sky survey
A newly released Seagull Nebula image reveals both the birth of stars and the engineering work that prepared an observatory to watch a changing sky.
The archive
across the frontier.
Reporting and context from the observable universe.
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Astronomy
A chemical fingerprint points to a possible second life for planets
Archival Hubble spectra and an unusual mix of elements suggest a giant planet may have formed from material shed by a dying star.
Astronomy
A tiny galaxy sharpens the mystery of a distant radio flash
Webb has identified the host of FRB 20240304B. Its young stellar population favors a fast route to producing the burst.
Missions
MMX is on its way to the moons of Mars. The samples come later.
Japan’s mission has launched toward Phobos and Deimos, opening a long investigation into how the two small moons formed.
Astronomy
Hubble’s distorted galaxies are a preparation ground for Roman
An arc of blue light beside a foreground galaxy shows how detailed observations can help a wide-field survey investigate dark matter.
Frontier science
A laser that steers by wavelength could fill gaps in Earth’s 3D maps
NASA’s CASALS prototype uses an optical grating to spread laser measurements across the ground. Preparing it for orbit is still ahead.